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Twitter Sounds off on Scarlett Johansson's Controversial Transmasculine Role
Scarlett Johansson seems incapable of learning from past mistakes.
Two days ago, PRIDE reported on Scarlett Johansson's continued troubling decisions to portray races and now genders that aren’t her own.
After coming under fire for her whitewashed role in 2017's Ghost in the Shell, Johansson has teamed up with the same director, Rupert Sanders, to play Dante “Tex” Gill, a transmasculine mastermind who ran a Pittsburgh sex work empire in the 1970s.
In response to playing a trans character in Rub & Tug, a representative from Johansson’s team told Bustle, "Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman's reps for comment."
The response is referencing all the actors who have either been nominated or have won prestigious acting awards for playing transgender roles.
Twitter did not take the statement lying down. Here are some of the best tweets in response to Johansson’s problematic decision.
\u201cHi! I'm Jes, I'm a trans asian actor. can u help me pick my headshot?\u201d— jes tom \ud83c\udf52 (@jes tom \ud83c\udf52) 1530652366
\u201cI am sick to death of cisgender actors capitalising on the media sensation around trans people, playing trans characters, and making money off trans stories. But as long as tickets keep selling, directors will keep casting them. Promote trans talent, and boycott #RubAndTug\u201d— Liam Deary (@Liam Deary) 1530728656
\u201cTake it away, Jamie Clayton. #RubAndTug\u201d— DEJ #BlackLivesMatter #TransRights #FreePalestine (@DEJ #BlackLivesMatter #TransRights #FreePalestine) 1530665987
\u201cScarlett Johansson...you should check your privilege. Also, and this goes for all casting directors, step the fuck up and break the cycle of misrepresentation. #RubAndTug #tex #ScarlettJohansson\u201d— Isabella Iorio (@Isabella Iorio) 1530662044
\u201cWe could make a porn parody of this and still have it come out sensitive and accurate. But then again, we'd actually use trans actors. \n\nhttps://t.co/gE479ionNi #rubandtug #transisbeautiful\u201d— xHamster (@xHamster) 1530645947
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Zachary Zane is a writer, YouTube influencer, and activist whose work focuses on (bi)sexuality, gender, dating, relationships, and identity politics. Check out his YouTube channel here.
Zachary Zane is a writer, YouTube influencer, and activist whose work focuses on (bi)sexuality, gender, dating, relationships, and identity politics. Check out his YouTube channel here.
