Matt Kailey

Six black trans men, six very different stories — Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen is definitely worth the watch when it comes to a film festival near you.

Director Kortney Ryan Ziegler has put together a very diverse and appealing portrait of black trans men from different areas of the country, different walks of life, and different experiences. And it’s incredibly important, because these are voices that are not always heard.

Trans men tend to be invisible anyway — both to mainstream society and within the trans community. The ease of our assimilation makes us barely visible to the mainstream, and our female socialization, which sometimes prevents us from speaking up and taking our place at the table, can keep us from having a more active voice in the trans community as well.

But there are other issues for black trans men. I can’t intelligently expound upon them, because I haven’t had the experience, but several of the men in the film talked about the differences in the ways that our society sees black women and black men, and how differently — and negatively — black men are often viewed.

With regard to mainstream society, becoming a black man presents a new set of difficulties that must be grappled with — including being viewed with suspicion or as a potential criminal.

But even within the trans community, I would venture to guess that there are issues that I can’t begin to imagine. Even communities that are marginalized themselves don’t leave discrimination at the door and can sometimes be the worst offenders. As a gay-identified trans man, I have experienced some extreme homophobia within the trans community. I’m sure that there are other prejudices as well.

I do know this: when I first entered the trans community, I encountered white people — people in charge who looked like me and, in general, had a similar background. This experience is a luxury that many white people, including myself, often do not even recognize and certainly take for granted.

When I took over the FTM support group, this served to perpetuate that experience — when others arrived, they saw a white person in charge. For some, this probably offered a level of comfort that they were not even aware of. For others, it likely did not.

I can’t speak for trans men of color. I can only say that, from where I sit, I can imagine a certain level of invisibility within the wider trans community. That’s why films like Still Black are so necessary. As trans men, it is a struggle for all of us to have our voices heard, and we all have to keep trying.

Aside from the political, the film is entertaining, and the men depicted are great representatives of our community. And in the continuing climate of prejudice and discrimination that trans people face, we need all the positive images out there that we can get.