Michelle Rodriguez says trans people need to "calm down," '(Re) Assignment' is not "deep"
Michelle Rodriguez thinks we all need to take a chill pill.
The actress stars in the upcoming action thriller (Re) Assignment, as Frank Kitchen, an assassin who goes on a revenge mission after being forced to undergo sex-reassignment surgery by a "rogue surgeon" called The Doctor. The internet has already rejected the movie on principle alone. Many argue a story in which sex-reassignment surgery is used as a punishment is not a story that would benefit transgender people.
"I think the transgender situation, you could talk about that if you were talking about the psychology or the social aspects of the situation," Rodriguez said in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter at the Toronto International Film Festival. "This is — it's not about that. It's an action genre film and we're not trying to get psychological or deep about it, so lay off."
She added, "It's an entertainment piece, guys, calm down. I'm on your team."
Rodriguez has previously gone on the record about (Re) Assignment, saying the trans community should be grateful to her film for furthering the conversation about transgender issues. In the process, she also said Kris Jenner, not Caitlyn Jenner, had transitioned genders.
"If anything, it's freakin' promoting it," she said to TMZ. "Thank Kris Jenner for becoming who he became. And now you have a popular subject matter that nobody wanted to make a movie about, and now everybody's on it."
GLAAD has pointed out that transgender people are usually relegated to one of two roles: victim or villain, as Mic has previously reported. However, recycling these narratives about transgender people can be harmful.
"Media representation frequently informs policies that affect actual communities — and are often the only exposure some people have to the trans community," Mic writer Serena Daniari previously commented. "The stereotype of "the predatory trans person" has often been used as an argument to prevent transgender people from using bathrooms that correspond with our gender identities."
Watch Rodriguez's comments here:
