Cis-gendered actor Matt Bomer will play a trans female sex worker in the upcoming movie Anything, also starring Maura Tierney, John Carroll Lynch, Micah Hauptman, Margot Bingham and Melora Hardin.

In the movie, which is based on a play by Timothy McNeil, John Carroll Lynch plays a man who is suicidal over the death of his wife. He moves from Mississippi to Los Angeles, to be with his protective sister, Laurette (Tierney) and begins an intense new friendship with Freda (Bomer), a transgender sex worker. The unlikely new couple must reconcile their vastly different backgrounds as they fill the void in each other’s lives.

Says executive producer Mark Ruffalo:

“I’m very happy to be part of this Toronto escorts project. Love is at the essence of great storytelling and transcends all discrimination and politicization.”

Of course, casting a Cis male to play a trans woman  is raaaaather problematic these days, as internet commenters are all too happy to tell you. Not to mention the fact that the trans woman is a sex worker and a drug addict. Because OF COURSE SHE IS. A few examples of the fury today’s announcement provoked:

Casting a cis man to play a trans woman is already an issue, and it’s not good to see trans actors continually marginalized in Hollywood while literal men are cast to play literal women.

Excuse me while I vomit. Just what we need, more cis guys playing trans women. And she’s a sex worker and a drug addict because what else do trans women do with their lives? Didn’t y’all get this out of your systems with Dallas Buyer’s Club? How many more of these pieces of shit do we have to endure?

Oh for shits sake, this isn’t “daring” is creative masturbation. Stop with the tired trans women = sex worker trope already. Also, there are lots of great Trans women actors, how about not discriminating against them just to hire some random cis-het-bot.

What can I say about this that hasn’t been said a million times?
– Cis-male playing transgender women is offensive in most situations.
– Transgender women being protrade as drug addicted sex-workers is lazy writing that relies and outdated tropes.

The last paragraph of this story is the most revealing of all:
“Some may see Ruffalo’s comment above as an attempt to head off possible criticism about casting the cisgender Bomer in a transgender role, and also possible stereotyping around the fact the trans character is a sex worker.”
– This seems to imply that those behind the film KNOW that what they are doing is going to be offensive to the transgender community, yet are moving forward anyway.

“It’s a bit early to know if these will become issues, but there’s no doubt it’s good to see more trans characters in film.”
– While I understand that increased transgender representation in film can be a good thing, we already have dozens of films telling this exact same story, using the exact same offensive and outdated tropes. I would, personally, rather that they just didn’t make films like this, because they ARE NOT helpful to the transgender community whatsoever.

Again, @MattBomer and @MarkRuffalo should be ashamed of mining trans cultural stories, bodies, and voices without ushttps://t.co/IjytCicrHq

— Trans Hollywood (@transhollywood) August 28, 2016

Having trans people play trans people allows for more informed, subtle, authentic performance. It makes for BETTER ART, which is the point.

— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) August 28, 2016

Dear @MarkRuffalo & @MattBomer: if you release this movie, it will directly lead to violence against already at risk trans women.

— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) August 28, 2016

You will exacerbate the cultural belief that trans women are really men, which is the root of violence against us. @MarkRuffalo @MattBomer

— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) August 28, 2016

When @MattBomer plays a trans sex worker, he is telling the world that underneath it all, trans women like me are still really just men.

— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) August 28, 2016

Again & again cis men play trans women in media with the furthest reach, are rewarded for it, & tell the world trans women are “really” men.

— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) August 28, 2016

Cis audiences reward them because they see being trans itself as a performance. Trans actors rather perform THE STORY, not our gender.

— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) August 28, 2016

Having trans people play trans people allows for more informed, subtle, authentic performance. It makes for BETTER ART, which is the point.

— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) August 28, 2016

Matt Bomer playing a trans woman is the perfect example of how cis gay men throw us under the bus for capitalism and assimilation.

— Raquel Willis (@RaquelWillis_) August 28, 2016

this is bullshit
hire actual transexual actors it’s not that hard

Hollywood is so precious about acting. The way it’s held in such high regard is nauseating. Kids and unknown actors do well all the time, sometimes without any training. So, so much for the “we hired the best actor” argument. And it’s not exactly like Matt Bomer is Daniel Day-Lewis or Meryl Streep.

Matt, Jared, Eddie…this looks like it’s becoming a trend for cis men to “bravely” take up those roles and then get pats on the back and Oscar nods for it while actual trans women barely get jobs as actresses and can be murdered simply for existing. Fuck tired-ass, faux-progressive hollywood tbh