For years, Nyala Moon felt she’d never be able to reconcile her Black and transgender identity with her passion for dark humor.
The filmmaker was, of course, well aware that Hollywood’s track record on transgender representation has been lackluster at best. If there was any room for cinematic empathy, it would have to start at a level well above her pay grade, she believed.
“The biggest hurdle for trans representation in film and television is the lack of nuanced stories,” Moon, a New York native, told HuffPost. “However, many filmmakers like myself hope to push the needle further. How people view trans people can’t change unless we change it.”
Moon’s new short film, “How Not to Date While Trans,” is part of her overall effort to “highlight the human experience through a trans lens” ― in this case, the universal desire to find love and be loved in return.
Debuting online this week as part of the 11th annual Frameline Voices series at San Francisco’s Frameline Film Festival, “How Not to Date While Trans” follows a New Yorker named Andie Philomena (played by Moon), as she embarks on a number of first dates, “Sex and the City”-style.
Watch a clip of “How Not To Date While Trans” below.
At first, Andie finds herself encountering men who have wildly different thoughts on LGBTQ rights and the trans community as a whole. She finds solace in the arms of a “random stud guy” who just might have a trans-inclusive view of romance, only to bristle at the prospect of sharing her true self with him.
Though “How Not to Date While Trans” showcases a Black trans woman’s experience, Moon sees the film as “a universal story” that viewers from all walks of life can embrace.
“Trans people are regular people experiencing life, and life is messy,” she said. “Everyone can relate to the struggles of looking for love and acceptance. If we focus on that, we will hopefully create common ground.”
“How Not to Date While Trans” is viewable in full here. Presented via a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, this year’s Frameline Voices series features an additional four films, including “Grindr Baby” and “Valentine.”
Roy Rochlin via Getty Images
Moon is grateful to high-profile stars like Laverne Cox for helping to usher in what she describes as a “trans renaissance,” and hopes to continue to highlight stories about the transgender community through her future work as a filmmaker. She recently completed work on a new short film comedy titled “Dilating for Maximum Results” which also reflects the modern trans experience.
“Sometimes I wonder if there is a place for me in this industry because trans filmmakers are few and far between,” she said. “And the stories I want to tell might be seen as niche or political, especially since trans people are a hot-button political issue … for the longest time, we were ignored and erased from history, which is sad, but that presents an opportunity for myself and other trans artists to explore.”
She went on to note, “I hope people who aren’t transgender can … give trans people they meet in everyday life and online some grace, even if they don’t understand or agree. The reality is that we are here, and we’ve always been here.”