Scarlett Johansson is back at it again.
A year after receiving backlash for playing what was supposed to be a Japanese character in "The Ghost in the Shell,"
Scarlett Johansson is now facing criticism for accepting a role as a transgender man in the upcoming film "Rub & Tug." The new film chronicles the story of Dante "Tex" Gill, a trans man who ran several prostitution dens disguised as massage parlors in the 1970s and 1980s.
Actors from marginalized communities already struggle to find roles in Hollywood, and casting decisions like these limit their opportunities even more.
Please join in demanding that the studios behind "Rub & Tug" recast the film with a trans man instead!Transgender representation has always been a problem in Hollywood. The film industry has shown a clear preference for cisgender narratives, and when LGBT stories are told, real-life trans narratives are often
written out. And then of course, there's the fact that cisgender actors are cast to play trans roles instead of actual trans actors.
Scarlett Johansson's new film will be directed by Rupert Sanders, the same director behind "The Ghost in the Shell." Clearly these two have not learned anything from their last debacle. In fact, Johansson's rep defended the casting since other actors have played trans roles in the past — an argument that misses the point completely.
Now it's up to the studios behind "Rub & Tug" to do the right thing. Please sign this petition urging them to recast the film with a trans male actor or shut the film down completely.
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr