A Manifesto for the Gender Non-Conforming Actor
Too often in our everyday lives as gender non-conforming (GNC) folx, we are forced to submit to others’ perceptions of ourselves. One of the most exhausting parts of being GNC is the following concept: Gender is performance because it always has a passive audience. It doesn’t matter if I present stereotypically masculine or androgynous by wearing men’s clothes, having a masculine hairstyle, wearing no makeup, and actively deepening my voice. Someone will still recognize my slender chin, my breasts, and the break in my voice, and they will assign me as female in their mind. The society we live in does not encourage the general public to deconstruct these prevailing ideas of gender, gender identity, and gender presentation. Until this deconstruction begins, being GNC will remain an uphill battle.
As artists and actors, we have the power to influence others’ beliefs and behaviors with our work. Put simply, we have a voice and we must use it. As gender non-conforming artists and actors, we must use this power to assist in the deconstruction of gender.
1 - Performing as One’s True Self
It is imperative that we represent ourselves fully as our identities in the roles we play. In everyday life, we do not have control over how we are perceived. For example, someone with a deeper voice or facial hair will be assumed male even if they are wearing makeup or a dress, or otherwise presenting stereotypically feminine. Everyday life is a performance where we do not get a say in our roles. Every performance on stage, on screen, in animation, etc. is an opportunity to represent our gender identities. I have more control over who my characters are and how they are perceived because they will be viewed by a more open and active audience as opposed to the passive audience I encounter on a daily basis. I will use this opportunity to embrace my true self and to fully represent my identity. In every possible case, I will perform my characters with my pronouns and my gender identity.
In the case that the role I am offered is not my gender identity, I will consider a series of questions as to why this is the case. Why is this character male, female, etc? Is it imperative to the story? What does it say about the story being told if a GNC actor plays this role? Most importantly, is it worth sacrificing my identity for the story at large? I will commit to giving this full consideration to every opportunity I am given. I am forced to sacrifice my identity on a daily basis. If I do so for my creative work, there had better be a damn good reason.
2 - Representation Matters
Seeing oneself reflected in the media we consume is essential. It has been proven time and time again that when a person (especially a young person) does not recognize themself in what is portrayed as normal, they will assume the problem resides in themself. Without the knowledge of gender nonconformity, people who don’t feel connected to their assigned gender at birth (AGAB) will believe that something is wrong with them. This belief is the cause of many issues for trans folx of all ages, shapes, and sizes, but particularly for adolescents as puberty often severely increases gender dysphoria. Heightened rates of depression, self-harm, suicide, and other effects have been linked to gender dysphoria in youth. Without examples of GNC in mass media and pop culture, this target group will have limited understanding about what they are going through and how they are not alone. Even in the instance where an individual has access to information about gender nonconformity, without seeing it represented in media, they will assume that we are a subgroup of people, or something that should be kept secret or sacrificed in order to be accepted by the general public. It is important to represent GNC folx in all media, but especially for this target audience. Therefore, as a performer, I will make a point to seek out performance opportunities that will be seen by both wide audiences and young audiences.
3 - Gender Neutral Pronouns
In grade school, I had many an English teacher inform me that I was not to use “they” to represent a singular person in my papers because it was grammatically incorrect. Instead, the so-called correct gender neutral singular pronoun was “(s)he.” Passing over the fact that this term is insulting to women, as the “s” appears as an afterthought, it entirely disregards the gender neutral singular pronoun “they:” an acceptable term actively used in the English language since 1375 CE. 12th grade English classes are not the most recent time I’ve come across the term “(s)he.” Many scripts include it to represent a character, usually minor, who could be portrayed “as a man or a woman.” This description is problematic because it reinforces the notion of gender as a binary and not a spectrum.
In instances where the playwright is a part of the production team, I will politely inquire their reasoning behind the term, and then encourage them to replace all instances of it to “they.” In instances where the playwright is not a part of the production team, any change of the script is highly unlikely to occur (without reaching out to the playwright directly and maybe getting a response that isn’t offended by the audacity of anyone wanting to change their word choice). However, this does not stop me from asking the production team to cross out “(s)he” with a pen or pencil and write in “they” instead to normalize usage of the inclusive pronoun in our common workspace.
4 - Challenge Gender Assumptions
Why is this character female? Why is that character male? Is it imperative to the story being told? If so, why? These questions should become commonplace during tablework sessions at the beginning of the rehearsal process. In a future where the current ideas of gender have been deconstructed, these will be questions asked and answered by the playwright at the time of writing, but until then, we must take it upon ourselves to ask them now. What message is being portrayed by giving this character he/him pronouns? What stereotypes are being reinforced? What stereotypes are being broken? Is this the story we want to tell?
Furthermore, if the gender of a character I am portraying is not inherently part of the plot, I will request from the playwright and/or director to use my own gender and pronouns. This goes double for GNC folx who use neopronouns as they are even more underrepresented in media, and are an excellent form of challenging ideas of gender, gender identity, and gender representation.
5 - GNC Characters in Professional Performance
The industry does not offer a level playing field when it comes to GNC versus cisgender (cis) performers. GNC actors should be prioritized in casting choices. This will contribute to the necessary representation outlined in section 2. Additionally, casting GNC actors should be mandatory when the character in question is GNC. Casting cis actors to play transgender (trans) and GNC characters shuts out already underemployed trans and GNC actors from roles that were literally written for and about them. This is especially important in any case where the GNC character’s storyline revolves around their experience of being GNC. Trans stories should be told by trans actors. Non-binary stories should be told by non-binary actors.
I am personally acquainted with several other GNC performers, and I will make a point to connect them with performance opportunities. I will recommend them to casting directors and others looking to hire performers in order to continue pushing GNC performers into these spaces. Because of the larger battle for representation at hand, I do not see my fellow GNC performers as competition. In an industry without a level playing field, any GNC performer cast is a step in the right direction.
6 - GNC Characters in Non-Professional Performance & Encouraging the Exploration of Gender
Non-professional performances are defined as performances that do not offer payment for the work done. These include performances in educational settings, community theatre, church performances, etc. They have a much smaller audience and a smaller community pool of performers.
Within the context of a non-professional setting, cis actors should be encouraged to portray roles of characters with genders they do not personally identify with.
Even in this context, it should be reiterated that characters with storylines focused on the GNC experience should only be portrayed by GNC actors. That being said, in all other cases, cis actors should be encouraged to play outside of their gender. This will then encourage and normalize the exploration of gender. People who consider gender nonconformity, experiment with it, and conclude that they are in fact cisgender, are often ostracized from both cis and trans spaces. This gatekeeping of gender nonconformity leads to a lot of angst in folx who are questioning their gender but are afraid of the consequences of being wrong, such as being ostracized by everyone they know. Normalizing experimentation will eradicate this fear.
It is important to have this opportunity available in non-professional settings, as these communities often consist of GNC performers who are only beginning to realize that they are GNC. It was with the portrayal of Cesario in a community theatre production of Twelfth Night that I fully realized my gender identity. This experimentation within a small, supportive community is a phenomenal opportunity for GNC actors to realize their true selves. In addition, encouraging cis actors to explore different gender identities will promote the questioning of gender and what it means to be cisgender, which will assist in the fight to eradicate current ideas of gender, gender identity, and gender presentation.
In Conclusion
Storytelling, whether that is onstage, on screen, or any other medium, gives us the means to explore and validate our identities in a safe space, as well as the platform to represent gender nonconformity. As actors and storytellers, we owe it to ourselves and our community to use this space to defy and deconstruct the prevailing ideas of gender, gender identity, and gender presentation.
The commitment to the ideas framed in this manifesto will require a significant amount of work. It requires bravery, vulnerability, and courage to commit to anything that challenges the norm of society. That being said, in my experience, the people I’ve worked with in this industry have provided the most accepting and progressive spaces I’ve been a part of. I am excited to put in the work alongside playwrights, directors, costume designers, other actors, and other creatives to explore the depths of gender neutrality in media. The art that comes out of this effort will change the industry, our society, and the world for the better.
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