September 25, 2020
Watch: Trans, Non-Binary PSA Series Launches, Features 'Pose' Star
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation and WarnerMedia have launched a PSA series underscoring the authenticity - and humanity - of transgender and non-binary people, Variety reports.
The first spot premiered on Sept. 24 and features "Pose" star Dominique Jackson. The spot also features Tori Cooper, Nakiya Lynch, Alexis Abarca, and couple Sybastian Smith and Brandi Smith.
In the spot, Jackson declares, "I could not live without love," before going on to add: "More importantly, respect."
Others in the spot talk about what matters most to them, such as music, literature, and pets. They also talk about their own deeply held identities and lived experience.
"I'm a woman, just like you," trans activist and HRC staffer Tori Cooper states.
"I am a man," declares trans activist Sybastian Smith.
"A human," says the HRC's Nakia Lynch.
"Just like you," affirms Alexis Abarca.
"See Each Other. Save Trans Lives," the spot's tag line says.
The new PSA series is scheduled to continue throughout the fall, and is in response to an epidemic of anti-trans violence, which has soared in recent years. Much of the violence, particularly lethal violence, targets trans women of color.
The Human Rights Campaign reports that 2020 is on track to be yet another record-breaking year in this respect, with "at least 27 transgender or gender non-conforming people fatally shot or killed by other violent means" since the year began.
Watch the spot below.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
