Wikipedia

Jokestress

Joined 25 April 2004


Jokestress (aka Andrea James)
Andrea James (me!) in 2014
Born (1967-01-16) January 16, 1967 (age 57)
EducationB.A. (English, Latin, Greek), Wabash College, 1989
M.A. (English), University of Chicago, 1990
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, consumer activist
Websiteandreajames.com

Hi, I'm Jokestress, aka Andrea James (born January 16, 1967), an American filmmaker and consumer activist.[1]

Education

I grew up in Franklin, Indiana and attended Wabash College, where I majored in English, Latin, and Greek.[2] After graduating in 1989, I obtained an M.A. in English language and literature from the University of Chicago in 1990.[3]

Career

 
With Calpernia Addams speaking at the 2006 Out & Equal Workplace Summit

I worked for ten years in advertising in Chicago.[4] During my gender transition, I became involved in consumer activism, particularly exposing medical and academic fraud.[5] In 1996 I created the consumer website now called Transgender Map, as well as hair removal consumer websites HairFacts and HairTell.[6][7][8]

In 2003 I moved to Los Angeles and co-founded Deep Stealth Productions with entertainer Calpernia Addams. We created content for transgender people on makeup, facial feminization surgery, and coming out, starting with a vocal feminization instructional video, Finding Your Female Voice.[9]

I criticized psychologist J. Michael Bailey’s 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen after published reports that Bailey was using images of young gender diverse children without their knowledge or consent, provoking laughter from students and faculty.[10][11] Sexologist Kenneth Zucker devoted an issue of his journal Archives of Sexual Behavior to the controversy, centered on a target article by historian Alice Dreger, a colleague of Bailey's at Northwestern University.[12] Dreger accused me of stifling academic freedom, then tried to stop me from speaking in academic settings about the controversy.[13] I wrote that the book was an example of academic exploitation of transgender people, and a “cure narrative” framed by one unconfirmed case report about a six-year-old child.[14] Gender studies professor K. Surkan said our protests against Bailey “represented one of the most organized and unified examples of transgender activism seen to date.”[15]

I expanded my criticism to include Zucker and Ray Blanchard of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health for their pathologization of transgender children and adults via Zucker's gender identity disorder in children diagnosis and Blanchard's transsexualism typology.[16] After Zucker and Blanchard were appointed to lead the committee revising transgender sections of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 2009, I helped organize protests at the American Psychiatric Association conference.[17] In 2015 the gender clinic where Zucker and Blanchard worked was closed following an investigation.[18]

In 2004, I founded the nonprofit GenderMedia Foundation.[19] That year, I produced and performed in the first all-transgender cast of ”The Vagina Monologues”, debuting a new piece created by Eve Ensler for the occasion.[20] I also appeared in Beautiful Daughters, a documentary about the event.[21] In 2005 I coached Felicity Huffman for her role in Transamerica and had a cameo in the film.[22] I appeared in the 2005 HBO documentary Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She, and I directed transgender-themed short films, including “Casting Pearls” in 2007 and “Transproofed” in 2009.[23]

I served on the Board of Directors of TransYouth Family Allies, a nonprofit that supports transgender youth and their families, from 2007 to 2014.[24] From 2008 to 2013, I served on the Board of Directors of Outfest, where I was involved in the restoration of the documentary Queens at Heart.[25]

I was a consulting producer for, and appeared in, the reality-dating television series Transamerican Love Story on Logo in 2008.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). I began guest blogging at Boing Boing in 2009 and portrayed lawyer Joni Thome in the 2010 documentary Bullied.[26] I directed two seasons of a web series for Disney fan club D23, one season of the web series Beatdown for drag performer Willam Belli, coached Kate del Castillo for her role in K-11, and co-produced Living Things, a 2014 dramatic feature on veganism.[27] In 2012 I co-founded Thought Moment Media, where I directed the 2013 children’s film “Family Restaurant” and the 2015 Showtime concert film Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy, both about LGBT adoption. [28]

I edited and advised on several books, including the 2002 autobiography Mark 947 by Calpernia Addams, the 2007 autobiography Pholomolo by Veronique Renard, the 2014 self-help book Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, and self-help parody Suck Less by Willam Belli.[29][30][31][32] I co-edited the 2014 anthology Letters for My Sisters with Deanne Thornton.[33][34][35] I am featured or quoted in photography books Vagina Warriors by Eve Ensler and Joyce Tenneson and The World According to Wonder by World of Wonder, in consumer guide Facial Feminization Surgery by Douglas Ousterhout, and in 51%: Women and the Future of Politics by Terri Spahr Nelson.[36][37][38][39] I also contributed to the anthology To My Trans Sisters edited by Charlie Craggs.[40] I have also been a notable contributor to, and critic of, Wikipedia.[41][42][43]

In 2014, I discussed complexities of the slurs "tranny" and "shemale" in the wake of objections to their use on RuPaul’s Drag Race.[44] I criticized writer Parker Molloy as emblematic of clickbait journalism and Twitter's outrage culture.[45] A group of transgender Twitter users signed an open letter denouncing me for my stance.[46] Molloy resigned later that year after directing abuse and slurs at trans women.[47] I have also discussed controversies around casting transgender roles in films.[48] In 2015 I was a script consultant on an episode of Royal Pains about a transgender teen played by Nicole Maines.[49] I was also a consulting producer on the 2015 reality TV series Transcendent.[50] In 2016, I participated in the Intelligence Squared debate on gender identity filmed in Sydney, Australia for BBC World News.[51]

I have worked with social media platforms like Facebook on content moderation and community standards.[52] In 2016, I worked with Tinder on rolling out gender-inclusive profile options.[53][54][55] I have discussed trans politics during the Presidency of Donald Trump.[56] My media projects in 2017 included a pilot of Conversations with Coco starring Coco Peru and Lily Tomlin and the documentary Gender Revolution with Katie Couric.[57] In 2019, I announced a new interactive project to analyze transphobia in the media.[58] Our film Whirlybird about Zoey Tur and Marika Gerrard was one of 16 films in the US Documentary Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, and my interactive media adaptation of Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps starring Scott Turner Schofield premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and Outfest. In 2021, I helped produce The Ts Madison Experience starring Ts Madison and began hosting the interview show WOW Now for WOW Presents Plus.

In 2021, my life's work was selected for preservation by the United States Library of Congress.

Filmography

Genre Year Title Credit Notes
Documentary 2021 This Is Jessica Self
News 2021 WOW Now Host, Writer, Director, Producer
Documentary 2021 The Ts Madison Experience Consulting Producer 6 episodes
Documentary 2020 Whirlybird Story Consultant
Experimental 2020 Becoming a Man in 127 EASY Steps Director, Producer
Documentary 2017 Gender Revolution Consulting Producer
Short film 2017 Viva Diva Executive Producer
TV pilot 2017 Conversations with Coco Director, Executive Producer
Web series 2016 What the Flick?! Self 1 episode
TV series 2016 Intelligence Squared Self 1 episode
TV series 2015 Royal Pains Consultant 1 episode
TV series 2015 Transcendent Consulting Producer 13 episodes
Film 2014 Living Things Co-Producer
Concert film 2014 Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy Director, Co-Editor, Executive Producer
Web series 2014 Beatdown Director, Producer 11 episodes
Web series 2014 Paint Me Bitch Director, Producer 3 episodes
Short film 2012 Family Restaurant Writer, Director, Editor, Producer, Voice Actor: “Picky”
Film 2012 K-11 Coach to star Kate del Castillo
Web series 2010 D23’s Disney Geek Director, Producer, Editor, Cinematographer 62 episodes
Documentary 2010 Bullied Actor: “Joni Thome”
Short film 2009 Transproofed Writer, Director, Editor, Producer, Actor: “Joyce”
TV series 2009 Transamerican Love Story Consulting Producer, Self 8 episodes
Short film 2008 Laundromat Actor: “Maya”
Short film 2008 Casting Pearls Director, Executive Producer, Co-Writer, Co-Editor, Voice Actor
Instructional video 2006 Coming Out (Volumes 1, 2, & 3) Director, Producer, Writer, Co-Editor, Self
Documentary 2006 Beautiful Daughters Self
Documentary 2005 Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She Self
Film 2005 Transamerica Actor: “Voice Coach,” coach to star Felicity Huffman
Documentary short 2003 Conversation with Calpernia Director, Producer, Co-Editor, Self
Instructional video 2003 Becoming You (Volumes 1 & 2) Director, Producer, Co-Editor, Self
Instructional video 2002 Finding Your Female Voice Director, Producer, Writer, Co-Editor, Self

References

  1. ^ Nichols, James Michael. This Trans Pioneer Has Been Fighting For The Trans Community For Decades. Huffington Post, July 4, 2016.
  2. ^ Paige, Richard. Wabash on My Mind: Andrea James ‘89. October 26, 2015.
  3. ^ Wabash College. Andrea James to Give Talk at Wabash. October 21, 2008.
  4. ^ Bartner, Amy. Transgender community unites at Pride event. Indianapolis Star, June 9, 2016.
  5. ^ Gardner, Chris. Tinder Launches Transgender-Inclusive Update, Allowing Users to Select Personalized Gender Identity. The Hollywood Reporter, November 15, 2016.
  6. ^ Garvin, Glenn. Breaking Boundaries. The Miami Herald, March 15, 2003.
  7. ^ Painter, K. Who qualifies to zap hairs? USA Today, March 26, 2006.
  8. ^ Grossman, A. J. Zapping teenage torment. The New York Times, June 5, 2008.
  9. ^ Hopper, Douglas. Helping Transgender Women Find a New Voice. All Things Considered, NPR, March 5, 2006.
  10. ^ Roughgarden, Joan. Psychology lecture lacks sensitivity to sexual orientation. The Stanford Daily, April 25, 2003.
  11. ^ James, Andrea. J. Michael Bailey’s vulgar misuse of gender diverse children. transgendermap.com, June 5, 2003.
  12. ^ Zucker, Kenneth. Introduction to Dreger (2008) and Peer Commentaries. Archives of Sexual Behavior doi:10.1007/s10508-007-9300-2.
  13. ^ Nichols, Margaret. Dreger on the Bailey Controversy: Lost in the Drama, Missing the Big Picture, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2008, Volume 37, Number 3, pp. 476-480.
  14. ^ James, Andrea. Fair comment, foul play, National Women's Studies Association conference, June 21, 2008, pp. 3–4
    “The Bailey Brouhaha”, National Women’s Association Conference, YouTube, June 21, 2008.
  15. ^ Surkan, K. Transsexuals protest academic exploitation. In Faderman, Lillian (ed). Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Events, 1848-2006. Salem Press, 2007, pp. 700–702.ISBN 9781587652653
  16. ^ James, Andrea. “A defining moment in our history: Examining disease models of gender identity”, ”Gender Medicine”, 2006(3;1) p. S56{{doi|10.1016/S1550-8579(06)80121-X}
    James, Andrea. Sexology’s war on transgender children. Boing Boing, June 11, 2015.
  17. ^ Batza, Katie. LGBTQ and Health. In LGBTQ America, Springate, Megan E., Ed. National Park Foundation, 2016.
  18. ^ Ubelacker, Sheryl. CAMH to ‘wind down’ controversial gender identity clinic services. The Globe and Mail, December 15, 2015,
    Pyne, Jake. Discredited treatment of trans kids at CAMH shouldn’t shock us. Toronto Star, December 17, 2015.
  19. ^ Ensler, Eve et al. V-Day LA: Until the violence stops, GenderMedia Foundation, 2004.
  20. ^ Ensler, Eve. I Never Defined a Woman as a Person With a Vagina. Time, January 18, 2015.
  21. ^ ”Teaching resources: Beautiful Daughters”, Feminist Teacher, 18(2), 2008, pp. 179–180. JSTOR 40546067
  22. ^ Tucker, Duncan. Transamerica: The Shooting Script. Newmarket Press, 2006, pp. 93, 133. ISBN 978-1-55704-732-8
    Keck, William. Felicity Huffman is sitting pretty. USA Today, November 21, 2005.
  23. ^ Anderson, Tre’vell. On the hunt for another ‘Moonlight,’ Outfest celebrates 35 years. Los Angeles Times, July 6, 2017.
    Adelman, Kim. ‘Pariah’ Leads The Pack of Outstanding Shorts at Outfest ’07., Indiewire, July 18, 2007.
    Everleth, Mike Echo Park Film Center: Transgender Short Films. Underground Film Journal, January 10, 2011.
  24. ^ James, Andrea, “Life Without Puberty”, The Advocate, January 25, 2008.
  25. ^ Limbachia, Dixie. Kristin Chenoweth, ‘American Gods’ Stars Turn Out for Bryan Fuller at Outfest Opening Night. Variety, July 7, 2017.
    Kelly, Shannon. Highlighting the Outfest Legacy Project: Three Films. UCLA Film and Television Archive, March 6, 2011.
  26. ^ Apelqvist, Eva (2013) LGBTQ Families: The Ultimate Teen Guide. Scarecrow Press, ISBN 9780810885363
  27. ^ Breen, Matthew, Willam Belli Wants To Get Thrown Out of Her Own Show. Out, April 17, 2015.
    Brydum, Sunnivie. Captivating Kate. The Advocate, April 23, 2013
    Asea, Adam. Out Today: Andrea James’ Living Things – A Vegan and Meat Debate. ”The WOW Report,” April 15, 2014.
  28. ^ Lopresti, Michael (2013). Family Restaurant. Frameline Film Festival
    Wong, Curtis M. Alec Mapa Hopes His Showtime Special, 'Baby Daddy,' Inspires Gay Parents To Adopt Older Kids. Huffington Post, June 12, 2015.
    Reynolds, Daniel, The 10 Best LGBT Documentaries of 2014. The Advocate, December 24, 2014.
  29. ^ Addams, Calpernia. Mark 947: A Life Shaped by God, Gender, and Force of Will. Writers Club Press, 2002. ISBN 0-595-26376-3
  30. ^ Renard, Veronique. Pholomolo: No Man No Woman. iUniverse, 2007. ISBN 978-0595446698
  31. ^ Erickson-Schroth, Laura. Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community. Oxford University Press, 2014. ISBN 9780199325351
  32. ^ Belli, Willam. Suck Less: Where There’s a Willam, There’s a Way. Grand Central Publishing, 2016 ISBN 978-1455566198
  33. ^ Kellaway, Mitch, Trans Women Share Wisdom 'By Us, For Us'. The Advocate, July 16, 2014.
  34. ^ 10 Must-Read Books When You’re Having Gender Questions. SheWired, October 22, 2015.
  35. ^ Kellaway, Mitch, The Year’s 10 Best Transgender Non-Fiction Books. The Advocate, November 5, 2014.
  36. ^ Bailey, Fenton; Barbato, Randy. The World According to Wonder. World of Wonder Books, 2013. ISBN 978-0985583408
  37. ^ Ensler, Eve; Tenneson, Joyce. Vagina Warriors. New York: Bulfinch Press, 2005, p. 11. ISBN 978-0-8212-6183-5
  38. ^ Ousterhout, Douglas. Facial Feminization Surgery: A Guide for the Transgendered Woman. Addicus Books, 2010. ISBN 1938803221
  39. ^ Nelson, Terri Spahr. 51%: Women and the Future of Politics: Women speak out on US politics and politicians. Sugati Publications, 2016. ISBN 978-0982580677
  40. ^ Craggs, Charlie. To My Trans Sisters. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2017.ISBN 9781784506681
  41. ^ Hockenberry, John (January 14, 2011). Who Edits Wikipedia? The Takeaway, WNYC
  42. ^ James, Andrea (February 14, 2017). Watching Wikipedia's extinction event from a distance. Boing Boing
  43. ^ Jemielniak, Dariusz (March 6, 2017). The Wikipedia Battle Over Really Short Articles. Slate
  44. ^ Wilson, Erin, [9 Celebs Who Learned the Hard Way the T-Word Is Over.] The Advocate, April 9, 2015.
  45. ^ James, Andrea. I Fucking Hate @RuPaul. Boing Boing, April 4, 2014.
  46. ^ Dreger, Alice (2015). Galileo's Middle Finger, p. 682.
  47. ^ Editors. Parker Molloy Resigns From Advocate, Lashes Out At Former Colleagues. Queerty, October 31, 2014.
  48. ^ James, Andrea, Is Elle Fanning Taking a Role From a Transgender Actor? The Atlantic, November 15, 2014.
  49. ^ Bartner, Amy, Transgender activist amid Hollywood’s transition. USA Today, June 3, 2016.
  50. ^ "New Series Highlights Transgender Stories, Introduces 'Ladies of AsiaSF'". NBC News. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
    Johnson, RJ. A Decade of Discovery. Alaska Dispatch News, June 29, 2017.
  51. ^ Treharne, Trevor. Transgender rights move into their recognition era. Seven News, February 26, 2016.
    Society and Gender Identities. BBC World News, April 10, 2016.
  52. ^ Eldon, Eric. Facebook Begins Testing Advanced Crowd-Sourced Content Moderation. Adweek, January 4, 2010.
  53. ^ Steinmetz, Katy. The Inside Story Behind Tinder’s New Gender Options. Time, November 14, 2016.
  54. ^ Snyder, Benjamin. How Tinder Is Making Dating Easier for Transgender Users. Fortune, June 3, 2016.
  55. ^ Titlow, John Paul. Tinder Reengineers Its Gender Field, With Help From The Trans Community. Fast Company, November 15, 2016.
  56. ^ Rose, Donna; Fronterhouse, Diana. Ep 012 – Andrea James. The Deeper End, October 20, 2016
    St. James, James, WOW Exclusive: JSJ Talks to Trans Activist Andrea James About Trump, the Future of Trans Rights, and How YOU Can Help, WOW Presents, March 15, 2017.
  57. ^ Babayan, Siran (August 13, 2016). Conversations with Coco: Lily Tomlin. LA Weekly
    Ennis, Dawn. ‘Gender Revolution’ is all about trans people, but it’s made for a cis audience. LGBTQ Nation, February 8, 2017.
    Ikenberg, Tamara. Becoming a man in just ‘127 Easy Steps’: Transgender activist and actor returns to perform one-man show. Alaska Dispatch News, June 29, 2017.
  58. ^ Fried, Ina (June 17, 2019). Exclusive: Using data to track transphobia in media. Axios
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