This morning, MTV announced that its “Look Different” campaign will have a week-long initiative “to stand in solidarity with the transgender community in honor of Transgender Awareness Week from November 16-20, with the highlight being an installment of its popular True Life series titled True Life: I’m Genderqueer.
Per the press release, “While transgender men and women continue to reach new levels of visibility, little attention has been paid to genderqueer and gender non-conforming members of the transgender community. This first-of-its-kind episode follows two genderqueer youth who reject traditional gender labels and identify as outside of the categories of man and woman.” Look Different also has a website where you can learn more about genderqueer issues.
Other events that week include Jacob, one of the young people featured in the episode, hosting a Tumblr “Answer Time” on Monday at 5 PM as well as taking over MTV’s Snapchat Tuesday evening. MTV sister network Logo will host the TV premiere of Beautiful As I Want To Be, a “trans-focused docuseries that spotlights transgender youth” on Wednesday, November 18.
Additionally, the press release states: “On Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual observance to honor the memory of those lives lost in acts of anti-transgender violence held onNovember 20, MTV’s “Look Different” campaign and Logo will also host an online vigil. Throughout the day, “Look Different” will call for an end to violence against transgender women in video spots that air on MTV.”
MTV has been steadily taking admirable steps to bring LGBT issues to the forefront of culture. Last year, the network premiered Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word and more recently Faking It put out a casting call for transgender fans and actors to appear in both speaking and background roles during its next season; more info can be found here.
Throughout the week, MTV’s logo will be changed to display the transgender flag and MTV news will be posting related articles and stories.