Transwomen as Comic Fodder

This past weekend, Justin Timberlake returned to host SNL for a fifth time. The episode was highly anticipated and featured several sketches that pushed the envelope of controversy. One of the most inappropriate was titled, "She's Got a Dick." The skit was meant to spoof stereotypical romantic comedies, but this time the comedic plot twist is that Timberlake's love interest has a penis. However, he tries his best to ignore this factor for the sake of their love (watch it here). The use of transwomen as comic fodder reinforces hegemonic norms of femininity and contributes to the plight of transwomen everywhere. 

This is not the first time that the plight of transwomen has been used for comic relief in Hollywood. Another famous example can be seen in the 1994 film "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." When solving the case of a missing mascot for the Miami Dolphins, Ace Ventura concludes that police lieutenant Lois Einhorn is actually a former football player for the team who is seeking revenge on the quarterback Dan Marino. Lois is also stripped of her clothing to reveal a penis tucked between her legs. Surrounding police officers on the scene immediately begin to vomit. 

As seen in "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and Timberlake's sketch on SNL, Hollywood continuously reinforces the belief that transwomen are deceivers. These examples have asserted that women who have penises are atrocious and unnatural. Timberlake's SNL sketch in particular gives the impression that transgender women are incapable of being loved. It is easy to dismiss these examples as innocent jokes. However, if society intends to progress as one of equal rights for people of all genders and sexual orientations, then transwomen should not be used as comedic fodder in Hollywood.