A new web series called “Her Story” was released this past fall, giving viewers a never-before-seen look into the love lives of transgender and queer women.
Keene State College students weigh in on the impact they think this new series will have on the LGBT community and the message it will send to viewers who previously used stereotypes and assumptions to judge the lives of transgender and queer individuals. According to an article written by Katherine Fisher, “Her Story” is a media series that takes a look into the dating lives of transgender and queer women as they navigate the intersections of desire and identity. “Trans women in the media have long been punchlines, killers, indications of urban grit, pathetic tragedies and dangerous sirens,” Fisher said. “Rarely have they been complex characters who laugh, struggle and grow; who share strength in sisterhood; who seek and find love. Her story depicts the unique, complicated and very human women we see in queer communities, and explores how these women navigate the intersections of label identity and love.”
KSC Junior Lauren Taddei said that she had not heard of the “Her Story” series until an extra credit opportunity for one of her courses required her to watch it. Taddei said that once she was there and started watching “Her Story,” the series really opened her up to the battles of everyday life for trans and queer women. Taddei said that, prior to seeing the Her Story series, she had never given too much thought about the LGBT community. “I knew that this community was discriminated against and abused on a day-to-day basis, but, to be honest, I never paid much attention to it because I was not affected by it,” Taddei said. “ It made me feel that even though there are resources for this community, they still have a long way to go.”
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Taddei added that just from beginning the series she feels she has been given a never-before-seen look into the lives of transgender and queer individuals.
“I would not call myself an expert just from watching this series, but I do believe that watching this series helps people have something to refer back to when interacting with this community. It’s hard to know exactly what to do/say without offending them but I believe this show can educate people a little better,” Taddei said.
In terms of what the impact this series will have on the LGBT community, Taddei said that she feels it will be a supportive one because the “Her Story” series shows the struggles of everyday life for the LGBT community, which Taddei feels will hopefully bring more awareness of how to act towards the LGBT community in a respectful way.
“I believe that this show, as it gets bigger, will really open a lot of doors for transgender people. It will hopefully give them another resource and a voice to educate the world about them,” Taddei said. Taddei added that she recommends KSC students watch the series because she believes it would educate the campus.
“I think it would be a great show for KSC students to watch because there are peers on our campus that go through these battles everyday, whether we are aware of it or not,” Taddei said.
She continued, “I believe it would educate the campus because although there are groups for support like KSC Pride, I do not believe that everyone truly realizes how hard it is everyday. This series can be an easy way to learn about this community because we never want to offend them. This series shows real life examples and makes these people’s everyday lives a reality for us through the show.”
KSC Senior Kiera Bisenius added that she is excited to see this series progress because she said she feels trans and queer women have finally been given a voice that will be heard by the rest of society.
“I have been hearing a lot about the Her Story series recently, but I have not gotten around to watching it yet. I was honestly surprised to hear that this was the series that has gotten people talking because, in my opinion, shows about the LGBT community do not really create too much of a buzz amongst the heterosexual community,” Bisenius said.
Another KSC senior who asked to remain unnamed added that she thinks this series is definitely a step forward for the LGBTQ community and that it’s helpful to trans and queer individuals in that it helps expose people to this new world.
“I really believe that the more people know about others and different lifestyles helps with acceptance and understanding of those people, so I think it’s awesome that there is a web series on the topic queer and trans people because it’ll expose more people to those who lead different lives than the everyday American male/female,” the senior said. The senior said that, although she has not seen the series, she finds a personal connection within the plotline because she has friends who are a part of the LGBTQ community and even some friends who have recently come out as trans/queer.
“I have formed some really strong relationships with friends who are apart of the LGBTQ community, so I have always been bothered by any form of discrimination that is committed against them. On television you always see reality shows about heterosexual couples and individuals, but never really anything that takes viewers into the world of what it is like to live in a heteronormative society as a trans/queer individual,” the senior said.
She continued, “It makes me happy to see that these individuals are being recognized and the world can see their daily struggles and the strength they use to overcome them and live an otherwise happy and love filled life.”
In retrospect, senior Kiera Bisenius said that being apart of the LGBT community herself has showed her first-hand the cruelty that trans and queer women can face on a daily basis. “It is my hope that the ‘Her Story’ series will show viewers that trans and queer women, as well as others who are apart of the LGBT community, are much, much more than the stereotypes and cruel jokes others make them out to be,” Bisenius said. “Now the world can finally see this community for who we really are and not just be the punchline of a gay joke.”
Brogan Wessell can be contacted at bwessell@kscequinox.com
