Should a white man tell a black trans woman's story?

While Marsha P Johnson may not be a household name, a fiery digital debate has started about who is "allowed" to bring her story to the screen. 

Johnson was a black transgender woman and outspoken advocate for transgender rights in the 1960s.

Most famously, she was a key participant in the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. Many see those events, which broke out after a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a prominent gay bar, as the start of the gay rights movement in the United States.

Johnson's story is the subject of a new Netflix documentary by David France, an established filmmaker who's also gay and white. But France is not the only one who's been looking into the story.

Reina Gossett, a black transgender filmmaker, claimed in an Instagram post that France's film used her research without permission. He has vehemently denied these allegations.

Gossett's post received thousands of likes and shares on social media, sparking a wider debate, with many arguing that France should not have made a film about Johnson - or at least that he should have backed Gossett's efforts to bring the story to light.

Share: