Missy Major is in NYC and she wants everyone to know she’s still here, b*tch.
On October 25th, The New School held a screening of the documentary MAJOR! and afterward held a Q&A with the Missy Major herself.
The director of the school’s social justice department welcomed Missy Major to The New School and how they felt completely honored she attending the event during her 70 something birthday. They also thanked the other lovely cast members of the film who took the time off of their busy schedules for a Q&A after the screening.
The Q&A only last for about 10 minutes. Missy and the cast members, including family and friends, sat on stage passing around a microphone giving advice and inspirational statements to all brave audience member who stood up and spoke out about their hardships on being transgender.
*WARNING SPOILERS*
Here is a little info about the film:
The documentary was about the hardships that people of the transgender community, especially women of color, endure through their life time. They exposed the corruption that takes place with in correctional facilities toward transgender people. Transgender people are often put in the S.H.U, Secure Housing Unit or also know as solitary confinement, “for their own safety”. Many of the women are held in the S.H.U for longer than the legal amount days a prisoner is to be confined.
Missy Major does the best she can for the women in prison. Even if it a responding to a letter or a phone call. Missy states:
“it helps a lot just to know that someone out there is listening”
When the women get out of prison she insists that they come to see her and she will help them get they help that they need. Missy never wants to hear those women say “I can’t” because she believes in them 100% percent.
The documentary also addressed Missy’s past life. Missy spoke out about her mother and father’s imperfect relationship, how her sister’s suicide affected Missy, Missy’s life in College, and her experience in New York City during the 70s. Missy loved her parents but they could not fully accept her for who she really was. Missy stated, “I started my hormones and my boobs grew. I decided to flash my mother and she fainted”. Missy’s sister was the one person who couldn’t accept that the Missy was a transgender woman. Her sister once burned all of the Missy’s baby/children pictures. After the death of her sister, Missy needed some time to recover.
Missy experience in college was great until she got kicked out when they school found out that she was transgender. After college, she fled to New York City where she became a performer and worked on the streets. This is when Miss’s life took a turn for the worst and as she faced a massive amount of discrimination and crime.
Missy experiences are what inspires her to do good for all the transwomen of color. She understands what happens out there in the world because she lived through it. Missy always wants people to never give up and let the world know that you’re still f*cking here.
Queer Cinema Culture 