GLAAD criticizes gender-reassignment thriller Tomboy as sensationalistic

Michelle Rodriguez was announced as the star of Walter Hill’s upcoming thriller Tomboy, A Revenger’s Tale on Wednesday, and GLAAD has responded by calling the film’s depiction of gender-reassignment surgery “disappointing.”

The story, which Hill will direct from his own script, centers on a male assassin (Rodriguez) who is double-crossed and forced to undergo gender-reassignment surgery by a rogue doctor (Sigourney Weaver), who turns him into a woman.

“We haven’t read the script, but it’s disappointing to see filmmakers turning what is a life-saving medical procedure for transgender people into a sensationalistic plot device,” Nick Adams, GLAAD’s director of programs for transgender media, said in a statement.

“We are at a crucial moment in the public’s understanding of transgender issues, and stories like these have the potential to undermine the progress we’ve worked so hard to achieve,” he added.

Reps for Rodriguez, Hill, and producers did not respond to a request for comment. Tomboy is set to begin shooting next month in Vancouver.

On Tuesday, GLAAD released its annual report about LGBT representation on television, and its results found that there were no transgender characters on primetime broadcast programs. There were three recurring transgender characters on cable, and streaming services featured four, with two lead transgender characters in Transparent and Sense8.