During a For Your Consideration panel for Transparent in April, creator Jill Soloway promised that in Season 4 of the Emmy-winning Amazon Original series, “things will get more political than they’ve ever been.” But a new trailer released Friday doesn’t seem to hint at any of the political content Soloway was referring to, instead keeping it light as we see glimpses of the Pfeffermans setting off for Israel and Maura (Jeffrey Tambor) revealing that she’s dating a man.
Given the circumstances of the trailer’s debut, however, the cast and creators of Transparent chose to frame it as an act of resistance. In an accompanying statement to People, where the trailer first premiered, they expressed their outrage over Donald Trump’s recent tweets announcing a ban on transgender people serving in the military, calling the move “reprehensible” and promising solidarity with the trans community. “Sharing this work amidst President Trump’s continued assault on the transgender community is painful,” it reads. “We hope that you’ll enjoy the trailer for Season 4, because our visibility and our stories are more important than ever.”
Soloway, whose show is based on a childhood personal experience with a parent coming out as transgender, has also tweeted against Trump’s decision.
Transparent returns to Amazon on Sept. 22. The full statement from the cast and crew can be found below.
We are honored to share the trailer for Transparent season 4. We feel very lucky to get to make art inspired by themes of love, home and boundaries, and how they operate in both human beings as well as nations.
Sharing this work amidst President Trump’s continued assault on the transgender community is painful. We are outraged that he announced in a tweet that transgender people would not be allowed to serve ‘in any capacity’ in the U.S. military. It is reprehensible to deny an estimated 15,000 current trans service members, and 134,000 trans veterans, the dignity, respect and safety that they deserve.
At Transparent we believe in the integrity of the trans community, which we know firsthand because we are all either trans or allies to the trans community. It is a revolutionary act for a trans person to simply leave the house and walk down the street. We tap into the incredible history of survival the trans community has achieved against all odds, knowing that our fight is noble and on the side of justice and human rights.
To our trans community members serving in the military and to transgender veterans: We work in solidarity with you and will continue fighting and creating art for our community’s well-being and future. We hope that you’ll enjoy the trailer for season 4 because our visibility and our stories are more important than ever.
GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Project is working every day to shine a bright light on all of the anti-LGBTQ actions taken by this administration, please follow them on Twitter @glaad or visit glaad.org/tap for the latest steps you can take to resist.
