THIS IS ME

THIS IS ME, a Wifey.tv docuseries directed by Rhys Ernst exploring the real-life, everyday issues of trans and gender-nonconforming people. Nominated for a 2015 Emmy award in Short-form Nonfiction.

Episode One: Closets

There’s no better backdrop than a closet to focus on the challenges of coming out as trans. Here, actor/writer/comedian D’Lo, of Sri Lankan descent, and Indian-born actor/dancer/healer Maya Jafer share their very different true stories.

Episode Two: Generations

Trans advocate and therapist Valerie Spencer and trans teenager Lily Rubenstein don’t let a few decades get in the way of understanding. As they travel throughout LA, visiting points of references from Spencer’s personal herstory, the two are brought closer than they could ever imagine.

Episode Three: From The Bathroom

Sometimes a person just needs a place to pee! No one knows that better than trans entertainer-activists Rocco Kayiatos and Mariana Mar. The duo reclaim public restrooms as gender neutral while cracking wise (and wisely) about the issues surrounding today’s controversial bathroom politics.

Episode Four: Right This Way

You wouldn’t judge a book by its cover, yet the faux pas of public misgendering is far too common. Genderqueer Transparent alumni Mel Shimkovitz and Petey Gibson banter unabashedly on the importance of more inclusive, gender neutral language at popular destinations on LA’s east side.

Episode Five: And My Sisters

For years, transgender women lived in fear of hanging out together, lest they become the targets of violence. Here, artist/actor/decorator Van Barnes, comedic iconoclast Miss Barbie-Q and artist/filmmaker Zachary Drucker proudly and bravely bond in public, offering a glimpse of rarely seen transfeminine sisterhood.