When Laith
Ashley decided to post some sexy snaps on Instagram from a photoshoot he and a
friend conducted in 2014, he had no idea it would lead him to make history on
the runways of New York Fashion Week less than two years later.
Since then,
the model, actor, singer-songwriter (“Like Me”), and activist has gone on to
become the first transgender Pit Crew member on RuPaul’s Drag Race,
to appear in British GQ and British Vogue, and to
lead major fashion campaigns for Barneys and Diesel (one of the first trans
models to do so). Now he’s heading to Hollywood.
Ashley is set
to portray Ajax, a gorgeous small-town dancer with a heart of gold, in Desiree
Staples’s upcoming indie comedy My Divorce Party. Although he’s
already garnered the attention of casting directors after small parts in shows
like Pose and Strut, this is Ashley’s first lead
role in a feature film.
Because of his
hypermasculine, “cis-assumed” appearance, Ashley says that landing cis roles is
nothing new to him — and he has difficulty getting trans parts.
“The
entertainment industry is trying to be more welcoming of trans people, but
there’s still a lot of work to be done,” says Ashley. “There’s training that
needs to be done around language; there’s training that needs to be done around
trans people in general. I’ve read character breakdowns for TV and film that
misgenders the individual… [and] sometimes, not all the time, it does feel like
tokenism…. They’re not really trying to understand. They’re just like, Oh,
they’re calling for diversity, so if we put a trans person in as this character
we’ll get funded.”
Ashley also
admits that just the audition process can be dehumanizing for trans folks.
“[The parts
are] usually not very well written, and it could be even a traumatic experience
for the trans person that’s playing this character,” he says. “I’ve heard some
horror stories from some friends about their experiences on set…. It [can]
become a very uncomfortable workspace for the trans person.”
Still, Ashley
says he is grateful for the opportunities he’s had — and adds that the more
trans people who end up on-screen and behind the scenes, the better it will be
for all.
This story is part of The Advocate’s 2021 Film and TV issue, which is out on newsstands October 5, 2021. To get your own copy directly, support queer media and subscribe — or download yours for Amazon, Kindle, Nook, or Apple News.
SOURCE: ADVOCATE
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