Andrea James
Encyclopedia
Andrea Jean James is an American
film consultant, actress, LGBT rights activist
, and transsexual woman.
with her business partner Calpernia Addams
, to create educational materials for transsexual women, to raise awareness about the epidemic of violence perpetrated against transpeople and to combat the poor image of transpeople in the media. James is the host of the Deep Stealth Productions instructional film Finding Your Female Voice.
On February 21, 2004, James was a member of the first all-transgender
cast, as well as a producer, of The Vagina Monologues
, performed on V-Day
in Los Angeles
. She gave the welcome alongside Calpernia Addams, and performed the monologues "The Woman Who Liked to Make Vaginas Happy" and "They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy - Or So They Tried 04", and took part in the introduction of the Vagina Warriors, along with Addams and Monologues writer Eve Ensler
. She has also consulted for the production of a documentary film
project about the 2004 V-Day performance entitled Beautiful Daughters and appeared in this film.
James was a script consultant for the 2005 film Transamerica
and also consulted with actress Felicity Huffman
for her role in the film. She also made a brief appearance, in an excerpt from her voice video, shown at the opening of the movie. James appeared in the HBO production Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She
, which aired on 6 December 2005. In 2007, James directed the 7-minute film "Casting Pearls." James appeared in the reality
dating television series Transamerican Love Story
, which aired on Logo
, an LGBT channel; she was confidante to Calpernia Addams as she selected from among eight suitors.
One section of TS Roadmap criticizes the transsexualism typology
of psychology professor J. Michael Bailey
and of Ray Blanchard
and others, describing their theory dealing with biology and sexual orientation
as scientifically unsound, outdated, and defaming of transsexual people.
Bailey denies this characterization of his work and has provided his own account of the controversy.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film consultant, actress, LGBT rights activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
, and transsexual woman.
Career
In 2003, James co-founded Deep Stealth ProductionsDeep Stealth Productions
According to its website, Deep Stealth Productions was founded by Calpernia Addams and Andrea James and produces entertainment and educational content for several media. Besides being a production company, Deep Stealth is also a popular site for support and products related to the transgender...
with her business partner Calpernia Addams
Calpernia Addams
Calpernia Sarah Addams is an American author, actress, musician, and a spokesperson and activist for transgender rights and issues.-Biography:...
, to create educational materials for transsexual women, to raise awareness about the epidemic of violence perpetrated against transpeople and to combat the poor image of transpeople in the media. James is the host of the Deep Stealth Productions instructional film Finding Your Female Voice.
On February 21, 2004, James was a member of the first all-transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
cast, as well as a producer, of The Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper...
, performed on V-Day
V-Day
V-Day, February 14th, is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls inspired by Eve Ensler's play, The Vagina Monologues. The movement was started in 1998 by author, playwright and activist Eve Ensler. Ensler has been quoted as saying that it was women's reactions to the...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. She gave the welcome alongside Calpernia Addams, and performed the monologues "The Woman Who Liked to Make Vaginas Happy" and "They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy - Or So They Tried 04", and took part in the introduction of the Vagina Warriors, along with Addams and Monologues writer Eve Ensler
Eve Ensler
Eve Ensler is an American playwright, performer, feminist and activist, best known for her play The Vagina Monologues.- Personal life :...
. She has also consulted for the production of a documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
project about the 2004 V-Day performance entitled Beautiful Daughters and appeared in this film.
James was a script consultant for the 2005 film Transamerica
Transamerica (film)
Transamerica is a 2005 independent comedy-drama film produced by IFC Films and The Weinstein Company. The film tells the story of Bree, a transsexual woman , who goes on a road trip with her long-lost son Toby ....
and also consulted with actress Felicity Huffman
Felicity Huffman
Felicity Kendall Huffman is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as executive producer Dana Whitaker on the ABC television show Sports Night , which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination, and as hectic supermom Lynette Scavo on the ABC show Desperate...
for her role in the film. She also made a brief appearance, in an excerpt from her voice video, shown at the opening of the movie. James appeared in the HBO production Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She
Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She
Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She is a 2005 American TV-documentary by Antony Thomas.-Cast:*Gore Vidal as Narrator*Calpernia Addams as Herself*Milton Diamond as Himself *Alice Dreger as Herself Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She is a 2005 American TV-documentary by Antony Thomas.-Cast:*Gore...
, which aired on 6 December 2005. In 2007, James directed the 7-minute film "Casting Pearls." James appeared in the reality
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
dating television series Transamerican Love Story
Transamerican Love Story
Transamerican Love Story is an American reality television program featuring transgender woman Calpernia Addams and hosted by Alec Mapa. It originally aired on February 11, 2008 on Logo, the LGBT television network...
, which aired on Logo
Logo (TV channel)
Logo is an American digital cable television channel owned by Viacom's MTV Networks division. Launched in June 2005, the channel's programs are geared towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community...
, an LGBT channel; she was confidante to Calpernia Addams as she selected from among eight suitors.
Transsexual activism
She also operates the free TS Roadmap website, a source of information for transsexuals, concerning physical, social, and legal aspects of transition. The section of TS Roadmap on hair removal proved so popular that James spun it off into its own site, Hair Facts, with a companion discussion forum called Hair Tell.One section of TS Roadmap criticizes the transsexualism typology
Blanchard's transsexualism typology
Blanchard's transsexualism typology is a psychological typology of male-to-female transsexualism created by Ray Blanchard through the 1980s and 1990s, building on the work of his colleague, Kurt Freund...
of psychology professor J. Michael Bailey
J. Michael Bailey
John Michael Bailey is an American psychologist and professor at Northwestern University. He is best known among scientists for his work on the etiology of sexual orientation, from which he concluded that homosexuality is substantially inherited...
and of Ray Blanchard
Ray Blanchard
Ray Milton Blanchard is an American-Canadian sexologist, best known for his research studies on pedophilia, gender dysphoria, and sexual orientation. He has also published research studies on phallometry and several paraphilias, including transvestism and autoerotic asphyxia.-Education and...
and others, describing their theory dealing with biology and sexual orientation
Biology and sexual orientation
Biology and sexual orientation is the subject of research into the role of biology in the development of human sexual orientation. No simple, single cause for sexual orientation has been conclusively demonstrated, but research suggests that it is by a combination of genetic, hormonal, and...
as scientifically unsound, outdated, and defaming of transsexual people.
Bailey denies this characterization of his work and has provided his own account of the controversy.