A Murray State student used self-discovery as the foundation for their capstone project, “Transcending The Lens.”
Taylor Tucker, a senior history education major, created a project to highlight transgender representation using films, books, laws and important social movements.
The history capstone project consists of an 18-to-20-page thesis and a presentation. Tucker said choosing a topic took about a month and a half.
The project uses the American films “Norbit” and “Mrs.Doubtfire” which star two popular male actors Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams. These films are not the only media contributing to the false misconception of the trans community, newspapers, books, contribute to how society views the trans community.
The misinformation about the trans community throughout various types of media, has resulted in book bans, bathroom laws, as well as regulations that prevent transgender individuals from competing in sports.
“Trans rights are being more normalized in American society with the aid of the media,” Tucker said, even noting the fact that all of the retaliation eventually helps the transgender community.
Tucker was able to discover who they were throughout their college experience, which helped them during the creation of their capstone. “It was really liberating, being able to choose a project to explore people who share my experiences.”
Their path of self-discovery started and progressed throughout the pandemic.
“Being in my house all day, alone with myself, made me truly discover and figure out who I was.”
Tucker urges people to look into different parts of their cultures and pasts and says it’s important to see where you came from and how things have evolved, no matter what communities you are a part of.
“I found out things about my own community, things that really surprised me.”
There’s still much to be done in the United States to get fair and equal representation and rights for the trans community. As Tucker said, even though fighting for trans rights is becoming more mainstream, there are still people who are against it. Therefore, Tucker believes it is important that they themself become more knowledgeable about trans rights issues so they can continue to speak up for their community.
