We’re in the middle of a veritable rom-com renaissance, but that doesn’t mean new films can get away with insensitivity: Netflix flick Sierra Burgess Is a Loser is being slammed on social media for a double whammy of transphobic and ableist storylines.
The movie, which debuted on September 7, stars bisexual actress Shannon Purser (Stranger Things) as Sierra Burgess, a teen who embarks on a Cyrano de Bergerac-style journey of romantic deception when she’s mistaken for a more popular girl by her high school crush, Jamey (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’s Noah Centineo).
But critics have taken to social media to slam Sierra Burgess Is a Loser for an array of offensive storylines, including transphobic and ableist scenes. Minutes into the film, one of Sierra’s bullies mocks her with a transphobic joke, quipping that she should write a school assignment “about [her] trans experience, super topical.”
Sierra is cisgender—and plenty of folks have pointed out that given the growing epidemic of violence against the trans community, most often trans women, anti-transgender “jokes” are especially harmful.
SIERRA BURGESS IS A LOSER: Shannon Purser tries very hard to make this as genuinely felt as TO ALL THE BOYS, & she almost succeeds. It’s instead fitfully charming but over-plotted & cliché, & dotted with odd, mostly unchallenged trans/gay jokes? Also: catfishing is bad actually
— Laurence "Laura Dern" Barber (@bortlb) September 7, 2018
So the writer of #SierraBurgessIsALoser is DMing me and WHEW what a mess dhdjdkd pic.twitter.com/PaavLuPHyz
— Rudy (@harryshumsbitch) September 7, 2018
The criticisms of Sierra Burgess Is a Loser don’t stop there, though. Out actor, model, and deaf activist Nyle DiMarco shared that he was “elated” to learn that a friend’s deaf brother was appearing in the film as a deaf character; however, the actual scene in the film, which sees Sierra pretend to be deaf and fake-sign in ASL, was offensive.
“…the deaf character was written and used for a terrible joke,” DiMarco wrote. “PS: Pretending to be deaf is NOT OK.”
So one of my close friends' deaf brother is in Sierra Burgess
When I learned, I was elated. Finally more deaf actors/representation & ASL inclusion in films
… Only to find out the deaf character was written and used for a terrible joke.
PS- pretending to be deaf is NOT ok.
— Nyle DiMarco (@NyleDiMarco) September 9, 2018
“It is extremely easy to make jokes about marginalized/[disenfranchised] groups,” he added, “but that makes you a lazy writer.”
It is extremely easy to make jokes about marginalized/disfranchised groups
… but that makes you a lazy writer.
— Nyle DiMarco (@NyleDiMarco) September 9, 2018
