The hush of the small audience in Landis House was occasionally punctuated by laughter and tears as the gathered crowd watched Her Story, a six-part webseries showcasing the lives of LGBTQ women in a modern dating world.

The series, which featured the lives of transgender and queer cis women, ran for approximately an hour. The story follows two transgender women, Violet (played by Jen Richards) and Paige (played by Angelica Ross) as they both navigate their complicated love lives. Two of the stars and creators of the series, Jen Richards and Laura Zak, were present at Landis after the viewing for a Q&A session with the audience.

The series was generally well-received by the audience. After the viewing, audience members asked questions that ranged from the production process of the series to the influence of identity on the characters’ everyday lives and understanding of the world.

Liam Fuller ’17 stated that “it was really great to have a trans woman who produces media to come to Dickinson as it affirms possibilities for trans women in the future. The show features two leads who are trans which is remarkable in a media landscape where you’re lucky to find a static trans side character in some TV shows, and you get extra points if they’re actually portrayed by a trans person.”

Emma Batcheldor ’17, head of the Dickinson branch of I Am That Girl said that she believes “Her Story opened the door to conversation about a wide range of issues present in the Dickinson community and the wider world. The film and conversation with Laura Zak and Jen Richards highlighted many of the different layers of identity and helped to create a dialogue between many groups on campus.”

“The show addresses the difficulties trans women face dating,” says Fuller, “when to bring up the fact that they’re trans or past familial trauma, negotiating a queer identity, finding ways to financial support themselves, etc. However, it also took other issues head on, such as, intimate partner violence, intracommunity tensions for LGBTQ people, radical feminists’ rejection of trans women, dealing with public outing, drug and alcohol abuse, and how the justice system treats trans women.”

The event was sponsored by Spectrum, I Am That Girl: Dickinson College, The Office of LGBTQ services and the Feminist Collective.