Andrea James and transgender people

Andrea James is an American filmmaker and consumer activist. James is author of this site, Transgender Map.

Background

Andrea Jean James was born on January 16, 1967 in Wisconsin. James and sibling Greg (born 1969) were adopted. Their parent Nancy (born 1937) worked at several nonprofits, and their parent Warren (1934–2016) ran a small farm before taking several roles at a steel mill.

James grew up in Franklin, Indiana, earned a bachelor’s degree at Wabash College in 1989, then earned a master’s degree at the University of Chicago in 1990. James then worked in advertising in Chicago at the Chicago Tribune and several ad agencies. During gender transition, James developed several early online consumer resources for trans people, including tsroadmap.com, the predecessor to this website.

Media activism

James moved to Los Angeles in 2003 and produced several popular instructional videos with Calpernia Addams, covering voice, makeup, facial feminization surgery, and coming out. They also produced and performed in the first all-transgender production of The Vagina Monologues in 2004. In 2008, James helped produce and appeared in the first dating show with trans-attracted suitors, with Addams as the first out transgender star.

James served on the boards of Outfest and TransYouth Family Allies and has consulted on, helped produce, directed, and appeared in many film and television projects with trans themes, including Transamerica (2005), Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She (2005), Beautiful Daughters (2006), Transamerican Love Story (2008), Transcendent (2015), Original Sin: Sex (2016), Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric (2017), Whirlybird (2020), Becoming a Man in 127 EASY Steps (2020), and The Ts Madison Experience (2021).

James helped produce Living Things (2014), a drama on veganism. James has also directed projects on LGBTQ adoptions, including the children’s film Family Restaurant (2012) and the Showtime special Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy (2015).

The Man Who Would Be Queen (2003)

James was a key figure in the community response to the 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen by J. Michael Bailey. James and Lynn Conway began methodically documenting and examining the network of people engaged in the academic exploitation of sex and gender minorities, finding that a small group of “experts” were responsible for the majority of harmful beliefs and practices concerning the community.

James published the 2006 overview “A defining moment in our history.” The community response was described as “one of the most organized and unified examples of trans activism to date.”

Academic backlash (2007)

Following a 2007 campaign of defamation led by the academics promoting disease models of gender identity and expression, James began working to close ringleader Kenneth Zucker‘s gender clinic at CAMH in Toronto. James gathered evidence for Zucker’s employer, presented a 2008 paper about the populist response called “Fair comment, foul play,” and began collecting information from former CAMH patients. Alice Dreger reprinted a piece from Zucker’s journal Archives of Sexual Behavior in the 2015 book Galileo’s Middle Finger, prompting James to respond with “Sexology’s war on transgender children.” Zucker was fired in 2015 and the clinic was closed.

Media backlash (2014)

The American trans rights movement entered a decadent phase following the election of Barack Obama. Following two decades of remarkable political gains, complacency and infighting reached a peak in late 2014, and both media coverage and public opinion began to turn negative. “Call-out culture” ringleader Parker Molloy began criticizing prominent trans people and drag artists, including Laverne Cox, Candis Cayne, Our Lady J, Jen Richards, Calpernia Addams, and RuPaul. James wrote a piece about Molloy’s own history of hurling profanity, slurs, and abuse toward LGBTQ community members. James also criticized GLAAD board members Jennifer Finney Boylan and Christina Kahrl for enabling Molloy and pushing a toxic strain of respectability politics via GLAAD. Molloy’s fans then created an open letter attacking James. Molloy subsequently resigned from The Advocate as more toxic and abusive behavior surfaced.

The political backlash accelerated following the 2016 election of Donald Trump, concentrated on several hot-button topics: military service, sports, prisoners, public accommodation, and gender diverse youth.

Following publication of an egregiously biased 2018 cover story on transgender “desistance” in The Atlantic, James began working on The Transphobia Project, a long-term effort to document the key media figures and platforms engaged in propagating biased content about gender identity and expression.

References

Davenport, T. (2025). Uncomfortable trans care politics: transnormativity, institutional abandonment, and the obligation to care in New York City. Gender, Place & Culture, 32(8), 1227–1247. https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369x.2025.2477578

Pal, Sohum (December 2024). Countering a Phobic Frame: Understanding and Addressing Gender-Affirming Care Bans. Columbia Law Review. 124 (8): 2371–2412. https://www.columbialawreview.org/content/countering-a-phobic-frame-understanding-and-addressing-gender-affirming-care-bans/ alt url https://www.jstor.org/stable/27346357

Urquhart, Evan (November 21, 2023). Jesse Singal Takes Aim at Andrea James. Assigned https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/jesse-singal-cares-about-medical-evidence-when-it-suits-him

Green, Daniel (2019). Transphobia Project uses data visualisation to zoom in on outlets that spread biased transgender content. Journalism.uk https://www.journalism.co.uk/transphobia-project-aims-to-encourage-newsrooms-to-work-with-trans-communities-for-better-coverage/

Hiscott, Rebecca (June 26, 2019). This Is What Transphobia in the Media Looks Like. Kickstarter Magazine https://medium.com/kickstarter/this-is-what-transphobia-in-the-media-looks-like-3b9da535322e

When The Atlantic published its July/August 2018 cover story on transgender youth, Andrea James was among the chorus of trans writers and activists who excoriated it for being biased. “Editor Jeffrey Goldberg published it despite many warnings that it was likely to be a dog whistle, a kind of bias that most people won’t notice,” she says.

The article focused on the disputed concept of “desistance,” which views gender nonconforming children as having a disease to be cured, delegitimizing the experiences and struggles of the majority of trans youth. “It also came out that elite journalists” — including the author of the Atlantic piece — “were excluding transgender journalists from backchannels where they were discussing coverage,” James says.
Bolded sections removed after complaint by Jesse Singal

Anderson, Tre’vell (July 6, 2017). On the hunt for another ‘Moonlight,’ Outfest celebrates 35 years. Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-outfest-lgbtq-35-years-20170706-story.html

Ennis, Dawn (February 8, 2017). ‘Gender Revolution’ is all about trans people, but it’s made for a cis audience. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2017/02/review-gender-revolution-us-not-made-us/

Titlow, John Paul (November 15, 2016). Tinder Reengineers Its Gender Field, With Help From The Trans Community. Fast Company https://www.fastcompany.com/3065677/most-innovative-companies/tinder-reengineers-its-gender-field-with-help-from-the-trans-commu

Stack, Liam (November 15, 2016). Transgender on Tinder? Now You Can Identify Yourself That Way. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/technology/tinder-transgender-identity.html

Gardner, Chris (November 15, 2016). Tinder Launches Transgender-Inclusive Update, Allowing Users to Select Personalized Gender Identity. The Hollywood Reporter https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/tinder-launches-transgender-inclusive-update-946275/

Steinmetz, Katy (November 15, 2016). The Inside Story Behind Tinder’s New Gender Options. Time https://time.com/4568225/tinder-gender-feature-transgender/

Bartner, Amy (June 3, 2016). Transgender activist amid Hollywood’s transition. IndyStar https://www.indystar.com/story/life/2016/06/03/transgender-activist-amid-hollywoods-transition/85255448/

Nichols, James Michael (July 4, 2016). This Trans Pioneer Has Been Fighting For The Trans Community For Decades. HuffPost https://www.huffpost.com/entry/andrea-james-trans-pioneer_n_5776965be4b04164640fc212

Wilson, Erin (April 9, 2015), 9 Celebs Who Learned the Hard Way the T-Word Is Over. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2015/05/04/9-celebs-who-learned-hard-way-t-word-over

Luhar, Monic s (September 29, 2015). New Series Highlights Transgender Stories, Introduces ‘Ladies of AsiaSF.’ NBC News http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/transcendent-highlights-stories-five-transgender-women-n435086

Reynolds, Daniel (December 24, 2014), The 10 Best LGBT Documentaries of 2014.The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/year-review/2014/12/24/10-best-lgbt-documentaries-2014?pg=6

Brighe, Mari (July 29, 2014). Andrea James believes a straight cis woman is a better choice for the GLAAD Board than queer trans women. TransAdvocate https://www.transadvocate.com/andrea-james-believes-a-straight-cis-woman-is-a-better-choice-for-the-glaad-board-than-queer-trans-women_n_13991.htm

Kellaway, Mitch (July 16, 2014), Trans Women Share Wisdom ‘By Us, For Us’. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/07/16/trans-women-share-wisdom-us-us

Ediitor (April 16, 2014). Trans Activists And Drag Queens Agree: Logo’s “She-Mail” Ban Went Too Far. Queerty https://www.queerty.com/trans-activists-and-drag-queens-agree-logos-she-mail-ban-went-too-far-20140416/

Jones, Zinnia (April 14, 2014). 100-Plus Trans Women Stand Against Calpernia Addams and Andrea James: An Open Letter. HuffPost https://www.huffpost.com/entry/calpernia-addams-andrea-james_b_5146415 alt url https://www.transadvocate.com/open-letter-200-trans-women-and-transfeminine-people-stand-against-calpernia-addams-and-andrea-james_n_13507.htm

Busey, Kelli; Abernathy, Marti (April 9, 2014). Open letter to Andrea James and Calpernia Addams. TransAdvocate https://www.transadvocate.com/open-letter-to-andrea-james-and-calpernia-addams_n_13412.htm

Eldon, Eric (January 4, 2010). Facebook Begins Testing Advanced Crowd-Sourced Content Moderation. Adweek http://www.adweek.com/digital/facebook-begins-testing-advanced-crowd-sourced-content-moderation/

James, Gary (October 29, 2008). Alum Shares Earned Wisdom With the Wabash Community. Wabash College https://www.wabash.edu/news/story/6362

Kearns, Michael (2008). Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Frontiers, 2008, 26(20). https://web.archive.org/web/20080209122436/http://www.frontierspublishing.com/2620/features/feat4.html

Editors (2008). Teaching Resources: Beautiful Daughters. Feminist Teacher, Vol. 18, No. 2 (2008), pp. 178-181 http://www.jstor.org/stable/40546067

Surkan K (2007). Transsexuals protest academic exploitation. In Faderman, Lillian (ed). Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Events, 1848-2006. Salem Press, 2007, pp. 700–702. ISBN9781587652653 (PDF)

Adelman, Kim (July 18, 2007). ‘Pariah’ Leads The Pack of Outstanding Shorts at Outfest ’07. Indiewire http://indiewire.com/movies/2007/07/shorts_column_p.html [archive]

Tucker, Duncan (2006). Transamerica: The Shooting Script. Newmarket Press, pp. 93, 133. ISBN 978-1-55704-732-8

Keck, William (November 21, 2005). Felicity Huffman is sitting pretty. USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-11-21-huffman_x.htm

Coverage in anti-trans media

Byrne, Alex; Gorin, Moti (October 2024, 5th revision February 2025). A deafening silence: bioethics and gender-affirming healthcare. https://philarchive.org/rec/BYRADS

Byrne, Alex (June 16, 2024). In Defence of John Money: How did this famed sexologist become reviled at both ends of the culture-war horseshoe? UnHerd https://quillette.com/2024/06/16/in-defence-of-john-money/

Editorial Board [Claire Lehmann and others] (December 27, 2023). The Southern Poverty Law Center’s New Enemy: Americans Who Accept Biology. Quillette https://quillette.com/2023/12/27/the-splcs-new-enemy/

Blocked and Reported with Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal (November 23, 2023). Episode 192: Andrea James’s Stalking Website Transgender Map Sure Is Creepy. https://www.blockedandreported.org/p/episode-192-andrea-jamess-stalking

Singal, Jesse (November 9, 2023). The rage behind Transgender Map: An activist media ecosystem enabled Andrea James. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2023/11/the-rage-behind-transgender-map/

Blocked and Reported with Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal (July 26, 2021). Patrons Only: Andrea James’ Frequently Creepy, Sporadically Stalkery War On Sex Researchers And Journalists She Dislikes, Explained, Because We Hate Ourselves And Our Listeners. https://www.blockedandreported.org/p/patrons-only-andrea-james-frequently-35d

Lowrey, Kathleen (June 12, 2020). From South American Anthropology to Gender-Crit Cancel Culture: My Strange Feminist Journey. Quillette https://quillette.com/2020/06/12/from-south-american-anthropology-to-gender-crit-cancel-culture-my-strange-feminist-journey/

Dreger, Alice (2015). Galileo’s Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and One Scholar’s Search for Justice. Penguin Press, ISBN 978-1594206085

Singal, Jesse (December 30, 2015). Why Some of the Worst Attacks on Social Science Have Come From Liberals. New York http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/12/when-liberals-attack-social-science.html

Grossman, A. J. Zapping teenage torment. The New York Times, June 5, 2008.

Dreger, Alice (2008). The Controversy Surrounding The Man Who Would Be Queen: A Case History of the Politics of Science, Identity, and Sex in the Internet Age. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 37(3), 366–421. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-007-9301-1

Carey, Benedict (August 21, 2007). Criticism of a Gender Theory, and a Scientist Under Siege. The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/health/psychology/21gender.html

Garvin, Glenn. Breaking Boundaries. The Miami Herald, March 15, 2003.

Painter, K. Who qualifies to zap hairs? USA Today, March 26, 2006.

Selected writing by James

James, Andrea (June 11, 2015). Sexology’s war on transgender children. Boing Boing http://boingboing.net/2015/06/11/sexologys-war-on-transgender.html

Addams, Calpernia, James, Andrea; Conway, Lynn (January 18, 2015). This V-Day, Let’s Work Together to Prevent Violence Against <em>All</em> Women and Girls. HuffPost https://www.huffpost.com/entry/post_b_6497356

James, Andrea, Is Elle Fanning Taking a Role From a Transgender Actor? The Atlantic, November 15, 2014.

James, Andrea (July 25, 2014). Exclusive Excerpt From Transgender Anthology Letters for My Sisters. HuffPost https://www.huffpost.com/entry/exclusive-excerpt-from-tr_b_5613987

James, Andrea (July 24, 2014). The GLAAD Board’s “Tranny” Trouble: How Its Trans Takeover Is Reshaping LGBT Politics. Queerty https://www.queerty.com/the-glaad-boards-tranny-trouble-how-its-trans-takeover-is-reshaping-lgbt-politics-20140724/

James, Andrea (April 4, 2014). “I F*cking Hate @RuPaul.” Boing Boing https://boingboing.net/2014/04/04/rupaul.html also published as RuPaul Blasted For Transphobia By The Advocate; Not Everyone Agrees. Queerty https://www.queerty.com/rupaul-blasted-for-transphobia-by-the-advocate-not-everyone-agrees-20140407/

James, Andrea. “Fair comment, foul play”, National Women’s Studies Association conference, June 21, 2008, pp. 3–4

James, Andrea (January 25, 2008). Life without Puberty. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/news/2008/01/25/life-without-puberty

James, Andrea (2006). A defining moment in our history: Examining disease models of gender identity. Gender Medicine, 2006(3;1) p. S56 https://doi.org/doi|10.1016/S1550-8579(06)80121-X

Addams, Calpernia; James, Andrea (July 22, 2003). Transformations.The Advocate https://books.google.com/books?id=SmUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12

Books

James, Andrea (2017). The gift of fearlessness. In Craggs, Charlie [editor] To My Trans Sisters. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, ISBN 978-1785923432

James, Andrea; Thornton, Deanna [editors] (2014). Letters For My Sisters: Transitional Wisdom In Retrospect. Transgress Press, ISBN 978-1499342031

Erickson-Schroth, Laura. Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community. Oxford University Press, 2014. ISBN 9780199325351

Media

Trans IRL with Samantha and Andrea James (August 20, 2020). Ep. 36: Andrea James. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u9ps5EUxU8

Trans P.O.V. with Andrea James (August 24, 2017). The one where Andrea talks about a more trans-friendly Tinder. https://joy.org.au/transpov/2017/08/24/one-andrea-talks-trans-friendly-tinder/

WOWPresents with James St. James and Andrea Jammes (March 15, 2017). JAMES ST. JAMES Interviews Trans Activist ANDREA JAMES. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKN0FCf5SYU

Rose, Donna; Fronterhouse, Diana. Ep 012 – Andrea James.The Deeper End, October 20, 2016

Wabash on My Mind with Richard Paige and Andrea James (Octoober 26, 2015). Andrea James ’89. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/andrea-james-89/id855321475?i=1000355568732

Deep Stealth Productions (February 9, 2012). Finding Your Female Voice Consultation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbTtASux7ys&list=PLC5375389210FC490

Andrea James (July 29, 2008). NWSA Panel: Andrea James (part 1). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_ABs1WNwBg

(July 29, 2008). NWSA Panel: Andrea James (part 2). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-IE2jhIcRQ

Hopper, Douglas (March 5, 2006). Helping Transgender Women Find a New Voice. All Things Considered, NPR https://www.npr.org/2006/03/05/5246222/helping-transgender-women-find-a-new-voice original url https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5246222

GenderTalk with Nancy Nangeroni, Gordene MacKenzie, and Andrea James (September 13, 2004). Program # 477: Andrea James. https://www.gendertalk.com/radio/programs/450/gt477.shtml

GenderTalk with Nancy Nangeroni, Gordene MacKenzie, Helen Boyd, Sue O’Connell Andrea James, and Calpernia Addams (February 16, 2004). Program # 448: Helen Boyd, Sue O’Connell, Andrea James & Calpernia Adams, https://www.gendertalk.com/radio/programs/400/gt448.shtml

GenderTalk with Nancy Nangeroni, Gordene MacKenzie, Andrea James, and Calpernia Addams (June 9, 2003). Program # 413: Calpernia Addams and Andrea James. https://www.gendertalk.com/radio/programs/400/gt413.shtml

Deep Stealth Productions (2002). Finding Your Female Voice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u399BgzMTs&list=PL0CCD9AF3C587C9A2