Trace Lysette on being trans in a marketing world where fear has won out

Ad Age is marking Pride Month 2024 with our Honoring Creative Excellence package, for which we asked members of the LGBTQ+ creative community to write about pivotal projects or turning points in their careers. (Read the introduction and all the essays here.) Today, guest editor Rana Reeves turns the spotlight to actress Trace Lysette, star of “Monica,” “Hustlers,” “Venus as a Boy” and “Transparent,” who writes about her dreams for trans talent in ads, even as many brands pull back their LGBTQ+ support. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs When I let myself dream—and trust me, that’s not always an easy task—I think about transsexual talent in ad campaigns right alongside household names. I mean, picture it. A trans actress in an athletic apparel campaign next to, I don’t know … say, The Rock! Or LeBron James! Or in a hair care ad next to Emily Ratajkowski or Margot Robbie. Now that is progress. When we are no longer the outsiders or the forgotten stepchildren of the diversity movement. And when there isn’t just one of us every once in a while. June (Pride Month) used to be the one month of the year when I suddenly mattered to various companies. I could count on it to land me some sort of partnership that would allow me to stay afloat between acting gigs. But that has dried up. Ever since the Bud Light scandal, the cowardice and bigotry have won out. I know it’s only a matter of time before people step up again, but it has been a rude awakening and a staunch reminder that we live in a country where even our existence can be politicized. When really, we are just trying to live and thrive. I recall walking through a shopping mall in Dayton, Ohio, a few years back. I stopped dead in my tracks as I came across a Make Up For Ever ad campaign that used Andreja Pejić as the face. Andreja and I knew each other from New York, and I couldn’t have been more proud and excited to see her, a trans model, as the face of a major beauty campaign. She looked stunning. And while seeing her in that ad meant so much to me—it meant seeing myself—I imagine to the average Midwesterner who passed by it was just another beauty ad with a stunning model. This is another way I think companies can incorporate us into their marketing. To just let us be, and not necessarily have to pair us with some inspirational queer-centric quote or make our queerness or transness the centerpiece of the ad. We can just exist in the same way any other talent exists in your ad space. To me, that is progress and an effective way for us to bridge the gap between us and mainstream America. We are mainstream America, too. We are all around you, more often than you know. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here

Trace Lysette on being trans in a marketing world where fear has won out

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