Janet Jackson Truth Documentary Looks at Transgender Issues

The LGBT community has always embraced Janet Jackson – and she embraced them back.

Considered to be a gay icon, Jackson garnered a substantial gay following during 1990s as she gained prominence in popular music. Recognized as a long-term ally of the LGBT community, Jackson received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Album for her Grammy Award-winning sixth studio album The Velvet Rope (1997), which spoke out against homophobia and embraced same-sex love.

In 2005, Jackson received the Humanitarian Award from the Human Rights Campaign and AIDS Project Los Angeles in recognition of her involvement in raising funds for AIDS Charities and received the Vanguard Award at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards (2008).

Now, Brainchild
Films, a film and television production company based in New York City,
has announced that iconic actress, singer and Academy Award® Nominee
Janet Jackson has signed on to executive produce
“TRUTH”, a film to be directed by Robert Jason.   Fresh off of her sell out tour and New York Times Best Seller True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself, Janet is set to begin production on “TRUTH” in
the summer of 2012. The film will be a groundbreaking documentary
examining the lives, issues and experiences of trans people around the
globe.

 
 
“All people are very important to me,” says Janet, “I’ve been fortunate to make friends and learn about very different lives.  ‘TRUTH
is our small chance to ask that you try and understand someone who
lives their life in a way that is a little bit different from yours,
even though all of our hearts are the same.  We want to stop the hate
and find understanding.”
 
“Janet
Jackson will take us on a visually innovative, cerebral journey through
the turbulent lives of transgendered people of all ages around the
world and their epic struggle for equality. This film will highlight
landmark mainstream stories and provide a glimpse at others that will
change the gender landscape of the world forever,” says director Robert
Jason.  “Just as it is hard to believe that there ever was a
time when different components of society were required to use separate
drinking fountains, it is as incredible that one’s gender expression
remains just such a target for discrimination.”
 
Many
organizations are taking a step forward in equality and changing their
rules of exclusion of transgender people including the well documented
case of the Miss Universe pageant, the Girl Scouts of America, and
progressive companies such as Google+ who, unlike other social
networking sites, provide “other” as well as “male” and “female” as
choices when signing up for the service.
 
“TRUTH” is a journey through the lives of trans and non gendered people around the world and their epic struggle for equality.
 
This is Janet Jackson’s second executive producing title following “Janet Jackson: The Rhythm Nation Compilation.”  Her current production slate also includes an untitled project for Lionsgate.

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