Femme Queen Chronicles
Femme Queen Chronicles (2019)
Created by: Ahya Simone
Hollywood rarely centers Black trans women. Only two shows in US history have featured Black trans women as principal characters of the story, Pose and Clean State, the latter canceled after just one season.
One of the challenges studios have with representing these incredible women is the overwhelming narrative that their lives are full of struggle and degradation. And while it is true that it is not easy to be a Black trans woman in America, they are so much more than their pain.
Ahya Simone created Femme Queen Chronicles to celebrate her community in all their complexity. The series is most often compared to Sex and the City or Living Single, for the familiar format of a small group of women who are very different from one another but share an inseparable bond. It’s a format that is hard to get right, because it is done so often.
Yet Femme Queen Chronicles nails the single lady sitcom by representing women who have always been excluded from it. Here, the format works wonders for showing that Black trans women are not a monolith. Ahya’s character Chanel is a carefree party-girl who seemingly never stresses about the hard things in life, like rent being due. Cierra Burks’ Shevon courts wealthy older men with glee. Paige Michael Chanel’s Erykah is that steady friend who will always be there for you and get the job done. Whereas Bré Campbell’s Amirah is more demure and seeking love.
The pilot is crisply written and deftly edited to introduce us to these women through comedy. The pilot, “The Clock,” starts with Chanel being recognized from someone who knew her earlier in her transition. Being “clocked” is considered a point of shame or derision in the queer community, but Chanel acts as if it isn’t real: she purchases tampons immediately. The little scene goes far in showing us who Chanel is, and gives us comfort that the series is not going to do dwell too much on the trauma of Black trans womanhood.
Instead, the pilot focuses on Chanel’s birthday and how her friends will come together to celebrate her even if her life may not be the most secure.
Femme Queen Chronicles is a beautiful, loving celebration of sisterhood from the perspective of women whose sisterhood television has too long denied.