An Intimate Moment Between Brothers

This clip from the acclaimed digital series Brothers showcases queer trans men discussing testosterone, dating, and the "trans man 10." Read about how the groundbreaking series came to life from the creator, Emmett Jack Lundberg.

The Advocate: Why did you want to start this show?
Lundberg: When I first wrote the pilot for the series, it was because I didn't see myself or folks I knew represented anywhere on-screen. To this day, there is a lack of transgender male visibility in media, and it has always been my goal to provide just a fraction of the much-needed representation.

Are there specific stereotypes about trans men you hope to debunk?
All of them! Trans men are as diverse as cis men and humans in general. There's not only one way to be a trans man. Something I'm specifically interested in dispelling is the idea that all trans men are straight. We've gotten a lot of people who don't understand the difference between gender and sexuality, and I hope we can shed some light on that.

Why did you choose to feature characters at different stages of transitioning?
This also falls in line with wanting to show the differences between trans men. Not all of us take hormones; not all of us have surgery. We each have a unique journey that is our own, and there is no one right way to be trans.

The series follows dating lives of trans men with various sexual orientations - why was it important to show that range?
As many variations of sexuality as there are for cisgender folks, there are the same for trans folks. We wanted to include as much representation as possible and to share the beauty of the community.

What are the most surprising things you learned while making and releasing this series?
It's been incredible to see the response from folks outside of the trans community! We always wanted to make a series that touched people of all walks of life, and it has been amazing to hear from cis folks who can see themselves in the characters and in the series. We've been able to touch on universal themes, and I think that makes it easy to relate to.

What kind of trans representation are you eager to see?
I am dying for trans representation that reflects the humanness of trans folks. It's not all about our transitions. We are complex people with hopes, dreams, loves, hates -- all of it! Our lives are rich, and we live our transness every day. That's where the interesting stuff comes out.

What's next for the series?
We are working toward getting funding to complete the rest of season 2 -- this is why this episode is behind a paywall -- and beyond that we are always working toward getting this developed as a 30-minutes series on a platform or network who shares our goals.

Watch Brothers and follow Emmett on Twitter.