Arts & Entertainment
‘Danish Girl’ masterfully realized
Trans-themed biopic is A-lister Oscar bait
Eddie Redmayne in ‘The Danish Girl.’ (photo courtesy Focus Features)
It all starts out in one seemingly ordinary moment.
Prima ballerina Ulla is once again late for a sitting with portraitist Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander). Frustrated, Gerda asks her husband, famous landscape artist Einar (Eddie Redmayne), to sit in for their friend since she’s only working on the delicately extended foot. It opens today (Friday, Dec. 11) in the D.C. area.
Einar puts on the stockings, crams his feet into the slippers and holds the dress against himself as Gerda picks up her brushes and starts to paint. Einar slowly begins to caress the fabric as long-suppressed thoughts and emotions begin to emerge. Thus begins a remarkable journey for a devoted couple and a remarkable collaboration for a talented cinematic team.
Based on the largely forgotten true story of transgender pioneer Lili Elbe, one of the first people to undergo gender-reassignment surgery, “The Danish Girl” is an exceptional film. Director Tom Hooper (“The King’s Speech” and “Les Misérables”) coaxes powerful performances out of his top-notch cast and collaborates smoothly with his entire creative team.
The movie, set mainly in Copenhagen and Paris in the 1920 and 1930s, looks splendid. Working seamlessly with cinematographer Danny Cohen and production designer Eve Stewart, Hooper makes the most of place and period, contrasting the rigid lines of Copenhagen (and Einar’s harsh airless landscape paintings), with the color and light of Art Nouveau Paris which supports Gerda’s emergence as an artist and Lili’s emergence as a women.
The script by Lucinda Coxon, based on the novel by David Ebershoff, is supple and sensitive, as eloquent when the actors are silent as when they are speaking. Several key sequences unfold wordlessly. Coxon does a marvelous job balancing contemporary sensitivities about gender with the realities of the time period. With incredible subtlety, she makes it clear that Lili is not gay man in drag or a straight man donning a costume, but a woman becoming her true self.
Redmayne’s performance is even more powerful than his Academy Award-winning portrayal of wheelchair-bound scientist Stephen Hawking, due in part to a stronger script and cast. With the support of movement choreographer Alexandra Reynolds, who also worked with him on “The Theory of Everything,” Redmayne has developed an amazingly detailed physical vocabulary that guides him from the rigid mask of masculinity that constricts Einar to the freer expression of femininity that allows Lili to flourish. Redmayne also displays an emotional vulnerability and transparency that makes Lili’s journey incredibly compelling.
Vikander’s performance as Gerda is equally stunning and multi-faceted. As the movie opens, Gerda is deeply in love with Einar, but is also somewhat jealous of his success. He has found artistic satisfaction and popular acclaim with his detailed landscapes; she is frustrated with her attempts at conventional portraiture. When she convinces Einar to pose for her dressed as a woman, it starts as a game, but it quickly turns more serious. She finds a life-long muse, but ultimately loses a husband. With her cigarette holder clenched tight, sometimes in concentration, sometimes in frustration, sometimes in flirtation, Vikander (“Ex Machina”) brings a fascinating character to incandescent light.
The supporting cast is also excellent. Amber Heard (“Magic Mike XXL”) is a delightful find in the surprisingly pivotal of Ulla. The hard-working but fun-loving ballerina serves as a godmother of sorts to the emergent Lili. Her character helps to establish the strong bond between Einar and Gerda, but she is also the first to recognize Lili in public and recommends the clinic where Lili can finally find supportive care. Heard’s light-hearted performance brings a welcome humor and humanity to the proceedings.
Matthias Schoenaerts (“Far From the Madding Crowd”) is sleek and dapper as Parisian art dealer Hans Axgil, a childhood friend of Einar’s who helps Lili and Gerda through their transitions. Out actor Ben Whishaw (“Spectre,” “Suffragette,” “In the Heart of the Sea”) is engaging as a gay bohemian who initially misunderstands Lili’s intentions, but then becomes a supportive friend and guide. Adrian Schiller is charming as the windy but well-connected art dealer Rasmussen and Sebastian Koch is warm and wise as the doctor who finally comes to Lili’s rescue.
“The Danish Girl” may well be the finest LGBT release of 2015, although the year it is not over yet. It is definitely already in contention for well-deserved recognition in the 2016 awards races. Director Tom Hooper and a talented cast and crew have cast a powerful light on a little-known piece of LGBT history, and their moving and beautiful movie makes us reflect on how we are still learning about the mysteries of the human spirit.
Friday, March 27
Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Dupont Italian Kitchen. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome and there’ll be card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This event is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected].
Saturday, March 28
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website.
Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black Lesbian. For more details, email [email protected].
Monday, March 30
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).
“Tea Time! A Local DC Drag Comedy Show” will be at 3 p.m. at Spark Social. This is a live drag comedy show where drag legends TrevHER & Tiara Missou Sidora host spill all the tea in the DMV. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Tuesday, March 31
Visibili-TEA Party will be at 6 p.m. at Restoration Station. Guests are encouraged to come sip, celebrate, and shine together. This event is a Trans Day of Visibility celebration and a special collaboration between Auntie’s Home and Damien Ministries. This is a boozy tea party with intention and the dress code reflects the vibe. More details are available on Eventbrite.
Wednesday, March 1
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Thursday, April 2
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Unconventional Diner will host “Cherry Blossom Drag Bingo Party” on Friday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m.
Guests will be treated to an unforgettable night of drag performances, bingo, food and drink and prizes. Highlights of the evening include themed cocktails, drag performances and bingo prizes.
Tickets can be secured via Resy.
Sports
New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics
New regulation to be in effect at 2028 summer games in Los Angeles
The International Olympic Committee on Thursday announced it will not allow transgender women from competing in female events at the Olympics.
“For all disciplines on the Sports Program of an IOC event, including individual and team sports, eligibility for any Female Category is limited to biological females,” reads the new policy.
The policy states “eligibility for the Female Category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY Gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY Gene.”
“On the basis of the scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the SRY (sex-determining Region Y) Gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced or will experience male sex development,” it reads. “Furthermore, the IOC considers that SRY Gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample is unintrusive compared to other possible methods. Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy this policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the Female Category.”
The policy states the test “will be a once-in-a-lifetime test” unless “there is reason to believe a negative reading is in error.”
The new regulation will be in place for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I understand that this a very sensitive topic,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday in a video. “As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition.”
“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advances in sport that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” she added. “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”
(Video courtesy of the IOC)
Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, in 2021 became the first trans woman to compete at the Olympics.
Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Khelif later sued JK Rowling and Elon Musk for cyberstalking after they questioned her gender identity.
Ellis Lundholm, a mogul skier from Sweden, this year became the first openly trans athlete to compete in any Winter Olympics when he participated in Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.
President Donald Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams in the U.S.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last July banned trans women from competing in female sporting events. Republican lawmakers have demanded the IOC ban trans athletes from women’s athletic competitions.
“I’m grateful the Olympics finally embraced the common sense policy that women’s sports are for women, not for men,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on X.
An IOC spokesperson on Thursday referred the Washington Blade to the press release that announced the new policy.
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