Ravyn Wngz says it was an ‘honour’ to play trans pioneer Jackie Shane in Heritage Minute
Posted November 4, 2022 8:30 pm.
Last Updated November 4, 2022 8:44 pm.
Historica Canada is showcasing 1960s pioneer transgender R&B singer Jackie Shane in its newly released Heritage Minute.
Her story is the latest in its ongoing series of minute-long shorts celebrating influential figures, and accomplishments in Canadian history.
The singer is played by African-Mohawk two-spirit trans activist Ravyn Wngz who says she hopes this creates a legacy for the trans icon.
“It doesn’t go over my head that I’m the first person to emulate her on screen, other than herself. I’m going to continue to grow, and share her story, as well as mine, to make sure that she isn’t forgotten, or just a moment in time,” Wngz explained.
A central figure in Toronto’s R&B scene, she helped shape what we know as the “the Toronto sound,” a version of electric soul shaped in the early 1960s.
As a black, trans person during the era, Shane is considered a trans pioneer at a time when few held visible positions in the local community.
Historica Canada is showcasing 1960s pioneer transgender R&B singer Jackie Shane in its newly released Heritage Minute. (Photo courtesy The Canadian Press)
“Jackie Shane has been so important to me since I read about this black, soul singer, trans woman, in the 60s, who was bold and unapologetic,” Wngz said.
She added that Shane was, “living her life in ways that were deemed illegal at the time, and she found home in Toronto, similar to me.”
At the time, Shane performed on stage as an androgynous man, but in her private life had come out as trans to her mother when she was 13 years old.
Wngz says it is an honour to portray Shane, and she is proud of representing the icon.
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“It was powerful, and it was difficult,” she said. “I had to put myself emotionally in, in sort of her body.”
“There’s a scene where we’re walking outside, and we’re getting sneers, and looks…and [I was] thinking about what we weren’t allowed to do as black folks…and then especially as a black trans woman in the 60s,” she explained.
She says the experience created a newfound respect for who Shane was and what she accomplished.
She expects this will help others in the community.
“What I ultimately hope is that more representation brings more safety for trans people, queer, gay, and non-binary women across the board,” she said.
Shane played clubs in Montreal and Boston, but her home was at Toronto’s Saphire Tavern until she suddenly quit music in 1971.
She died three years ago at age 78, shortly after the retrospective “Any Other Way” was nominated for best historical album at the Grammys.
