Mark Duplass shuts down criticism of trans filmmakers with a powerful statement

Hollywood multihyphenate Mark Duplass recently announced that his production company has partnered with the Transgender Film Center to create a new project called the Footage Feature Fund. Considering the current state of the world, that commitment was met with criticism by conservatives — but Duplass had no issues clapping back at the rhetoric.

Duplass wrote on X/Twitter, “For those of you who have responded negatively to this initiative, thank you for confirming the need to support the voices of those who merely wish to exist without discrimination. I’ll see you at the movies.”

The post was met with overwhelming support, racking up over 35,000 likes in less than a day. Specifically, the comments section praised Duplass for standing up for the trans community. “It means the world to have the support of someone I’ve looked up to for years in these terrifying times, thank you Mark,” one person commented.

Someone else wrote, “We need more people like you, willing to stand with us so unequivocally and speak up.” Another comment remarked, “We can’t win our equality on our own and seeing [folks] like you out there gives me so much hope, especially in times like now.”

Duplass’s new initiative was created to help trans filmmakers get their projects off the ground with full access to a budget estimated at $25,000. The Duplass brothers, along with director Patrick Brice, also made themselves available to act as consultants in these projects.

The Duplass brothers have been vocal supporters of the trans community for years now. Back in 2015, they produced and launched an Academy Award campaign for the groundbreaking film, Tangerine, supporting the movie’s stars Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor in the press. Even though neither actress was recognized, the Duplass brothers have continued to support queer and trans stories throughout the years — going on to produce shows like Somebody Somewhere on HBO.

This article originally appeared on Out: Mark Duplass shuts down criticism of trans filmmakers with a powerful statement