The Unsaid Says A Lot

So, think about what you're really saying.

Everyone deserves to be safe, supported, and equal. Help make Canberra more inclusive by supporting our trans and gender diverse communities.

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Video transcript

The video opens in foyer of an office building where we see the side of a trans/gender diverse person wearing a green dress is waiting for the lift.

We cut to a black screen and white text appears in the centre of the screen:

3 in 4 trans and gender diverse people have been treated unfairly because of their gender identity

The lift doors open and we see a cisgender woman wearing a white shirt and grey cardigan. They see the trans/gender diverse person waiting.

We zoom in on our trans/gender diverse person’s face who looks a little unsure but walks into the lift.

A moment of tension builds as the cisgender person in the lift looks directly ahead and doesn’t acknowledge the trans/gender diverse person.

The camera zooms out and as the lift door starts to close, the cisgender woman holds out their arm to stop the doors closing. They swiftly exit the lift and as they do this action of discrimination a representation of what that action means to that trans/gender diverse person appears as text:

No way I’m sharing a lift with you. You make me feel uncomfortable. Don’t look at me.

The video fades into a new scene on a tram. It’s busy with lots of people standing up. A trans/gender diverse person enters the tram wearing black pants and a white lace shirt.

We cut to a two-seater with one cisgender person taking up one of the seats with their bag on the other. The cisgender person is wearing an orange t-shirt and over the ear headphones.

We see the cisgender person sitting down acknowledge the trans/gender diverse person. There’s a moment of stillness and uncertainty. After a pause that creates tension, the cisgender person grabs their bag, places it on their lap and smiles.

As they do this small action of allyship, the trans/gender diverse person sits down and a representation of what that action means to that trans/gender diverse person appears as text:

Of course, the seat is all yours. You’re safe. There’s nothing to worry about.

We cut to another scene where an older trans/gender diverse person is removing two stacked boxes from the boot of her car. She looks up and sees her new neighbour: an intimidating-looking, also elderly, cisgender man wearing a check shirt and drinking a coffee. He’s standing out the front of his place watching the trans/gender diverse person.

The trans/gender diverse person looks worried as if their new neighbour won’t like or approve of them. They drop the top box, then look up and lock eyes with their neighbour. This creates of moment of tension and uncertainty.

We cut to sneakers walking towards the dropped box. The cisgender neighbour picks up the box and passes it back to the trans/gender diverse person who smiles.

We cut to a shot of the trans/gender diverse person in the doorway of her house. There’s relief and joy on their face as they know their neighbour is going to be an ally. A representation of what that action means to that trans/gender diverse person appears as text:

Welcome to the neighbourhood. I’ll give you a hand. You’ll fit right in.

We cut to a new scene. A trans/gender diverse person is sitting on a bench outside wearing a red and black football jumper. We cut to three cisgender women on the edge of a football oval wearing the same red and black football jumper. One of the cisgender players in the huddle turns around as they notice the trans/gender diverse person sitting on the bench.

We cut to a close-up of this cisgender player. After a pause, the cisgender player smiles and motions with their head for the trans/gender diverse person to join them. We cut to a close up of the trans/gender diverse person smiling.

The cisgender player then puts their arm around the trans/gender diverse player and we see them running on the football field.

We cut to the final scene where we see the whole team chanting and getting ‘geed up’ before the start of the match. The trans/gender diverse player is in the centre of the screen.

As they do this action of allyship, a representation of what that action means to that trans/gender diverse person appears as text:

We’re all in this together. We’re glad you’re on the team. You belong with us.

We cut to a black screen with text in white on the screen which reads:

The unsaid says a lot.

So, think about what you’re really saying.

Learn more about the trans and gender diverse community at

https://www.act.gov.au/campaigns/the-unsaid

This campaign was developed by the Victorian Government and is used with permission by the ACT Government – Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate.

Towards equality

The Unsaid Says A Lot is an Australian-first campaign in support of trans and gender diverse communities. This is a nation leading campaign. It was co-designed, produced and created by TGD communities.

The campaign highlights the many instances of discrimination faced by the trans and gender diverse community every single day.

We want our audience to understand the impact of their non-verbal communication. We do this by translating non-verbal communication and showing the effect it has on trans and gender diverse people.

We're helping people understand discrimination, but also showing moments of allyship and how important it is to be accepting.

We leave our audience with a choice of how they want to engage with the community. The unsaid says a lot. So, what are you really saying?

The Unsaid Says A Lot – campaign videos

The campaign videos demonstrate the power of non-verbal communication, raising awareness of its importance within the trans and gender diverse community and to encourage Canberrans to become allies.

We encourage you to share these videos with your networks using the most appropriate channels available to you.

Full video