“At the time of KOKOMO CITY’s conception, there was a lot of transgender content with this narrative I call the ‘red carpet narrative.’ It’s when a fierce PR team puts a trans woman in a fabulous gown and has her speak like a pageant finalist. That’s not our real experience,” Smith explained.

She continued, “I wanted to see something different. I wanted to feel something untampered with. Something that looks like my actual experience. Something that we can all find ourselves in. Something without all the rules and laws that separate us as people of color. I wanted those walls down. In this film, I was able to share the private lives of four transgender sex workers who are never represented publicly. I offered the girls freedom. Freedom to talk like us. Look like us. Don’t worry about the politics. Forget about makeup. Don’t worry about calling your glam squad today. Just tell your story. I wanted to humanize the transgender experience. After losing participant and sister Koko Da Doll to gun violence, a greater sense of urgency loomed. It also validated the core purpose of speaking with each woman in this film. To show and prove how beautiful but vulnerable trans women are.”

Kokomo City is executive produced by Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani, Stacy Barthe, and William Melillo, with Harris Doran and Bill Butler serving as producers alongside Smith.

D. Smith previously made history as the first trans woman cast on a primetime unscripted TV show when she had a season-long stint on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.

Kokomo City is in theaters July 28.

D. Smith

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