In honor of Transgender Day of Visibility, which took place on Sunday, March 31, pop artist Mila Jam wanted to release a video that was uplifting and celebratory, proclaiming her truth of what being in love felt like. But sometimes, even the best laid plans often go awry.
On Sunday, Jam released her new video for “Like the Last Time,” an up-tempo pop anthem about the feeling of pure love. But the theme of the song is directly juxtaposed by a strange moment throughout the video — the actor playing Jam’s lover is constantly blurred out, with audiences never getting to see their face or any physical features.
In a statement released with the track, Jam revealed that the actor (who Jam does not name) learned that the singer was transgender after filming the project, after which they refused to be a part of the video. Instead of scrapping the project entirely, Jam decided to simply blur the actor from the video and continue with its release.
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“This is essentially what I have dealt with my entire dating life,” Jam said in a statement. “The difference here was that he was a paid actor. You were paid to act. My transness should be irrelevant. You were asked to PLAY my partner; not BE my partner. How fragile is your masculinity that this is threatening to you?”
The star continued, saying the new visual only imbued her track with more meaning. “This song was written about love-an easy, care free love,” she said. “Yet, the visual demonstrates how difficult that can be for a girl in my position. I think this video is important. It’s living proof that we will always persevere. We are still here just as we always have been.”
Check out Mila Jam’s new video for “Like the Last Time” below.