In the past year or so, it seems that the media has taken a
new, positive step towards representing the “T” in the LGBT community.
From the success of Orange is the New Black, with one of the
main characters being a transwoman, Laverne Cox, to the success of Transparent,
a story about a families experience as their father/husband transition into a
woman, it seems that our society is starting to accept that not everyone in
America is cisgender. So this raises the question, does the media pave the way
for society, or do the people pave the way for the media?
Although this is a question that may always be up for
debate, I believe that things happen in the world, such as certain movements,
and after the move has been made, the media acts on it to make a profit off of
the new fond movement.
In the previous years, there have been transgendered characters
in films, but most of these characters are there to be laughed at, such as
Quagmires Dad in Family Guy, or to show the hardships of real people, such as Hilary
Swank’s portrayal or Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry. It has not been until recently
that we see positive representations of these characters in the media.
Laverne Cox’s character Sophia in Orange is the New Black
for instance shows a somewhat positive representation. Although she is in jail,
she is one of the inmates who stays out of trouble, goes to church, and helps
out her friends whenever she can. I also think it is important to note that
Laverne herself is transgender because usually LGBT characters are played by
cisgender heterosexual actors/actresses.
Shonda Rhimes is known for showing all types of diversity in her show Grey's Anatomy, and she has recently added a new transwoman into the script (she has had many trans characters in the past). This new story has a realistic and modern feel to it. One of the main characters finds out his brother is transitioning into a woman, and does not take it well at first. The other characters are totally accepting of it and end up talking to him making him realize he needs to accept his family no matter what the situation is. I feel that this portrayal is realistic and modern because in current times, our society is accepting of LGBT people, but not immediately when it is someone within their family- especially a brother or son.
Also, there is a new show coming out on TLC called All That Jazz, which is about a transgender 14 year old. I find this show so important
because many people know at a very young age that they were not assigned the
right gender at birth, and this series will shine light on the struggles of a
young girl living transgendered. I believe that as society becoming more
accepting of LGBT people, it is important for the media to show diverse stories
about people of all ages.