Transgender Characters in the Media

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.

Dr. Alex Karev

I have watched enough Grey’s Anatomy that I’m convinced in an emergency situation, I would totally be able to perform a lifesaving surgery. Bomb in a body cavity? I got it. Ferry crash? I can help! Heart surgery in an elevator? No problem.

Well I actually want to pass out when getting a needle, so surgery might not actually be my thing, but a girl can dream.

Anywho, Shondra Rhimes has created some amazing characters throughout the past 11 seasons. Although the diversity of the surgeons represented is slightly unrealistic (there’s been nearly 20 female surgeons that are/were main characters), I feel that she is setting a good example for other directors to have more strong female leads. I also think that seeing such diversity in the show could eventually lead to diversity in real life surgeons.

With that being said, there are some stereotypes that are seen in the series and one character in particular, whom I've realized comes off as a stereotypical male (i.e. obsessed with sex, physically violent, etc.), Alex Karev.

Throughout the past 10 years, Alex has represented a lot of stereotypes, and I feel that his actions can be related to the “messages about manhood” that are discussed in Danielle Soulliere’s article, Wrestling with Masculinity.

The first message being that real mean are aggressive and violent is represented often. He has fought several people at the hospital, from his friends/co-workers to his drug addict father. This leads to the second message, that men settle things physically. Alex has always had a negative attitude toward his father because he was an addict who abandoned the family when Alex was young, leaving him to take care of everyone. When Alex finally met his father, he ended up fighting him when he found out that he had left his new family as well.

Message three, a man confronts his adversaries and problems. After the death of Alex’s father, he blamed his co-worker Shane for the incident. When Shane came to apologize, Alex ended up fighting him as well.

Message four, real men take responsibility for their actions. Alex does this a few times throughout the series since his poor attitude often gets him in trouble, but one particular time is when he gets Meredith in trouble after drunkenly telling on her for doing something she shouldn’t have. He ends up taking the blame for her after profusely apologizing so she can keep her job.

Message five is that men are not whiners, and this is a message that is shown all the time with Alex. He is rarely seen upset. Alex keeps his emotions bottled up and doesn’t ask for help. When his wife Izzie left him, he acted like he was not bothered by it although later it was obvious he still loved her. Also, when there was a shooter in the hospital and he got shot, instead of crying or showing fear, he told his co-worker that he needs to eat more bacon and have more sex.

And lastly, message six, men are winners. Alex displays this message a few times. One time being that he was the first to pick his specialty, and another time being that he got picked for a solo surgery. He continuously bragged about both of these instances.

I think the representation of his character doesn't do any real harm, but I found it interesting in a show that is breaking so many boundaries, that there are still some serious stereotypes seen.