TV content is changing right in front of our eyes. This time, for the better.
Popular Netflix drama "Orange is the New Black" made waves in the rather calm sea of TV entertainment by bringing its transgender character Sophia Burset (played by real-life transgender woman Laverne Cox) to the forefront. Cox is the first transgender woman to earn an Emmy nomination, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Following in its footsteps - and because of the immense success of "OITNB" and other similar programs like Amazon's "Transparent" - three new reality series centering on transgender lives are slated to debut this spring and upcoming summer.
Discovery Life will air "New Girls on the Block," the network's first original series, on April 11. "New Girls" will take viewers to Kansas City, Mo., and into the lives of six transgender women, all of whom are at different stages of their transitions.
TLC will premiere "All That Jazz," which will document the life of Jazz Jennings, a 14-year-old activist and YouTube sensation, as she seeks to educate her suburban, South Florida community about trans individuals, EW reported.
ABC Family will debut "Becoming Us," a series that's said to mimic "Transparent," and will provide "a real-life version" of a father who undergoes sexual-reassignment surgery to become a woman. Ben Lehwald, 17, is the son of Charlie (who will become Carly), and the show will follow their lives in Chicago.
More often than not, people cast for transgender roles in a series identify as trans themselves, which is the case with "Becoming Us." This storyline is relevant to current events surrounding the Kardashian/Jenner family in that former Olympian Bruce Jenner recently declared he will undergo a sex change operation to become a woman. The reality star is currently considering whether or not to share his transition on the E! network.
There are reportedly 700,000 transgender people in the U.S., but they are still entirely underrepresented in pop culture and entertainment outlets.
GLAAD, or Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, feels that there is much more progress to be made.
"While it seems like there's an explosion of new shows, we are still very much invisible in scripted shows on broadcast TV," said Nick Adams, a member of the organization.
Aside from "OITNB" and "Transparent," the Fox musical drama "Glee" included a transgender character in its final season. Coach Shannon Beiste transitioned into Sheldon Beiste. Popular daytime soap "The Bold and the Beautiful" also included a transgender character in its storylines. It was recently revealed in an episode that model Maya Ivant, played by Karla Mosley, was born as a male. Mosley's role in the show actually prompted her to do research on transgender individuals, and the actress even consulted with GLAAD members to ensure that her character rang true to viewers, as HNGN previously reported.
The creation of these series is a step in the right direction to promote acceptance and understanding of the trans community, but many feel as if true progress will only be made when questions "steer away from gender identity," according to Entertainment Weekly.
"'Do you have a boy body?' That's the question that I often hear," Jennings told EW. "I say, 'Even if I do, it doesn't matter what's below my waist.' You have to judge someone for who they are inside, not their outward appearance. If everyone were able to accept people for their personality, then the world would be a better place for people of any difference."
