: TG soap character :
Another step to being mainstream - the soap opera All My Children is going to feature a transgendered character transitioning from male to female -"All My Children features transgender role" - Nov. 27, 2006. While I'm not planning to set my DVD-R to record the show, I am somewhat curious as to how much detail the show's producers will allow into the script.
As anybody who has read this blog knows, transition can be a tremendously disruptive process, affecting every aspect of the transitioner's life. You could literally do a soap opera on just the one character if you were so inclined. So I'm thinking that as part of an ensemble cast and as only one storyline among many, audiences are not going to get a very clear picture of just how difficult transition can be. Although I could be wrong and they could dramatize the story to a point where even my story would be boring in comparison. I guess I'll never know until I watch (which is, of course, just what the show's producers want).
While I remain skeptical about a soap opera treating the transgender experience with the respect it deserves, I am pleased to see that the effect of movies such as Transamerica , Boys Don't Cry , Different for Girls and others has paved the way for a broader understanding of TG issues. And understanding is the first step toward broader acceptance - people can't begin to feel comfortable about TG people until they begin to understand why they put themselves through transition. It's not a lifestyle choice or a sexual fetish. It's an identity disorder, something that the average person has no idea how to comprehend. In this respect, it is good that millions of people are at least getting exposed to the topic, even if it's from a less-than-scientific source.
As anybody who has read this blog knows, transition can be a tremendously disruptive process, affecting every aspect of the transitioner's life. You could literally do a soap opera on just the one character if you were so inclined. So I'm thinking that as part of an ensemble cast and as only one storyline among many, audiences are not going to get a very clear picture of just how difficult transition can be. Although I could be wrong and they could dramatize the story to a point where even my story would be boring in comparison. I guess I'll never know until I watch (which is, of course, just what the show's producers want).
While I remain skeptical about a soap opera treating the transgender experience with the respect it deserves, I am pleased to see that the effect of movies such as Transamerica , Boys Don't Cry , Different for Girls and others has paved the way for a broader understanding of TG issues. And understanding is the first step toward broader acceptance - people can't begin to feel comfortable about TG people until they begin to understand why they put themselves through transition. It's not a lifestyle choice or a sexual fetish. It's an identity disorder, something that the average person has no idea how to comprehend. In this respect, it is good that millions of people are at least getting exposed to the topic, even if it's from a less-than-scientific source.
