One of the most troubling findings in the last GLAAD report on LGBT representation in the media was the lack of regular transgender characters on television. Thus far, there’s been only one trans main character on network TV: Unique from Glee. End of list.
Thankfully, NewNowNext reports that The CW is planning to bridge the gap with their new show, Ze, a drama about a trans boy who comes out in a small Texas town.
The CW is tackling another letter in the LGBT alphabet with Ze, a new drama about a transgender female-to-male teen and his quirky family. Deadline reports the project comes from Obie-winning playwright Kyle Jarrow (A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant) and executive producer Michael London (Milk).
According to Deadline’s description of the CW show, “a personal choice takes on controversial public significance when a Texas teenager announces she is transgender and will be living life as a boy.” The title comes from the gender-nonspecific pronoun “ze,” an alternate to “he” or “she.”
Holy shit, is The CW actually writing a deeply personal character piece instead of churning out another show about rich white people being awful to each other? I am both excited and incredibly confused.
Joking aside, this actually is pretty exciting. There’s never before been a show starring a trans character on one of the big six networks — although there have been plenty of trans characters on cable TV and Netflix original series. With the right writers on board, this could really open the door for trans inclusion and representation on major networks.
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