As representation of gay and lesbian couples continues to grow since the early 2000s, representation of transgender men/women is still embarrassingly low. The first gay character appeared in 1977 on a show called Soap, followed by a lesbian character on All My Children in 1983. Now, discussions/representation of the LGBT community makes up most of the content on ABC, FOX, NBC, and CBS. But transgender representation remains at a stand still, as GLAAD reports that there are no constant trans characters on broadcast TV. GLAAD plans to expand it's analysis of representation to online-platforms, i.e the Netflix Orginial Series, Orange is the New Black.
"“desensitizing people to the shock of seeing a gay couple on TV, [softening] the blow for people who are, quote unquote, not ready for that, says Saum."
"The goal is to “[take] the novelty out of it,” she says. “To normalize it as life."
I was unaware that GLAAD did not take online-platforms into account. I am curious about their commentary of Laverne Cox's character and whether it would 'pass' the representation test. Hopefully, we will see the same trend of audiences becoming 'desensitized' to gay couples with transgender people, too.
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