Welcome to Trans Tuesday! Here we go with TILLY’S 2024 TRANS REP IN MEDIA, part 2: TV part 1! We dive into every complete season of tv I saw last year, and take a look at the trans representation therein! There shall be spoilers!
If you missed 2024 TRANS REP IN MEDIA part 1: MOVIES, you should check that out first!
The Acolyte s1 – 1*
Trans woman and big YouTuber Abigail Thorn is in episode 3 as part of the force witch coven of all women, which is great, though she only has a few lines and is not mentioned as trans. She’s also in episode 7, has one line, again no mention of being trans. If you’re not already familiar with her, no way you’d know that the force witch coven included trans women too.
Agatha All Along – 0
In episode 2 when Agatha is recruiting lady witches to her coven, her pitch to one of them, again, a woman, is “I need a potions guy.” This isn’t a joke and it’s not an intentional misgendering, but it does show you again how the use of that very gendered word to apply to people of all genders has permeated culture. And to me it’s just gonna stick out every time.
It happens again later when the ladies find out Agatha’s ex, a woman, is death incarnate. And she says, “I like the bad boys.”
The show is overall very queer and has the MCU’s first lesbian kiss and first gay man kiss, and in the finale there’s a trans pride flag that says “trans lives matter” in Billy’s room (he’s not trans but he did appear in drag as Maleficent in one episode, and looked fabulous).
This was actually the doing of actor Joe Locke, who had the flag added to the set for his character’s bedroom. It’s such a small thing, but to see it there in something from the MCU is way more huge than it should be. We need cis accomplices to do a whole lot more of this, including taking it further and helping trans actors get added to the cast and trans writers to the writing staff. But this was a lovely gesture and it meant a lot to a bunch of people.
Bad Batch s3 – 0
The Bear s3 – 0
In two episodes, Jimmy the mob guy says “fuck my tits,” as an exclamation when he’s pissed off. Because it’s again funny for men to have breasts? Sigh. It’s the same joke but it’s used twice, so I’m counting it as two. Really hoping this doesn’t become his recurring catchphrase.
Delicious in Dungeon s1 – 0
In one episode Marcille wants to clean herself and as the only girl in their adventuring party, she says she should have cast an illusion spell first… so she imagines her head on a big, hairy, muscular man’s body. It’s played for laughs, and it’s definitely laughing at the concept of someone you thought was a woman actually having the body of a man. Stealth implicit transphobia joke.
In another episode there are “dryad flowers” that look like naked women, and they’re described as “male and female.” But they’re monsters who try to kill our heroes, so the dryad flowers are killed and the characters then eat their fruit (which look like pumpkins with human faces).
Listen it’s a weird show, but this was the closest it got to having trans characters and they were monsters to be murdered, and that ain’t great. They’re also introduced in an incredibly sexual manner, when NOTHING else in the show is, as trickster temptresses. Hitting some bad bad trans women tropes there.
In another episode they discover a mushroom that changes humans into other races like elves or dwarves, and gargoyles into statues, etc. They surmise that it does this to transform someone into something its own people will fear so that they will be abandoned and die… which alllllso seems to imply some bad things about trans people, even if accidentally.
At least the dryads aren’t a joke, but they hit bad bad trans tropes and I’m counting them as bad representation. I really love this show, but it’s got some hidden regressive ideas on gender baked in there.
Echo – 0
Fallout s1 – 1
The character of Dane is nonbinary, and they/them pronouns are used. It’s a small role only in a few episodes, but they’re played by Xelia Mendes-Jones, who is trans and uses he/they pronouns. Right on.
Hacks s1 – 0
There’s a recurring joke throughout the entire show about Ava’s “big hands,” which very much feels like laughing at the idea of a woman having something generally associated with men. A lot of trans women who transition as adults have big hands. Like me. And let me tell you every time there’s a joke about Ava’s hands, I winced. This happens A LOT, but I didn’t think to count them so I can only count it as one joke.
Hacks s2 – 0
In the second episode of the season, Ava is reading an email she wrote with something to the effect of, “hey y’all (I’m trying not to use gendered terms, even though “hey guys” seems neutral to me)”. YES this is a good joke, and not at our expense (it’s at hers, for not getting it), and ALSO pokes fun at the usage of male terms treated as “neutral” by our heavily patriarchal, misogynist society. FABULOUS.
In the season finale, two jokes are made where the punch line seems to be “women with penises, isn’t that funny?” This came up a lot in last year’s trans rep in media report, and here it is again. It’s one of the most common stealth implicit transphobic jokes, laughing at the very idea of the reality a lot of trans women live with. And it’s the other side of the “men with boobs, so funny!” joke we’re already seen pop up a few times this year.
But y’know what? Our existence and our bodies aren’t jokes. This shit’s gotta stop.
Hacks s3 – 0
In episode 3 Ava finds out DJ, a friend, is pregnant, and says, “I’m going to be an uncle.” I guess because she’s… bi, she can’t call herself an aunt? I dunno. It’s self-misgendering as a joke. Stop it.
In another episode some old guys complain about how there’s “15 genders” and how “my daughters boyfriend looks like my ex wife” and such. They’re clearly presented as being in the wrong, just so Deborah can call them on being out of touch. But this is the same show that’s made “women with penises are hilarious” jokes, so it rings a bit hollow. In any case, it’s more jokes about us in a show that features none of us, which isn’t great. I’m going to count them all as just one joke in the tally though.
In the second to last episode of the season, which is all about Deborah confronting terrible bigoted jokes she’d made in her past, she keeps saying about the people who got upset that, “they’re minorities.” Ava says “You really shouldn’t call them that,” and Deborah says “I thought everyone was ‘they’ now!” Which is just another pronoun joke. C’mon.
In the season finale Jimmy is pleading with Kayla to stay and be his partner (in business, not romance), and he kneels down because a flight attendant told him he couldn’t stand in the plane aisle, and then another passenger thinks he’s proposing and apologizes for thinking he was a man because he said “partner” and not “wife.” And if you think about it for half a second, that’s just another misgendering joke? That didn’t need to be there? Like… why?
This is one of those situations where I LOVE the show, for so many reasons, but damn they need some trans people on staff, because it really shows that they don’t.
Hazbin Hotel s1 – 0
The show is about demons in hell and none of them really have human form so it’s impossible to say if any of them were intended to be trans, but none of them were mentioned as trans and as far as I could tell there are no trans cast members.
Heartstopper s3 – 5
Still our stalwart of trans rep, and still excellently done across the board.
Elle, a trans girl, played by trans woman Yasmin Finney, is still a main character. In season two the show introduced a trans school principal, and a trans girl and nonbinary kid as classmates, and they all reappear. They’re small parts, but show up in multiple episodes.
Isaac continues exploring his asexuality and discovers he is also aromantic. As I mentioned last year, this is not trans rep but it’s so rare to see that I wanted to mention it again.
In this season the character of Darcy comes out as nonbinary and decides to use they/them pronouns. Darcy is played by Kizzy Edgell, who is transmasc and uses he/him and they/them pronouns. And I thought the egg cracking, realization, and coming out were all very well done.
In the Christmas/New Years Eve episode, Darcy talks to Elle’s nonbinary friend about exploring gender and having fun with it, which was cool. In the same episode, Elle wants to have sex with her boyfriend Tao, but when he touches her it makes her feel dysphoric. And then she describes dissociating! If you need more on that, see the Trans Tuesdays on THE TRANS ALLEGORY OF I SAW THE TV GLOW.
Elle then talks to her trans lady friend about those feelings and not knowing what to do about it. And during her talk with Tao about it, they both use the word “trans” openly and like it’s not a big deal. I wish that didn’t feel revolutionary, but it sure as hell does.
This is it, this is all we’re asking for. Treat us like human beings, just like all the cis characters. Damn, that episode felt like a miracle.
In another episode, Elle goes on a radio show that ostensibly wants to talk about her art, but immediately switches to asking about the “trans debate” and “feminists” who say trans women don’t belong in women’s spaces.
And that was wild, because pretty often when I was doing interviews to promote my book on the trans allegories of the Matrix, it would turn into a trans 101 discussion and I’d be peppered with questions about trans existence.
I was happy to answer those and discuss and get that kind of basic information out there, but like… that’s a separate thing from very specifically talking about my writing and a book that was released. And I get it, that book is about the trans experience as seen through the lens of the Matrix films, but still. It’s a thing that happens, and rang very true.
Anyway I would die for Nick and Charlie, they are my sweet perfect gay babies, and Elle is so dear to me. Heartstopper continues to be the GOAT of trans rep in modern tv right now. Which means whenever it ends, the already paltry trans rep on tv numbers are gonna plummet if we don’t get a lot more soon.
Interior Chinatown – 0
One of the most imaginative and original shows ever, and it’s super super great.
Interview with the Vampire s1 – 0
Interview with the Vampire s2 – 0
Kaos s1 – 5
Ohhh Kaos, how did I love thee. A brilliant show about the Greek gods as set in the… 80s? 90s? Somewhere in there. Created by Charlie Covell, who is nonbinary! This is the only show I’m aware of, that I watched in all of 2024, with a trans or nonbinary creator and showrunner. And do you know what happens when we run our own shows?
THE TRANS REP IS FUCKING AMAZING.
One of the main characters is Caeneus, a trans man played by trans man Misia Butler. In episode 6 we get to see Caeneus’ top surgery scars.
We see a flashback about how he had to leave the Amazons (the all-women warriors from Greek mythology) because he was a boy…which it turns out is also why the Amazons killed him, because he went back to them, which isn’t allowed. They didn’t kill him because he’s trans, but because he wasn’t a woman. Which is weirdly affirming?? (I should add his story takes place in the underworld, after his death, because this is Greek mythology and so his death was not actually the end of his story and it doesn’t carry the same issues as trans characters always getting killed off).
In the flashback his mom tells him she knows “The form doesn’t fit the content” and she loves him. He’s also a romantic lead, and never doubts who he is OR has to figure it out and come out. He’s just a cool, good trans guy who gets to be a bit of a hero. It’s amazing.
Suzy Eddie Izzard, who is trans, is also in the show as one of the fates, Ché (who is nonbinary) is another one of the fates, and Sam Buttery, who is trans, plays the last fate. And what a wild thing to see that the fates, the three beings in Greek mythology with power over everyone and everything, even the other gods, be played by trans and nonbinary people. What a powerful statement, because who has more control over our lives than trans people do? Extraordinary. Unheard of.
Sadly, the show was canceled not long after it debuted, so this one season is all we’re going to get. Which is sad because I think it was a great show, but also because it had FABULOUS trans rep that we’ve now already lost.
Lessons in Chemistry – 0
Loot s2 – 1
MJ Rodriguez, a trans woman, returns as a main cast member, but is again never mentioned as trans. And in this season, it feels like they went out of their way, multiple times, to not mention she’s trans.
In episode 3 she’s explaining the societal pressures she’s under, and says “I’m a 36 year-old Afro-Latina woman” and… why do you not say trans in there, when she’s literally describing everything about herself, and how her societal marginalizations impact her life? It was glaring to leave her transness out of it.
Is the show trying to hide it? Is the character she’s playing cis? It feels like that’s the conclusion I have to come to because to leave transness OUT of a list of “parts of your identity that society puts extra pressure on you for” is pretty huge.
In another episode they make a point of showing an all-gender bathroom, but the sign on the door has a man, woman, and half man/half woman silhouettes which always makes me feel weird, and then in the same episode they’re planning a trip to Dubai, and MJ’s character is excited. Buuuut Dubai is in the United Arab Emirates… where being trans is literally criminalized. So her character has to be cis… right?
But then in another episode MJ’s character is talking to someone about going to camp as kids, and they talk around ever saying she was a little girl or with the other girls, or if she’d maybe been put with the boys because it was pre-transition. But if the character is cis, why not just say she was with the little girls at camp? I mean her character can be trans and still have been with the little girls at camp if you just make her story that she transitioned as a child.
So now it feels very much like they’re just talking around it all, and I cannot figure it out. I’m counting the actor rep, but not the character.
And I shall remain stymied as to what they’re actually doing with her character and why they seem to be working so hard to hide MJ’s transness.
I also want to mention that in episode 2 there is another trans woman as a background actor in a scene in a bar, but I only know this because I know her personally and recognized her! Welcome to working in Hollywood and living in LA. Hi Cameron! Anyway she doesn’t have any lines or anything, so I can’t really count this as trans rep in the show. But I know she’s there!
A Man on the Inside – 0
Some teens repeatedly call their mom “bro” and Ted Danson calls his daughter and her three sons “guys”. The first is played for laughs, the latter isn’t. But again this is how our society works, right?
Mr and Mrs Smith s1 – 0
Monster High s2 – 2
Monster High continued to have nonbinary character Frankie as one of the three leads, still played by nonbinary actor Iris Menas.
Annnnnd then of course my wife/writing partner Susan and I wrote six episodes for this season, four of which were the Halloween special, Monster Fest! Have I mentioned before that we wrote for Monster High?! Well, we totally did!
And I mention our Monster Fest special, because we got to introduce a new trans woman character to the show, Phoenix! I know I’ve talked before in these about how phoenixes are very trans, conceptually (one form of you dying in the ashes so a new you can be reborn), so it was the perfect “monster type” for the character to be. And she was played by trans woman Dominique Jackson. And the entire Monster Fest storyline is about being true to yourself, and being who you truly are and not who anyone else says you have to be. It’s very trans.
John Waters also did a voice for it! Check it out whydontcha?!
Annnnd we’re gonna wrap it there this week. Come back next week for the rest of our discussion on trans rep in tv, as well as how things look overall and where we’re at compared to the past two years!
Tilly Bridges, end transmission.
tillysbridges@gmail.com