11 Transgender Actors Who Are Changing Television

For many years, the creators of television shows and series tried to avoid using transgender characters in the storyline. Perhaps Chandler’s father in the series Friends and Ava Moore in the series Nip/Tuck are among the most memorable characters. But times change, and the creators of television projects try to look deeper into their transgender characters’ stories. They also try to hire actors who belong to this community.

At CHEERY, we decided to pay tribute to the actors and actresses thanks to whom we’ve got so many diverse characters on the small screen.

Hunter Schafer

In the series Euphoria, the actress plays the role of Jules, a transgender girl who feels secure in her gender identity which is not typical for such characters. As for Hunter, she believes that the time has come to show transgender characters from a new side, “There need to be more roles where trans people aren’t just dealing with being trans; they’re being trans while dealing with other issues. We’re so much more complex than just one identity.”

Laverne Cox

Cox became famous when she appeared in Season 4 of the series Orange Is the New Black. The actress played the role of a trans prisoner, Sophia Burset, there. She was even nominated for 4 Emmy Awards for this amazing work, and became the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category. In addition, she is the first transgender woman to have a wax figure of herself at Madame Tussauds.

Jamie Clayton

The actress rose to prominence thanks to her appearance in the Netflix original series Sense8. She played the role of Nomi Marks, a trans woman, political blogger, and hacker, there. Clayton tries to use her publicity to raise awareness about unfair treatment trans actors often have to deal with, “Actors who are trans never even get to audition for anything other than roles of trans characters,” she wrote in her Twitter. “That’s the real issue. We can’t even get in the room. Cast actors who are trans as non-trans characters. I dare you.”

Scott Turner Schofield

Scott Turner Schofield was the first transgender actor in Daytime television. He also became the first trans man who was nominated for an Emmy for acting.

Angelica Ross

Angelica Ross made history as the first female transgender actress to secure 2 series-regular roles. She acted in the famous series Pose and in 2 seasons of American Horror Story. Thanks to her success, Ross managed to found the company TransTech Social Enterprises which helps trans people foster skills in the technology industry.

Zión Moreno

Zión Moreno played one of the leading roles in the reboot of the original series Gossip Girl. Her character Luna La was also a trans woman. Zión is proud of her character, and believes that this work was important not only to her but to the entire community in general, “I think that it’s going to be really rewarding to be able to make an impact on little queer kids’ lives, on little Latino kids’ lives, and I just hope that we can use that representation and inspire them to live authentically and live to the fullest.”

Jen Richards

Jen Richards made an important contribution to the development of modern television. She became a co-producer of the drama web series Her Story, where she also played one of the starring roles. The series tells the story of 2 transgender women, who fall in love, make fun and fight against transmisogyny. Critics described this project as “one of the most authentic onscreen depictions of trans women ever.”

Mj Rodriguez

Rodriguez rose to prominence thanks to her role in the series Pose. The actress made history as the first transgender woman who won the Golden Globe Award. Rodriguez is sure that her example can inspire other people with a similar background, “This is the door that is going to open the door for many more young talented individuals. They will see that it is more than possible.”

Brian Michael Smith

The actor became the first Afro-American trans man who landed a series regular role on network television. As Alex Schmider from GLAAD said, “Trans men, especially black trans men, have been largely underrepresented on television, making this casting and character significant not only to the entertainment landscape but also in furthering the public’s understanding of who trans men are.” Smith is also the first trans man who has been included in People’s coverage of the Sexiest Men Alive.

Nicole Maines

The actress was the first to portray a transgender superhero in the series Supergirl. “I’ve been doing a lot of auditions lately because a lot of different shows have been really eager to tell the story of transgender people. It seems only fitting that we have a trans superhero for trans kids to look up to. I wish there was a trans superhero when I was little,” Nicole shared.

Elliot Page

In 2020, Page, who is known for the movies Juno, Inception and series The Umbrella Academy, came out as transgender. After that, some commentators suggested that the role of cisgender Vanya Hargreeves should be recast. But the creators of The Umbrella Academy decided to reflect Elliot Page’s transition in the storyline, and showed that Vanya Hargreeves finally accepted their true self and became transgender man Viktor. This way, the series managed to cover the topics important for the transgender community.

Did you watch the series starring these actors and actresses? Do you think movies and television have changed thanks to them? Tell us in the comments below.