FX, Netflix, HBO Max
Transgender representation on the silver screen is slowly improving as more and more television shows are featuring incredible depictions of trans life. And we love to see it! Let's take a look at 10 of the most binge-able films and series featuring trans representation.
FX
Pose has, for lack of a better phrase, set the stage for what trans representation looks like on television. Featuring an unforgettable cast of characters including Angel, Blanca, Candy, and Elektra, this show explores what it means to be different on every level.
Netflix
Trans actress Yasmin Finney plays Elle Argent on Netflix’s Heartstopper, and the character has been praised for normalizing the trans experience. She also refuses to conform to harmful tropes often seen among the community.
HBO Max
The 2021 reboot of Gossip Girl took a turn into more accurate representation of modern day New York with many queer characters, including Luna La (Zion Moreno) whose identity as a trans woman is far from her defining trait and a great example of normalized representation.
The Netflix series Orange is the New Black will return for a fourth season on June 17th. The show stars Laverne Cox as Sophia Burset, a transgender inmate who works as the prison hairdresser at Litchfield Penitentiary.
ABC Family’s The Fosters follows Stef Foster and Lena Adams as they raise their biological and adopted children. Tom Phelan makes several appearances as transgender teen character, Cole (pictured left).
The comedy-drama Tangerine starring Independent Spirit Award winner Mya Taylor (left), and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez (right) is currently streaming on Netflix. The film follows two transgender women sex workers and friends, one of whom discovers her boyfriend has been cheating on her.
Sense8 is a science fiction Netflix series directed by The Wachowskis that follows eight strangers from around the world who become mentally and emotionally linked. Nomi Marks (Jamie Clayton) is a transgender political blogger and hacktivist who lives in San Francisco with her girlfriend Amanita.
American Horror Story: Freak Show features several appearances by Erika Ervin as Amazon Eve.
The romantic drama film Boy Meets Girl stars Michelle Hendley as a transgender woman who finds love in a small Kentucky town.
The fourth and fifth films in the Eating Out franchise feature Harmony Santana (who was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her work in Gun Hill Road) as headstrong aspiring actress Lily.
Courtesy of Netflix
Nonbinary actor Lachlan Watson stars in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as Theo Putnam. Over the course of the series, Theo explores his gender identity. As he becomes more authentic he gains in confidence and strength, with the support of his loving and magical friends — and he even gets a hobgoblin boyfriend.
Courtesy of Netflix
This incredibly sweet and powerful series from trans creator Hamish Steele made history as one of the first trans-led animated series ever. Based on the comic book series Deadendia this Netflix's original show focused on Barney (voiced by trans actor Zach Barack) and Norma, two teens who take a job at a local — haunted — amusement park.
Courtesy of Netflix
Neil Gaiman's masterpiece The Sandman comes to life in this Netflix original series. A loving adaptation in many ways truly nailed it in the casting (and performance) of the nonbinary character Desiree. Mason Alexander Park brings the sinister glamour and allure to the complex and mysterious member of The Endless.
Courtesy of Netflix
When we first met Viktor Hargreeves (Elliot Page) he was struggling with many issues thanks to some, shall we say questionable, parenting he had received. Over the course of the series he not only discovers his powers, but also a bittersweet love story, a deeper connection with his siblings, and his true gender identity.
Courtesy of Netflix
The Politician is pure camp chaos and that's just one of the reasons we love it. Another is trans campaign advisor James Sulivan (played by nonbinary actor Theo Germaine). He is hilarious, politically savvy, and an absolute stealer. What he isn't is treated like his gender identity is a big deal. It's a refreshing depiction of transness that doesn't center around his gender.
