20 trans TV characters played by trans actors who broke ground in beautiful ways
These trans characters made a huge impact.
Mark
Trans representation 20 years ago was all but non-existent in mainstream media. And the little that did exist was, ahem, not cute. Before 2010, trans characters were likely to be played by cis actors and follow stereotypical, color-by-numbers arcs created by well-intentioned but ignorant cis writers.
And then, suddenly, things started to change for the better.
In 2013, Laverne Cox lit up the small screen as Sophia Burset, a trans prisoner in the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. Cox’s portrayal of a woman done wrong by a transphobic system was unforgettable, and it sparked a new era in authentic trans representation.
Here are 20 of the standout characters that have showed up on our screens since then…
Sophia Burset (Laverne Cox) in Orange is the New Black
As previously stated, Laverne Cox’s star turn as Sophia changed the game for representations of trans women in prison. Cox’s portrayal of Black trans hairdresser Sophia Burset was earnest, lived-in, and a window into the painful challenges Black trans women face as victims of an uncaring carceral state. She was also a downright hilarious character, meeting the injustices she faced with wit, shade, and realness. She showed us that when the state denies you gender-affirming care, you’re well within your rights to swallow a bobblehead in response.
Buck Vu (Ian Alexander) in The OA
Trans teen Ian Alexander gave their all to bringing the character of Buck Vu to life on the short-lived mystery series The OA. Not only did Alexander embody the role of trans teen in pre- and post-transition states, they brought their own life experiences to the role, creating something that hewed more closely to autofiction. For an already daring and formally risky series, it was an added attraction that left viewers stunned. “It’s important to cast trans actors in trans roles,” Alexander explained in an interview ahead of The OA Part II. Years later, their words—and representation—are more important than ever.
Angel Evangelista (Indya Moore) in Pose
Get ready for Pose to show up quite a lot on this list—the groundbreaking 2018 series gave us a heartfelt, realistic window into the lives of trans women of color in the 90s ballroom scene, and Moore’s role as Angel was a standout from the first episode. As part of the underdog house of Evangelista, Angel is subject to ridicule, crappy jobs, and demeaning treatment from chasers and johns. She has to kiss many frogs to find her prince, but she does in the end. Her marriage to Papi is a beautiful ending to a show that constantly broke our hearts and sewed them back together again.
Blanca Evangelista (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez) in Pose
We can’t talk about Pose without bringing up the mother of the House of Evangelista, played by none other than Broadway legend Michaela Jaé Rodriguez. As a proud mother who loves her drag children fiercely—but won’t stand for any nonsense—Rodriguez brought her entire heart to the role, and gave us an enduring, strong portrait of a trans woman living with HIV keeping faith in her dreams until the last. Blanca is the kind of mother we all wish we had: she’s tough, tender, and always ready to support her children in reaching their goals.
Michael Hallowell (Ellie Desautels) in Rise
The teen theater show Rise—something of an anti-Glee—was short lived, but it did give us one of the least showy and most realistic potrayals of a trans teen in Michael Hallowell. Nonbinary actor Ellie Desautels brought Michael to life, showing trans teens everywhere that being included in gendered school activities like Drama Club and Choir should be simple, non-political, and most importantly, fun.
Lola (Shakina Nayfack) in Difficult People
Difficult People remains one of the funniest, most genuinely queer shows we’ve ever been blessed with. Julie Klausner’s brainchild was packed with jokes, incredible character actors, and ridiculous situations—many of them involving demon twink Matthew (Cole Escola) and self-described “trans truther” Lola, played pitch perfectly by Shakina Nayfack. Trans people deserve complex representation—which means letting us be hilarious to our fullest extent!
Nomi Marks (Jamie Clayton) in Sense8
The Wachowski sisters gave us pure gold when they gave us Sense8, a show that was ahead of its time and featured one of the best trans women characters on TV to this day. Jamie Clayton played Nomi Marks, a hactivist and blogger whose beef with St. Thomas Aquinas gave us one of the best opening monologues ever, as well as a great quote to use against our transphobic parents.
Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney) in Heartstopper
Heartstopper made stars out of Joe Locke and Kit Connor, but it also gave us the gift of Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent, a sweet, hopeful trans girl who gets to have crushes, fall in love, and go through high school without being defined by bullying and trauma. British model Finney continues to make us proud in and out of character as an outspoken advocate for trans rights.
Viktor Hargreaves (Elliott Page) in The Umbrella Academy
It’s not often that a fictional character gets to transition onscreen in a non-exploitative way, but that’s just what happened in the third season of The Umbrella Academy, when trans icon Elliot Page reprised his role as Viktor Hargreeves, a violinist with a strange power and a painful past. Fans were thrilled to see Page show up onscreen as his true self, and knowing Page’s real backstory leant extra poignancy to his take on the role.
La Veneno (Daniela Santiago) in Veneno
Was there ever a show like Veneno? Not that we know of. This limited series told the story of trans Spanish singer and actress Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez, aka La Veneno (The Poison) whose insane life story is ripped straight from a telenovela. Trans model Daniela Santiago brilliantly embodies the legend herself, giving viewers insight into how one woman’s struggle with persecution, sex work, and the daily fight to survive created an enduring trans icon the world will never forget.
Aaron Baker (Elliot Fletcher) in The Fosters
Trans heartthrob Elliot Fletcher broke ground as the handsome law student who dates The Fosters and Good Trouble‘s Callie, singlehandedly undoing the damage of Max’s tragic trans man dating arc in The L Word. Through Fletcher’s character Aaron, we get a hard look at the painful intricacies of navigating a the carceral system as a trans person, even one with considerable privilege. Aaron lets us see his scars—literally—and talks candidly about the struggles, and delights of being trans in a world that’s never kind to even the most privileged among us.
Elektra Abundance (Dominique Jackson) in Pose
Pose again! But listen, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Dominique Jackson’s magnificent portrayal of Elekra Abundance, a woman who leaves behind her rich lover so she can have the life, and the body, she truly wants. Elektra’s ability to read everyone for filth are utterly meme-able and unforgettable, as is the strength, beauty, and vulnerability Jackson brings to the role. We fell in love with her in 2016’s Strut, and Pose cemented Jackson’s powerful legacy even more.
Unique Adams (Alex Newell) in Glee
When future Broadway star Alex Newell first sashayed onto our screens as Unique Adams, we knew Glee was in for a much-needed shake up. Newell’s to-the-rafters take on “There are Worse Things I Could Do” remains one of the best moments in the show’s run, and any viewer could see that they were destined for huge things. Since that time, they’ve released soaring pop albums, delivered Tony-nominated Broadway performances in Shucked! and Some Like It Hot, and continued to stun us with their beauty, power, and earth-shaking talent.
Paul Strickland (Brian Michael Smith) in 911: Lone Star
Trans actor Brian Michael Smith brings his all to every role he plays, including a stunning perfomances on Queen Sugar and The L Word: Generation Q, but it’s his role as a heroic transmasc firefighter that gave us one of the best moments of trans masc representation on TV in recent memory. Speaking to a younger trans man (played by the legendary Miles McKenna), Smith explains that as a trans person, you never have to give an explanation for who you are. “You are enough,” Smith says. It’s something every trans person needs to hear, and words most of us never expected to hear on mainstream TV.
Sabi Mehboob (Bilal Baig) in Sort Of
Sort Of was a quietly groundbreaking masterpiece that didn’t dwell on trans trauma, but focused instead on the complexity of everyday life. Sabi is a flailing millennial trying to piece together gigs and avoid coming out to their Pakistani family in modern day Canada. And while they have to grapple with plenty of pain, their offbeat sense of humor always rises to the occasion, giving us a heroine we can relate to, root for, and completely get behind.
Chris (Theo Germaine) in Work in Progress
Work in Progress was far from a perfect show, but it did give us Theo Germaine as Chris, who has a short-lived relationship with conflicted, neurotic heroine Abby. While Chris’s arc ends poorly, Germaine’s performance is suave, sweet, and lived-in. Any trans person who’s had to be a cis person’s emotional support much young love interest will relate to Chris’s struggle to prioritize himself while being there for a very messy partner.
Davina (Alexandra Billings) in Transparent
Before coming out, every trans person needs to know someone else who’s out, proud, and living the best life they can. For Transparent‘s Maura Pfefferman, that person is Davina, played by the sensational Alexandra Billings. Davina is a realistic portrayal of a woman who’s doing her best in a tough, painful world that tries its best to crush her. But she won’t be crushed, and her resilience is exactly what Maura needs to see in order to become who she truly is.
Shea (Trace Lysette) in Transparent
Before she lit up our screens as Monica in the groundbreaking 2022 film of the same name, Trace Lysette gave her all on Transparent as Shea, a trans woman living with HIV who refuses to be used by a straight man looking for a sexual adventure. Lysette’s performance spoke to a deep community truth: the straight men that love and pursue trans women don’t always have their best interests at heart, and aren’t always seeing the full humanity of the women they desire. Though Lysette’s experience behind the scenes was far from ideal, she gave the performance of a lifetime and paved the way for even greater acting feats in the years to come.
Gittel (Hari Nef) in Transparent
Hari Nef has been a cultural force for so long, it’s hard to remember when she first blew our minds onscreen. But before she was Doctor Barbie, she was Gittel, the trans relative of Transparent‘s Maura who stayed behind in Germany and suffered an unknown—but likely very tragic—fate along with sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld and his archive. Nef’s luminous portrayal introduced her to viewers in 2015, and soon, we’ll get to see her embody another trans icon—Candy Darling—on the big screen.
Micah Lee (Leo Sheng) in The L Word: Generation Q
The L Word reboot was definitely annoying and pretty much nobody liked it. But the one saving grace of the show was Leo Sheng as Micah, a trans man working in academia and showing off his perfect pecs any chance he could. Every time Sheng showed up onscreen, our attention was seized and we were almost able to forget about the general messiness of the rest of the show. Sheng gave so much to this character, and we wish we got more of his story. But there’s always the chance of a spin-off…
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