The CW’s hit television show Supergirl sent out a casting call in search of a transgender woman to play a new character called Nia Nal.

In the character description, Nia is described as a “transgender woman, early 20s open ethnicity. A confident, wunderkind of a fashionista. Once a political speechwriter, Nia is the newest addition to the Catco investigative reporting team.”

Fans of the television show were pleased that they were looking to cast a real transgender woman rather than a cis person for the role.

One fan tweeted: “Supergirl is casting a transgender woman for S4!!! yey for more diverse representation in television!”

Supergirl has been the subject of praise and criticism by LGBT+ fans.

The second season of Supergirl featured one of the show’s main characters, Alex, grappling with her sexuality. In the fifth episode, she admits that she might be a lesbian. Her character is seen coming out to friends and family. The show even features a romantic and sexual relationship between two female characters.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXVM_qC3eFs[/embedyt]

But at San Diego Comic Con in 2017, the cast were accused of mocking their LGBT+ fans.

One of the show’s most shipped female/female pairings, Supercorp, was brought up during a backstage session with MTV. Cast member Jeremy Jordan made a reference to the ship saying, “They’re only friends! They’re only friends! They’re not gonna get together, they’re only friends!” as his fellow castmates laughed along.

The cast was criticised for dismissing their queer fans while the alignment to the LGBT+ community has been pivotal to the show’s success.

Many fans are hoping that the addition of a transgender character will help diversify the show. The CW is intending for the character to be authentic and representative of the transgender community rather than a stereotype.

The fourth season of Supergirl was announced in April and is expected to premiere on October 8^th in the United States. The UK air date will be announced later this year.