When it comes to representations of trans people on film and TV, history is troubling. Until far too recently, transness was often the butt of a joke, or trans characters were often othered as villains or completely fetishised. Not only did this undermine the quality of the art, but it also perpetuated stereotypes and tropes, inflicting real-life harm on the trans community worldwide.

Thankfully, progress has been made, and we can now stock our TV and film libraries with positive, empowering trans characters. To help narrow down your next watch, we’ve put together some of our favourite films and TV series with lovingly created trans characters.

Heartstopper

For a show centred around queer identities, it is perhaps unsurprising that Netflix’s Heartstopper features positive trans representation in the form of Elle Argent. Portrayed by Yasmin Finney, Elle is a trans student attending an all-girls secondary school. While the series hints that Elle was bullied at her old all-boys school when she began her transition, the character is a shining example of trans joy as she struggles with mundane things like her first crush, applying to art school, and aiding her hapless group of queer friends as they navigate their teenage years.

Sex Education

Sex Education did a good job with queer and trans representation in the series, especially in its last season. Not only does it follow the storyline of non-binary teenager Cal (Dua Saleh), it also introduces the power couple consisting of trans fem character Abbi (Anthony Lexa) and trans masc character Roman (Felix Mufti). All are portrayed by trans actors, and their characters go through many true-to-life trans experiences throughout the plot.

While the series depicts a lot of trans joy, it also doesn’t shy away from portraying a few harder topics, like familial and societal acceptance and accessing healthcare. Cal’s storyline especially deals with these topics well and in the series, Cal and Roman have an honest conversation about accessing gender-affirming healthcare, which shows how important such connections can be for trans teenagers.

I Saw the TV Glow

I Saw the TV Glow, one of the more recent additions to our list, is a psychological horror film starring non-binary actor Jack Haven as Maddy and Justice Smith as Owen. The duo are isolated teenagers who connect over their shared love of a TV show, The Pink Opaque. However, through this obsession, they start to question their own identities, and what ensues is a bizarre series of events.

The film’s writer and director, Jane Schonebrun has said the film is an allegory for being trans, capturing what she says is an “egg-crack” moment when you “stop pretending you’re not trans, trying to desperately find every reason why you’re not, and admit for the first time that you are.”

Umbrella Academy

The hit television series based on the comics of the same name introduced a trans character to its cast in a particularly unique way. The series stars Elliot Page both before and after his transition, which was announced between the show’s second and third seasons. When Page’s character Vanya appeared in Season 3, he was quick to announce that he wished to be called Viktor, a nod to Page’s own transition.

Page has spoken extensively about the work the Umbrella Academy team did behind the scenes to allow Viktor to transition alongside him. “I’ve never seen a trans person in real-time transitioning onscreen and becoming himself in a story where that’s part of the story, but it’s not the point of the story. It’s in the background for a lot of the story, which I think is perfect and exactly right,” said Page about his role in the show’s latest season.

Shameless

Debuting in 2011, Shameless told the dark, dirty, and often unsavoury story of the Gallagher family. While the series has featured LGBTQ+ characters since its first season, namely Cameron Monaghan’s character Ian, the series didn’t see its first transgender character, Trevor, until its seventh season. Portrayed by Elliot Fletcher, Trevor is a trans masc character who enters the series as a love interest opposite Monaghan’s character.

Throughout his tenure on the show, Trevor introduces Ian to a number of other trans characters, as well as schooling the Gallaghers on proper trans terminology. While Trevor’s character was cut from the series after its eighth season, he was pivotal in introducing trans identities to an audience that otherwise might not have been exposed to them.

L’immensitá

When it comes to representations of trans childhood and adolescence, filmmakers often struggle to strike a balance of realism and respect, and this careful balance is what sets Emanuele Crialese’s 2022 drama L’immensitá apart. The film stars Penelope Cruz as Clara, a Spanish mother trapped in an abusive marriage.

In addition to this heavy storyline, L’immensitá paints a thoughtful portrait of Clara’s oldest child, Andrea, as he begins to explore his gender and masculinity, a sharp contrast to the machismo displayed by the family’s patriarch.

Orange is the New Black

Laverne Cox’s role in the 2013 series Orange is the New Black is one of the earliest mainstream examples of positive trans representation in TV. The series, set in a women’s prison, heavily features Cox’s character, Sophia Burset, a transgender inmate.

Cox received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role in the series, making her the first trans person in history to be nominated for an Emmy in an acting category.

Feel Good

Non-binary comedian Mae Martin’s semi-biographical rom-com depicts some very relatable struggles experienced in a queer relationship. The series follows the developing love between Mae and George amidst the chaos of other personal struggles Mae’s character is going through at the same time.

However, while there are lows in Mae and George’s relationship, they learn to tackle their problems together, growing stronger while doing so. Mae simultaneously starts figuring out their non-binary identity in the series.

Crossing

This touching movie is about a retired teacher from Georgia, Lia (Mzia Arabuli), who embarks on a trip to Istanbul, where she tries to find her trans niece Tekla, who disappeared a long time ago. According to a local boy in Lia’s Georgian hometown, Tekla crossed the border and moved to Istanbul. With the boy’s help, Lia starts a search in the depths of Istanbul, crossing paths with many strong trans women, who try to help Lia locate Tekla.

One of them is Evrim, who works as a lawyer fighting for trans rights. This character is probably the strongest in the entire film, as she fearlessly stands up against transphobic police, finds time to look after people in need and also has a good love story in the movie. What’s more, Deniz Dumanlı’s portrayal of this character is very powerful and honest.

Euphoria

Another example of great trans representation is in Euphoria. This hit series has fans chomping at the bit for the premiere of its long-awaited third season, due in no small part to the ongoing love story between Zendaya’s character Rue Bennett, and Jules Vaughn, a trans character portrayed by trans actor Hunter Schafer.

Jules’ trans identity is recognised throughout the series but is never presented as an issue. Instead of spending the series battling transphobia, Jules is given the space to face the everyday struggles that all teenagers face.

Pose

Based on the ballroom scene of 1980s New York City, a scene dominated by trans women of colour, it is unsurprising that Ryan Murphy’s Pose is stacked with positive trans representation in the form of characters like Blanca (MJ Rodriguez), Angel (Indya Moore), Elektra (Dominique Jackson), Lulu (Hailie Sahar), and Candy (Angelica Ross).

Throughout the series, these trans women face a series of struggles, including racism, transphobia, and the onset of the HIV/AIDS crisis. That being said, the characters also bask in the light of queer joy, celebration, and found family.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power creator ND Stevenson has always been vocal about his trans identity and the ways in which it impacts his work. While Stevenson made a name for himself while working on comic series like Lumberjanes and a run of Thor comics for Marvel, She-Ra marks the artist’s first television debut.

Stevenson’s series has been hailed for its LGBTQ+ characters, including those with trans identities like the “non-binary shape-shifting mercenary” Double Trouble.

Supergirl

It’s no secret that superhero franchises like Marvel and DC have taken over the world with their films and television series in recent years. What also isn’t a secret is that these projects have frequently lacked plentiful and positive LGBTQ+ representation.

The CW series Supergirl changed all that when it introduced the character of Nia Nal, played by Nicole Maines. When Maines joined the cast of Supergirl in 2018, she made history as the first-ever trans superhero on TV.

Sense8

Sense8 has always been praised for its LGBTQ+ inclusion since it debuted in 2018. When it comes to trans characters on the show, the most remarkable is Nomi Marks, played by Jamie Clayton. In addition to being trans herself, Clayton’s character was written by a trans woman, Lana Wachowski, and the series was directed by a trans woman, Lilly Wachowski – though Lilly came out after the show had wrapped.

Sense8 is yet another example of positive trans representation on TV, wherein the characters’ transness is never used as the driving force of their storyline.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Despite originally identifying as non-binary, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina character Theo Putnam (Lachlan Watson) later comes out as a trans man to his friends. Theo’s trans identity is celebrated by his fellow castmates and is consistently reaffirmed throughout the series.

Watson made history as one of the youngest non-binary actors to ever be cast on a TV series when they joined Sabrina in 2018, providing astounding trans representation beyond their character. The series later highlighted Theo’s same-sex relationship with Robin Goodfellow (Jonathan Whitesell) without perpetuating any tired or offensive transphobic narratives.

And thus concludes our list of films and TV series with great trans representation. As we go into the new year, we’ll be keeping our readers up to date with the very best in queer media, so stay tuned for even more recommendations coming your way.

GCN’s wonderful Christmas Raffle is back! To be in with a chance of winning some fantastic prizes while also supporting GCN, buy a raffle ticket from as little as €5 at this link.