Transgender refers to "people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth" (GLADD Media Reference Guide: Transgender, para. 5).

The number of transgender people in the U.S. has grown to 1.6 million -- 43% of whom are young adults or teenagers, according to C.D.C. health surveys conducted between 2017 and 2020 (UCLA School of Law Williams Institute, June 2022).

Nearly 2% of high school students in the U.S. identify as transgender, and more than one-third of them attempt suicide (The Washington Post, January 24, 2019). Discrimination based on gender identity is prohibited in schools, yet many LGBTQ+ students face bullying, harassment, and feel unsafe in classrooms and corridors (Education in a Pandemic, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, 2021).

What role does the media play in influencing how transgender students are treated by others? 

If you were (or are) a part of a minority group or stigmatized community, would you want a more realistic representation of your group in the media that could victimize your group or an idealistic representation that could present a new reality for your group? Do media producers have a responsibility to make sure that their portrayals of marginalized groups are accurate?

In the following activities, you will analyze transgender representation in television and movies and then create a transgender character who accurately reflects the realities of gender identity and gender expression in today's society.

Activity 1: Analyze Transgender Representation in TV and Movies

• Explore the following resources:
  • Television Shows and Movies with Transgender Representation.
  • Victims or Villains: Examining Ten Years of Transgender Images on Television.
  • 2020 GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index. 
• Then, select a producer, writer, and/or director of a TV show or movie from one of the previous resources and write a PRAISE letter or social media post to them if they positively portrayed transgender characters in their show or film or write a PROTEST letter if they negatively portrayed transgender characters. 

Activity 2: Create a Transgender Character for TV or Movies

• Create a transgender main character for a movie or TV show.
• Consider the following prompts: 
  • What kinds of challenges would your transgender character face - related and unrelated to their gender identity? 
  • How does the conflict between the majority attitudes and individual goals influence transgender individuals' daily lives?
  • How can you create characters that are more realistic and complex?
  • What misconceptions and stereotypes would you include or leave out? Why?
• Then, write a script for a new TV episode or movie sequel featuring the transgender character as they navigate the issue of their individual rights/liberty conflicting with majority attitudes and perspectives.

Additional Resources

• Transgender Representation in the Media
• With a Critical Eye: Transgender Representation in the Media
• The Misrepresentation Of Transgender People In Media And Why It Needs To Change