[headline image is a photo of a thin, able-bodied white person with long, wavy, blonde hair, wearing a kind of short, frilly jumper and denim jacket. They are posed in front of a gray semi-truck]

If you don’t know Jesse James Keitel by now, you will very soon.

The actor, writer, and artist (she/they) just made LGBTQ+ television history when she was cast in a lead role as Jerrie Kennedy on the new ABC crime drama Big Sky, making her the first nonbinary series regular in a lead role on primetime television. It follows the recent news that Shakina Nayfack made history as the first openly trans regular on a network show, when she was cast in the ensemble comedy series Connecting.

crossdreamers:

The American science fiction TV series Star Trek is not new to making progressive cultural moves.  There was, for instance, the famous interracial kiss between Uhura and Captain Kirk back in 1968. 

The third season of Star Trek Discovery will present two new important characters. Blu del Barrio will play the role as the non-binary character Adira (to the left in the picture above.) Ian Alexander will play the transgender character Gray (to the right).

“Star Trek has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities because it believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach,” said executive producer Michelle Paradise. 

“We take pride in working closely with Blu del Barrio, Ian Alexander and Nick Adams at GLAAD to create the extraordinary characters of Adira and Gray, and bring their stories to life with empathy, understanding, empowerment and joy.”

The third season of Star Trek Discovery will premiere October 15. 

Deadline has more.

Much of the show deals with Martin’s history with addiction, a struggle for which I have great sympathy but have had no personal experience. Not to mention, Martin uses she/her pronouns throughout the show. (In real life, Martin uses both she and they pronouns.)

Indeed, it isn’t even until episode five that Martin comes out regarding gender. “I think I’m transgender, or like nonbinary, or whatever the terms are these days,” she says. “But whatever, because I’ve always felt this way.”

But from the moment Martin steps on the stage in episode one, I knew this was someone who understood, someone who got it. This sense of being seen and being represented as a nonbinary, femme-leaning queer person was one of the most refreshing entertainment experiences I’ve had in recent memory.

I hope it’s obvious by now that representation matters, that having a broader range of stories and characters can only lead us closer to embracing the full range of humanity. Throughout the show’s course, I watched Martin’s character make mistakes, succeed, question, and grow in a human and believable way. This wasn’t a nonbinary person as either victim or hero, and it certainly didn’t portray gender as a static and singular experience.

genderqueerpositivity:

I recently discovered a youtube web series called These Thems and it is fantastic. I’ve watched the first four episodes today (each between 10 and 15 minutes long) and that is the most I’ve smiled and laughed in weeks.

And that is literally the most genderqueer representation in ~40 minutes that I’ve ever seen in my life!

It’s funny, and sweet, and serious, and explores trans and queer relationships, pronouns and misgendering, and various microaggressions.

(There are potential triggers in the series; for example the first episode opens with a gyno appointment and talk about sex and vomit so, be aware of that.)

But so far I would absolutely recommend the series!

itgetsbetterproject:

“Gender fluidity has existed since the beginning of time.”

girlfriendluvr:

hey btw i know a lot of ppl are like “oh im gonna watch stars align now!!” after one of the characters in the main cast came out as nonbinary / transfeminine in yesterday’s episode. it is a fantastic show and i highly recommend it, but PLEASE BE WARNED that hoshiai no sora / stars align has a lot of potentially triggering content!! the main character’s dad is abusive, it’s one of the main conflicts of the show. there are multiple scenes of abuse, both physical and emotional. here is a basic list of trigger warnings for the show:

• at the end of episode 1, the mc is physically abused by his dad
• at the beginning of episode 2, a character (the nonbinary one) is bullied for being perceived as gay
• in episode 3, a character recounts an incident where he was neglected as an infant, resulting in him being burned
• at the end of episode 4, the mc is emotionally abused by his dad
• episode 5 contains the mc’s dad (he is stopped by other characters)
• at the end of episode 8 (post-credits), the nonbinary character’s mother says transphobic things to them after seeing them carrying a dress.

the main theme of the show (besides tennis, which is obviously the #1 theme, as it is a sports anime) is kids trying to cope with the various hardships in their lives and coming together to be a support system for each other. it really is a very well written and fantastic show, but it tackles some very heavy topics and is NOT for everyone. please be aware! (for future readers, this is written as of episode 8 and obviously does not contain any warnings for episodes 9-12)

itgetsbetterproject:

Jacob Tobia will be the first nonbinary actor to voice a nonbinary animated character in a recurring series role for DreamWorks SheRa season 4! 

(2/2) take the burden off me explaining and will allow me to come out way more casually by just saying I’m like character X afterward.

If you have netflix, One Day at a Time (season 2) introduces a nonbinary character who IDs specifically as gender non-conforming. Great, heartwarming show that tackles a lot of complex issues. Family friendly.

The character Taylor Mason on Billions is nonbinary and played by a nonbinary actor. I haven’t seen this show, but I know people are very excited about the rep.

The show Good Girls features a questioning/gnc kid (though not one of the main-main characters) and also some of the ways in which their mom supports them figuring themselves out. IIRC the actor isn’t explicitly nonbinary, but they have played girl/boy/questioning parts all equally. Funny show but just came out, so you might not be able to find reruns yet.

I haven’t seen either, but IMDB has a short list of movies with nonbinary characters: Genderfreak and Tomgirl. Both are shorts. Genderfreak may not be appropriate, but Tomgirl features a gnc kid, so should be okay.
IMDB also features a list of “other gender” representation that you might flip through: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls009788538/

It’s not quite the same, but here’s a few documentaries if you’re interested:

Identity: In & Beyond The Binary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX5CfNWGqjc
Gender: The Space Between: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7mBLMnaa1c
We Exist: Beyond The Binary: http://weexist.co/
Beyond Binary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03r8pgf

I hope one of these strikes you and can be helpful! Good luck!

~Tera

rural:

rural:

if you havent already please give pose on fx a chance, ive genuinely never watched something created, written, and casted with so much thought and love for the trans community before

the show is written and directed by janet mock, a black trans woman, who is the first trans woman of color to write for a tv series in history. pose also has the ‘largest cast of trans actors in regular series roles,’ having nearly the whole main cast being consisted of black trans actresses (plus it has a 96% on rotten tomatoes!)

as a result the show really is able to create trans characters in such a heartfelt and personal way that ive never seen before on screen. please give this show the views it deserves!!

fandomshatelgbtqpeople:

[…]

Pose is also poised to combat the historical revisionism and co-opting that has long plagued both ball and drag culture. After the success of Paris Is Burning, the brilliance of these arts was snatched up by the cishet masses. Once secret, underground scenes of solace, they became used, mistreated, and misrepresented in popular culture. Cis white gay men, and notably, drag superstar RuPaul, have rebranded many of the elements of these cultures in the name of capitalism. The lingo born from the mighty ball battles of yesteryear are now chewed up and spat out by people who have little to no birthright to them. As well, the contributions of trans women of color are regularly dismissed as many cis gay men ascend to success and wealth via assimilation. Pose reclaims that rich heritage and places queer and trans people of color at the forefront as the rightful OGs.

[…] There may be many fights left for queer and trans people of color, but as Elektra advises in the opening scene, Focus children. It is time we remind the world who we are.

https://taylormason-asiakatedillon.tumblr.com

Nice!

~Tera

transpocsuggestion:

In case anyone hasn’t seen it yet, there’s a documentary on netflix with Hawaiian trans/gender non-conforming representation! It’s called Kumu Hina, it’s about Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, a teacher who is a native Hawaiian mahu (someone who embodies both a male and female spirit). It shows many of her struggles as well as accomplishments, and integrates a lot about her experiences of culture and community in Hawai’i. The documentary also features Ho’onani, one of her students who also embodies mahu. I encourage you to check it out if you haven’t already!