A Plea For Change Answered

Recently, I wrote a blog post  called "A Plea For Change"
about Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teenager who committed suicide this past December. Her story sparked national outrage within the transgender community and beyond. Leelah hoped that her death sparked change, and I am happy to say that I think it has. At the Golden Globes just a few weeks ago, Transparent, a new TV series about a transgender father and his family, won the award for Best Television Series- Musical or Comedy. Jeffrey Tambor, who stars in the show, also took the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Series and dedicated the award to the transgender community.

What's amazing is that the show has received great  reviews  from people outside of the transgender community. (The show's two Golden Globes go to show!) Amazon took a huge risk in airing Transparent, a show that "would never have gotten made on traditional network television," according to Forbes- a middle-aged transgender woman is simply not a character the majority of people can relate to. Even so, the fact that the show was aired, won two Golden Globes, and has received countless positive reviews, is very, very important for the transgender community.

What I find great about Transparent is that while it's about a transgender woman dealing with her transition and all the problems that come with it, it's also not about a transgender woman. It's more than that. This show is about family and love and life, things that everybody can relate to. And it just so happens that the main character is transgender. So what?

See how the show portrays life, love, family, and all the struggles that come with these things. This is what the show is really about, and everyone can relate to the characters and the plot of the show.

Transparent's Season One Trailer

Leelah Alcorn's story and Transparent, and the positive feedback and commentary of thousands, have shown America that it's okay to be different. In fact, it's normal to be different. Transparent sheds a positive light on the life of a transgender woman, showing viewers that being transgender does not define a person- it is only a part of who they are. What makes someone who they are is their family, their life, and what they do with it, which is what the show demonstrates.