In films and television, representation counts. When of the trans community engage with cinematic narratives about their experiences, seeing cis-gendered actors bring their stories to life often feels disingenuous, misguided, and harmful for them.
Most LGBTQ+ people and their allies agree there's no reason for cis performers to play trans characters, especially at a time when more trans and gender non-conforming actors are being cast than ever before. Hollywood still has a long way to go when it comes to queer representation. Fortunately, there are quite a few series and movies breaking down this barrier by giving trans or non-binary actors opportunities.
Hunter Schafer In Euphoria (2019 - Present)
Hunter Schafer plays high schooler Jules in Sam Levison's award-winning, yet controversial, HBO teen drama Euphoria. Jules becomes close friends with Zendaya's main character Rue, and their dynamic eventually evolves into a romance.
Schafer, who is just 22-years-old, made her acting debut with Euphoria. She plays a big role in developing Jules, even co-writing the Jules Euphoria special episode that debuted earlier in 2021.
Leyna Bloom In Port Authority (2019)
Port Authority is Danielle Lessovitz's indie coming-of-age drama, which has received some criticism for telling its story from the perspective of a cis man named Paul, who is played by Fionn Whitehead of Dunkirk fame. Paul is a midwesterner who travels to the big city and falls for a woman named Wye, who discloses to Paul she is trans.
Wye is played by Leyna Bloom, who ultimately steals the film from under Whitehead's feet with her performance. Port Authority marks Bloom's feature film debut, and it indicates more greatness is to come from this newcomer.
Laverne Cox In Orange Is The New Black (2013 - 2019)
Laverne Cox became the first openly trans performer to receive an Emmy nomination for her groundbreaking acting in Orange Is the New Black. Cox plays Sophia Burset in the long-running ensemble drama about life in a female correctional facility.
Sophia, who ended up in jail for credit card fraud, is eventually freed and opens up her own beauty salon. Cox's career has taken off since appearing in the series, and she has used her platform to advocate for trans rights and visibility.
Daniela Vega In A Fantastic Woman (2017)
A Fantastic Woman won the Best Foreign Film Oscar at the 90th Academy Awards. This harrowing story about a Chilean trans woman named Marina, who finds her life in turmoil when her older partner Orlando dies.
Local authorities and Orlando's family try to implicate Marina in Orlando's death, and she is forced to endure a tortuous, unfair interrogation. Daniela Vega, who is also a mezzo-soprano singer, gives the performance of a lifetime in A Fantastic Woman.
Alex Blue Davis In Grey's Anatomy (2005 - Present)
Trans man Alex Blue Davis plays a trans intern in Grey's Anatomy. Davis's recurring role as Dr. Casey Parker marks a major moment in TV history, especially when Dr. Parker discloses to his colleagues on the show.
Showrunner Krista Vernoff wrote the coming-out scene with Davis's input. Davis returned as Dr. Parker in the main cast for the short-lived Grey's Anatomy: B Team.
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez In Tangerine (2015)
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez gives a stand-out performance as Sin-Dee Rella in Sean Baker's indie drama Tangerine. Before he became famous for The Florida Project, Baker made this gritty flick about a trans sex worker trying to get by on Christmas Eve.
Rodriguez isn't the only trans performer to play a trans role in the film. Mya Taylor co-stars in the film as Alexandra, a fellow sex worker.
Almost Every Cast Member In Pose (2018 - Present)
Pose has opened up more doors for trans representation in TV than any other series so far. The FX period drama about New York's drag ballroom culture in the late 1980s and early 1990s features the largest cast of trans actors in history.
The show revolves around Mj Rodriguez's character Bianca, who lives with HIV and runs her own ballroom house: The House of Evangelista. Other trans actors featured in the show include Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, Angelica Ross, and Hailie Sahar.
Hari Nef In Assassination Nation (2018)
Hari Nef had a breakout role in Amazon's Transparent before she was cast in Sam Levison's feature film debut Assassination Nation. Nef plays Bex Warren, part of a tight-knit group of high school-aged friends residing in Salem, Massachusetts.
When a hacker starts posting secrets about everyone in town, locals start to turn on each other. Bex and her crew must fend off jocks, cops, and anyone else out to get them.
Alexandra Grey In Chicago Med (2015 - Present)
Alexandra Grey has popped up on quite a few TV series over the years, from Empire to Transparent to Drunk History. One of her trailblazing efforts to increase trans portrayals on TV is found in NBC's popular medical procedural Chicago Med.
In the series, Grey has a recurring role as Denise Lockwood, the trans sister of charge nurse Maggie Campbell. In season two, Denise is itted to Maggie's hospital after being involved in a car accident.
Jen Richards In Mrs. Fletcher (2019)
Jen Richards is a more recent TV actress who got her start in Caitlin Jenner's reality TV show I Am Cait. From there, she starred in shows like Better Things and Tales of the City.
Richards's most recent role is playing trans creative writing instructor Margo Fairchild in Mrs. Fletcher, an HBO comedy miniseries based on Tom Perotta's novel of the same name. The show stars Kathryn Hahn as a divorcée experiencing a mid-life crisis.