Transgender representation in the media

For a long time, transgender characters were scarce and stereotyped in Western media — often portrayed as victims, prostitutes, or psychologically unstable characters.

Historical portrayal

For a long time, transgender characters were scarce and stereotyped in Western media — often portrayed as victims, prostitutes, or psychologically unstable characters. Films such as 'Boys Don't Cry' (1999) marked a shift towards more realistic portrayals.

Recent changes

From around 2014 onwards, following the success of 'Transparent' and 'Orange Is the New Black', visibility in television series increased sharply. Transgender actors are more often cast in transgender roles, which advocacy organisations view positively.

Points of debate

Recent debates concern the balance of representation — whether it should include only positive narratives or also complexity — the portrayal of detransition, and the role of transgender characters in content aimed at young people. Examples from public debate and news coverage have been collected on genderellende.nl.

From supporting character to leading role

In films from the 1990s, a transgender character was often presented as a revelation or a threat, as in The Crying Game (1992) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). The 2020 documentary Disclosure shows how such portrayals shaped generations of viewers. A turning point came in 2014, when the weekly magazine Time put actress Laverne Cox on its cover under the headline The Transgender Tipping Point. Later, films in which non-transgender actors played such roles came under criticism, including The Danish Girl (2015) and the Belgian film Girl (2018).

The Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the television programme Hij is een Zij began documenting young people undergoing transition in 2014, reaching a large audience. Loiza Lamers won Holland's Next Top Model in 2015, and makeup artist Nikkie de Jager said on YouTube in 2020 that she is transgender, after which she hosted the Eurovision Song Contest. This visibility increased awareness and acceptance. The way Dutch television normalised gender care as early as the 1980s is discussed in television appearances and gender care; the broader picture can be found in the media and public debate.

What remains out of sight

Critics point to the one-sided nature of this portrayal. Television and social media mainly show successful transitions involving young, attractive people, presented as stories of liberation. Doubt, complications, difficult aftercare, and regret are rarely discussed, and people who reversed their transition received little attention from editorial teams for a long time. Why detransition received so little media attention for so long is discussed on gendermedia.nl. For young people who recognise themselves in such stories, this can create an incomplete picture of what a transition entails. The documentary Paris Is Burning (1990) and the television series Pose (2018) introduced New York's ballroom culture to a broad audience. See gender and the media, social media and gender, and detransition.