When it comes to TV history, trans representation has been historically lacking. While one of the first sympathetic portrayals of a trans character on TV appeared in a 1977 episode of The Jeffersons, the actor playing the character was cis, and this lack of real representation plagued trans roles for decades. In the years to come, trans characters rarely appeared on television, and their portrayal by a trans person was even rarer. Thankfully, things have changed in modern times, and TV and film have entered into a new era of trans visibility. While trans representation still has a long way to go, the trail was blazed by 10 groundbreaking roles — these are some of the most influential trans characters in TV history.
