These days, some former followers have been complaining that Legislation & Order: SVU is simply too woke as a result of some episodes contain transgender children or adults.
I couldn’t disagree extra, and never solely as a result of I’m a transgender grownup who was as soon as a closeted trans child.
Legislation & Order: SVU hardly ever has transgender characters, so the concept the sequence has been ruined by this neighborhood’s presence is foolish. Nevertheless, there’s a downside with the best way the sequence depicts transgender characters.
Transgender Characters Have Solely Been Featured A Few Instances — However They’re Nearly All the time The Sufferer
Over its 27-year historical past, Legislation & Order: SVU has featured transgender characters seven instances. Contemplating there are nicely over 500 episodes at this level, that signifies that transgender characters have been featured about 1.3% of the time.
Sorry for the maths, however the entire assertion that trans characters are taking up the present is ridiculous.
Anyway, of these seven instances, the bulk had been victims — and so they weren’t all the time portrayed precisely.
Legislation & Order: SVU Season 17 Episode 3 is broadly thought of a turning level, almost twenty years after the sequence started.
This episode featured a transgender teen who was unintentionally killed whereas combating with transphobic bullies.
Whereas the teenager was one more sufferer, she got here from a loving dwelling, and the younger boy concerned in her demise was horrified by what he had executed.
On the time, I fell onerous for this episode as a result of it provided a stage of nuance that hadn’t been seen beforehand, and I nonetheless give SVU quite a lot of credit score for having advanced previous the best way it normally confirmed trans individuals.
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It took till 2015 to get there, however higher late than by no means.
It Nonetheless Was But One other Victimization Story, And There Was One other Downside, Too.
Wanting again ten years later, this story advised us every part we would have liked to know concerning the boy who killed Avery, and little or no about her.
Past understanding she liked smoothies and had a household who supported her, Avery was an enigma, whereas her killer was portrayed as a proficient artist and largely good child who did one thing horrible he’d must stay with for the remainder of his life.
This despatched the message that Avery wasn’t almost as vital as her killer.
She was nothing however a sufferer. He was a residing, respiratory human being we might really feel dangerous for.
I’m certain this was inadvertent.
The authors of this episode have stated that they wished to spark conversations in American households concerning the points raised, together with the issue of trans children getting bullied for who they’re.
Nonetheless, the message in “Transgender Bridge” illustrates how problematic it’s to all the time make trans individuals victims relatively than permitting them to play a wide range of roles.
Exhibiting trans individuals as victims is usually meant as an example that prejudice in opposition to them could be lethal.
It’s supposed to assist viewers perceive that hatred will not be an excuse for homicide and that trans persons are as human as anybody else, however it typically sends the alternative message.
When Trans Folks Are All the time Victims, It Sends Totally different Unfavorable Messages, Relying on Who You Are
Whereas nearly all of SVU instances function victims who’re nonetheless alive, in lots of instances, transgender victims die.
That makes it more durable to indicate them as full human beings as a result of we don’t get to see a lot of who they had been, solely that their lives ended tragically.
It’s ironic and tragic as a result of I do know SVU’s intention is to uplift our humanity, however the reverse occurs when the trans particular person isn’t greater than a useless physique.
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Moreover, it may be dangerous to transgender people who find themselves watching to all the time see themselves as victims, particularly if Benson has to close down doubt concerning the sufferer’s gender id or cope with household that’s refusing to acknowledge their gender even after demise.
Look, the suicide charge amongst transgender teenagers is 40 to 50%, relying on different components like race and which gender(s) you establish as.
I’m not saying that’s all TV’s fault, in fact, however when a teenager solely sees individuals like them being raped or killed on TV, it solely provides to their emotions of despair and powerlessness.
SVU has come a great distance from its preliminary, borderline offensive therapy of trans individuals, however I hope that is the season when the sequence makes a big change.
With trans individuals below assault from our authorities, it’s time to face up for them, and a method that SVU might do that’s by displaying trans individuals as greater than victims.
There may very well be transgender witnesses, cops, and even siblings of victims.
Exhibiting us as current in all areas of life, not simply as victims, would go a great distance towards SVU’s mission of supporting all survivors and sparking vital conversations.
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Legislation & Order: SVU airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9/8c and streams on Peacock on Fridays.
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