Op-ed: Two and a Half Men Introduces Trans Character, Manages to Stay Respectful
The CBS comedy managed to introduce a transgender character without making her the butt of transphobic jokes.
BY Parker Marie Molloy
December 10 2013 4:56 PM ET
http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2013/12/10/op-ed-two-and-half-men-introduces-trans-character-manages-stay-respectfulShowtime and CBS — both owned by CBS Corp. — have rocky track records when it comes to sensitively portraying transgender characters. Shows like How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Ray Donovan, Californication, House of Lies, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation have frequently used transgender characters as either the punch line to jokes or have limited the roles of transgender characters to murderers or victims of violent crimes.
That's why I approached Two and a Half Men's December 5 episode, "Numero Uno Accidente Lawyer," with some hesitation after learning that the show would be introducing a transgender character named Paula as Alan's (Jon Cryer) new love interest.
To my surprise, Paula (Paula Marshall) was portrayed in a relatively respectful way. Though her status as a transgender woman is the basis of a number of jokes (at one point Alan says, "No guy likes to hear that his girlfriend had a bigger penis than he does"), Alan's acceptance of Paula prevents the show from falling into the many pitfalls so many other CBS and Showtime portrayals have. Not once was she called a man, nor were any transphobic slurs used at any point during the episode.
