(I couldn't fit the entire article title into the subject header!!)
I agree that if you're going to have a trans character it's obviously better to have them played by a trans actor. But the article goes on to suggest that if they insist on using a cis actor then at least have them be the right gender (ie, a cis/genetic male for a trans male; cis/genetic female for a trans woman)... I have to say I utterly disagree with that approach. It really annoyed me when they used a female actress to play a trans woman in an episode of Law & Order: CSI. Everything about her said "genetic female" and I couldn't believe for a second she was trans. If they had used a young genetic guy as the trans character I might have had less of a problem believing it. That's why I didn't have problem with that cis guy playing the trans woman in TransParent. At least it feels physically realistic... don't know how it will feel after the character is meant to have been on HRT for a few years though, might seem less believable then!
Another issue... if we start insisting that only trans actors can play trans characters could this potentially lead to a backlash that says, "well if that's the case you can't play any cis characters"?
