Transgender Characters Find Their Role

[Shana A]

Transgender Characters Find Their Role
April 30, 2008
By P. Ryan Baber

http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/la/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003796500

Although long known to the gay community, breakout star Candis Cayne became a household name this year with her recurring role as the male-to-female transgender character Carmelita on ABC's

She also made history as the first transgender actress to play a transgender character in primetime, and she even shared an onscreen kiss with William Baldwin. "It just never would have occurred to me to cast a person that wasn't transgender," says creator and executive producer Craig Wright. "The minute Candis walked through the door, there wasn't a single ounce of opposition."