FTM character to appear in Hollyoaks

[Greg]

So you've probably heard about this already and it's been posted in the News section but I haven't seen a proper discussion about it yet.

So, background for those unfamiliar with Hollyoaks. It's a British soap opera shown evening weekdays (6pm I think?). Its primarily aimed at an age-bracket of 14-30 year olds. It's considered by some people to be a bit naff but in recent years the program has tackled issues such as domestic violence, suicide and homosexuality. The usual jolly stuff that you see in soaps.

Here's an article based on the press release:
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s13/hollyoaks/news/a234896/hollyoaks-to-tackle-gender-dysphoria.html

Here's a more interesting article written by Viv Groskop for the Guardian Newspaper:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/01/hollyoaks-transgender-teenagers

So I wouldn't be able to comment on how I think the program will treat this character, since I've never watched it before.

Your thoughts on this?

[Al James]

I used to watch hollyoaks (hangs head in shame) and to be honest seeing this storyline has made me think i might start watching it again. I always found it to be reasonably believable with its treatments of topics and if the producers have really done their research on this it could work out quite well

[Greg]

The thing that confuses me is what will they do if the character medically transitions. It would be unrealistic for the character to be, say 6months on T but still have a high lady voice. Not to mention if they kept the actress that people with little knowlage of FTMs would believe that T has little effect and transmen will always look like females. 

[Al James]

But its going to be a 15yr old so any medical transition is way down the line. The most we can hope for is a bit of counselling

[Greg]

Yeah you're right about that.

But if they make transition seem totally unattainable in the long run it could end up putting people off of transition. We'll have to wait and see I suppose. I'll have to watch it out of sheer curiosity.

[Al James]

Snap!

[Dante]

I've never seen this show, but by the second article, it sounds like they're really going to try hard to make it good. I'm not in the UK, so do they show it on any channel in the US? Or maybe a website where I can watch it online? I kinda want to watch it and see how it goes.

Having the character be 15 will be an interesting choice; it shows how hard this is on teenagers, but like you said, it might make transition seem impossible because the character will have to wait a long time. Fingers crossed that the actor portrays it well!

[Turtle]

I never watch soaps, especially not Hollyoaks. Saying that, it's interesting they've finally come round to this issue. I'm personally concerned that they will, being a soap, only bring out the real shocking, extreme stuff - not the mundane subtleties of everyday life transitioning. Also that ultimately a) the FTM character won't/can't get their dream b) will get killed off or c) will see the error of their ways (like the lesbian in Eastenders who goes back to boys and settles down). Just my 5p's worth.

[Jam]

This could go horribly wrong if the actress does not fully understand what it is to be trans. Given that its probably easier to attempt to explain algebra to a five year old then it is to explain being trans im a little nervous. In my experience people just can't get there head round it.

Still its nice someones taking notice, if just one person opens there eyes upon seeing this then it was worth it. I hope they include the little things like the huge dilemma those who dont pass face when deciding how to act in public. Personally im so at odds with wanting to put my hands in my pockets when i walk and not knowing if i should i end up walking really weird.

[Nathan.]

I don't watch soaps but i'll probably watch this, it will be interesting to see how they deal with it.

[M.Grimm]

This is interesting. I'm curious as to how they'll handle it.

I will say that before I learned the truth, my perception of trans folks was what I saw through the media, and the media has often been inaccurate and unkind in such portrayals. Whenever I saw FTMs they tended to be played by thoroughly female actresses with short haircuts, which gave me the impression that if I tried such a thing I'd be stuck as a 'girl in drag' forever. Which was certainly not an idea I relished.

If they tackled this realistically it would be pretty great.

[Crypt77]

I agree. If they were to tackle it a bit realistic, that would be great. In the U.S. the only show I have seen/know to tackle such an subject more accurately than most was "The L Word" (Then again, that whole show was dealing with the 'taboo' subjects of LGBT, though mainly L).

In "The L Word", the character, Max was shown going through transition from when he identified as a girl, to when he began T. In the show, he even grew out a bread though his voice did not drop at all. Of course there was a lot of drama, especially with the Lesbian community considering Max as a woman still rather than a man and issues within his work place, and relationship with a straight woman who did not know of his gender identity or what his actual sex was.

But I do have high hopes for this, even though I have never seen an ep of "Hollyoaks". The reason for this is because the last time I saw a transsexual person protrayed in the media (and the most recent one) was on an ep of the animated series, "Family Guy"...which pissed me off. Not so much at the fact that it was portrayed wrongly (It's f***ing "Family Guy" That show makes fun of everyone and portrays mostly everything wrong), but at the fact that the show's creator, Seth Macfarlane said and so on (Link to article). And I was not happy since "Family Guy" is such a popular show, and that so many people watch it and assume the information on it is true.

I guess I just want a change. You don't see trans people portrayed often at all in the media, and heck not a lot of people have the knowledge of the what the word "transexual" really means. I just hope the shows educate more people...so people don't have to be so...cold hearted (for lack of a better word) towards the whole subject of transexual people or transition.

[Ryan]

I'll be watching this. Anyone know when exactly the storyline starts? I don't want to watch any more Hollyoaks than is absolutely necessary.

As for The L Word's portrayal of transmen; awful. Really awful.
Max got angry and turned into a completely different person on T. Then he booked his surgery and couldn't go through with it. It also looks like someone smeared poop around his face.
Oh, and how could we possibly forget when The L Word implied that Brandon Teena was a lesbian.

[Al James]

storyline starts on aug 2nd with the inroduction of the female character then her alter ego jason appears four days later. dont bash me for pro nouns-just quoting what the paper said!!!!

[Greg]

Is anyone else bothered by "alter-ego"?

[Al James]

Maybe they just couldnt think of the right phrase?

[Crypt77]

Haha sexuality, transsexual, careers, disorders, etc. etc. are never going to be portrayed correctly within the media. The media is a business, they are looking to make money. So as long that they can get more people to buy their products, I don't think they really care how they say/portray some things. Of course they're going to do it with some consideration but still.

[Al James]

Well they say theyve brought in all the experts so hopefully they ll avoid the most obvious pitfalls

[Turtle]

Yeah, I first saw the 'alter-ego' thing on Digital Spy I think it was. Does that mean we're all Jekyll and Hyde characters? One minute, I'm an ordinary law-abiding school-marm...the next BAM, out comes a snarling Mark, my evil alter-ego...

Sorry - just had to find a bit of humour in what I predict will be Hollyoaks cacking it up as usual 

[justmeinoz]

Considering that it's the most dangerous area in the UK, going by the way they kill off so many characters, it will be interesting to hear how it all ends up.