Candis Cayne Took a CSI Director to Task for Inaccurately Portraying Trans Women

Cayne may have won the battle, but the war for better trans representation on TV has continued on for decades. There has long been a trend of trans characters being killed off of television shows in extremely high numbers: In 2012, a GLAAD study of trans characters from the past decade found that 40% were a victim of violence or homicide. The study specifically mentioned CSI, criticizing the CBS procedural for the way its lead characters often mocked the bodies of trans murder victims.

Even the role that put Cayne on the map ended in death: Her trailblazing Dirty Sexy Money character, Carmelita, was ultimately killed off. In the True Hollywood Story clip, Cayne reflected on her path to landing that history-making role, which made her the first trans woman to play a recurring character on a primetime network show.

“In the past, all the trans roles would go to cis women,” she said, “and so I thought since this is a primetime network that they probably won’t go for the trans actor, but I got a call back and then they said, ‘You got it.’”

As trans actors and allies continue to speak out about this issue, the number of cis actors being cast as trans characters does seem to be waning. Of the 29 recurring transgender characters on television, GLAAD’s most recent Where We Are on TV report found that all but three were played by trans actors. Nevertheless, transgender and nonbinary actors continue to face extreme challenges, and it is still a battle to ensure casting directors hire trans people for trans roles, both in movies and television. Last summer, Halle Berry pulled out of a film in which she was slated to play a transgender character after significant backlash.

In the E! Clip, transgender Pose actress Angelica Ross spoke about the massive influence Cayne has had on other trans performers in Hollywood as they continue the fight for inclusion. She said Cayne paved the way for shows like Pose, the series finale of which aired on Sunday after three seasons of groundbreaking television. Chronicling the lives of LGBTQ+ people of color in 1980s drag ball culture, the FX show is revolutionary both for its representation of trans lives and having the largest cast of trans actors in history.

“Candis was our celebrity before we were allowed to have trans celebrities in the mainstream,” Ross said.

E!’s True Hollywood Story will air on Monday at 10pm Eastern Time.

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