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Thoughts on Degrassi's Trans storyline
The moment I heard Degrassi was doing a trans storyline, I was excited. They’ve done school shooting, gay, lesbian & bisexual students (and parents), self-harm, bullying, all sorts of things that seem like an after-school special, but the thing about Degrassi is that it does them well. Transgenderism was, in a way, the logical issue for them to tackle next. I was curious as to how they’d do it. When I heard they were bringing in a trans student, my heart leapt. A trans high school student? This had the potential to be awesome (or really bad). They named the trans character Adam and I just smiled (because my mind interpreted that not as the “first man” but as the first human – the primordial genderless being created by God).
So far, I have been impressed. Adam has been in the episodes since the beginning of the season – as just one of the regular students – passing completely as male. There were hints of something in earlier episodes – Adam’s attempt to fit in with the guys leading him to overcompensate a bit led him to make “that’s what she said” and other machismo comments. But they didn’t make it an issue. It wasn’t a big – oh, hi, this is Adam and he’s trans. I liked that. A lot.
The two part trans storyline episodes are titled “My Body is a Cage” – a phrase that resonates with me completely. I think many trans folks have often felt that way. Your feel that your body betrays you when you're trans, that it's wrong. It's not about making it better, it's about making it right. It confines you and holds you prisoner - prevents you from being who you really are.
Thoughts on the individual parts (contain spoilers)
“My Body is a Cage” Part I
For the first time we see Adam’s family life and see him binding. There's something ritualistic about binding - the solemnity with which it's done, the look in the mirror to check if it's done well enough. The interruptions by the family made it real. You see the slip ups by the family, even those with the best intentions can slip up.
Part of the Adam’s outing had been leaked in an article by a guest actor (which I think was completely accidental). The first incident is the teacher calling the wrong name on the roll call. This has happened to me and other trans students at Harvard multiple times. It never gets easier to hear. Especially if you’ve had to go to the professor ahead of time or send them an email explaining the whole situation. It’s a hassle. The teacher recovers smoothly, saying he had the wrong class list and corrects himself, without singling out Adam. Bless the teacher.
Of course, this leads another character to be suspicious – Bianca. Adam’s flirting with her and she pushes him away with a hand on his chest. Feeling ‘something there’ she tells him that “You’re too skinny to have manboobs” and then rips his shirt open to reveal the ace bandages. Painful to watch. No one should get the chance to force you out like that. The line "I've seen you freaks on Oprah" - nails in the coffin. The thing is, that's what people face.
I think the bathroom scene was the hardest to watch. Bathrooms are always a double edged sword. If you don't use the bathroom of the gender you feel / you're trying to pass as, then your presented gender is called into question. But in using the bathroom of your presented gender, you run the risk of harassment or worse.
Best character reactions in this: Drew, Eli & Clare
Drew is just, phenomenal. To be so understanding, accepting, and supportive. (And to go all protective, even if it wasn't the smartest idea.
I love Eli in this – assuring Adam that he doesn’t need to explain why he had tampons. And then when Adam comes out to them, Eli simply says "Cool." Nothing more to be said, just accepts it as it is.
Claire has been really wonderful so far this season, and here we see her portraying the confusion. When Adam comes out, she asks the questions that most people ask (or want to ask). How did you know? Are you sure you're not a tomboy or a lesbian? The bluntness of Adam’s made it a good portrayal of a coming out narrative and the standard FAQ about being trans.
I'm ambivalent about the fact that Adam's known for as long as he can remember. It made the trans narrative a bit binary and while it's a valid narrative, I feel that it's the one that gets portrayed most often. It's a good place to start though - and maybe the only place to start introducing trans issues is to place them within the context of a gender binary.
At the end, I was eagerly waiting for more, and the episode was simultaneously heartwarming and goodwrenching. Completely successful, in my opinion.
“My Body is a Cage” Part II
I teared up during part I, but part II had tears streaming down my face and reached for the kittens during it to cuddle. It was so brutally honest and accurate that it hurt to watch at times.
The overprotective mother who was trying so hard to protect Adam was an interesting character – she stormed the principal’s office and wanted to either transfer her child or insist on protective measures. It’s the conundrum – how far do you go to keep a child safe especially when the safety measures serve to further separate the student from the rest, therefore reinforcing the notion that they’re “different”. The reaction made sense because we've seen how she got when Drew was hazed. It also serves the purpose of bluntly stating just was trans folks face in schools.
It was a well acted portrayal of a mother trying so hard to protect her child, but simultaneously keeps saying how she misses Gracie and begs him to be Gracie for his grandmother’s visit – either come as Gracie or don’t come at all. I was grateful for the inclusion of this because it’s often not talked about. You hear about the folks who are kicked out of their parents’ house or the ones whose parents automatically love and accept them. But the conditional acceptance isn’t always discussed: the ‘we love you but keep quiet around the family’ excuse. Don’t rock the boat. I was bawling when Adam showed up as Gracie for the dinner. Some might consider it giving in, but sometimes you’re willing to sacrifice that much of yourself just to see / be with the ones you love. I think perhaps I saw a bit too much of myself there when the mom was insisting what to wear and how to come and that look when Adam tried to come out to his grandmother.
I loved how they had Adam second guess himself and consider going back to being Gracie. It showed that being trans is often confusing, and there are times you consider attempting the alternative. It’d be easier – at least it’d be easier for other people. Sometimes we’re willing, or at least willing to consider, giving up that part of ourselves. But the pain on Adam’s face as he tries to go back to being Gracie is just so well portrayed and just made my heart bleed. Once you’ve realized your gender identity doesn’t match the gender you were assigned at birth, there’s no unknowing that – no matter how convoluted the path is. God knows I’ve been there – considering whether or not I could go back to being a girl. Part of me hoped that in writing the thesis I’d discover that I wasn’t trans. It’d be easier if I wasn’t – at least for my family, but I also know it wouldn’t be easier (or healthy) for me.
Which brings me to the self-harm - I wasn’t sure if they were going to go there again since they’d done that storyline in the past, but it fit naturally here and I was glad they included it. It was a point that needed to be made – because when the body doesn’t fit, when the body is wrong, it’s easy (and common) to want to take out anger on it. The method of self harm was just brilliant and particularly fitting. (In that poetic sort of way). I think Adam’s speech to Claire when Claire found him harming himself was just so raw and honest that it might be my favorite part.
Part II was harsher than Part I, but then it needed to be. It was harder for me to watch because it was more focused on Adam’s internal struggle and the family dynamics. The end was beautiful - the symbolic burning of the clothes – his friends and brother being there, as well as his parents eventually showing up. The detail that made it perfect was Adam’s mom sacrificing the photo and then Adam holding onto it and saying “It’s still me.” And that to me is what it’s all about. That the bodies we inhabit don’t change who we are. We are still the same people.
The Degrassi tagline has always been “Degrassi. It goes there.” It went there and it went there in a good way. Yes, there are things that could have been done differently, but there weren’t any moments of OMG! Fail.
The writing was absolutely superb in both parts. You hated the characters you were supposed to hate and felt sorry for the ones going through hard times. I loved the portrayal of Drew as the uber supportive brother (something I’m lucky enough to have) as well as Claire and Eli who are curious and never waver in their support and friendship with Adam. In addition to a well-written script, I was impressed by Jordan Todosey’s acting. It was impressive to see a fifteen year old take on that role and portray it so well, especially all the emotional subtleties throughout the two-part ep.
While I might have liked a different trans narrative than the “man born in a woman’s body”, that’s because I wish there was more room for other trans narratives sometimes. There isn’t a one size fits all trans narrative, but I am damned proud of degrassi for doing a good job portraying *a* trans narrative, and portraying it in an accurate, and at times painful, way. Hat’s off to you, Degrassi, I commend you.
So far, I have been impressed. Adam has been in the episodes since the beginning of the season – as just one of the regular students – passing completely as male. There were hints of something in earlier episodes – Adam’s attempt to fit in with the guys leading him to overcompensate a bit led him to make “that’s what she said” and other machismo comments. But they didn’t make it an issue. It wasn’t a big – oh, hi, this is Adam and he’s trans. I liked that. A lot.
The two part trans storyline episodes are titled “My Body is a Cage” – a phrase that resonates with me completely. I think many trans folks have often felt that way. Your feel that your body betrays you when you're trans, that it's wrong. It's not about making it better, it's about making it right. It confines you and holds you prisoner - prevents you from being who you really are.
Thoughts on the individual parts (contain spoilers)
“My Body is a Cage” Part I
For the first time we see Adam’s family life and see him binding. There's something ritualistic about binding - the solemnity with which it's done, the look in the mirror to check if it's done well enough. The interruptions by the family made it real. You see the slip ups by the family, even those with the best intentions can slip up.
Part of the Adam’s outing had been leaked in an article by a guest actor (which I think was completely accidental). The first incident is the teacher calling the wrong name on the roll call. This has happened to me and other trans students at Harvard multiple times. It never gets easier to hear. Especially if you’ve had to go to the professor ahead of time or send them an email explaining the whole situation. It’s a hassle. The teacher recovers smoothly, saying he had the wrong class list and corrects himself, without singling out Adam. Bless the teacher.
Of course, this leads another character to be suspicious – Bianca. Adam’s flirting with her and she pushes him away with a hand on his chest. Feeling ‘something there’ she tells him that “You’re too skinny to have manboobs” and then rips his shirt open to reveal the ace bandages. Painful to watch. No one should get the chance to force you out like that. The line "I've seen you freaks on Oprah" - nails in the coffin. The thing is, that's what people face.
I think the bathroom scene was the hardest to watch. Bathrooms are always a double edged sword. If you don't use the bathroom of the gender you feel / you're trying to pass as, then your presented gender is called into question. But in using the bathroom of your presented gender, you run the risk of harassment or worse.
Best character reactions in this: Drew, Eli & Clare
Drew is just, phenomenal. To be so understanding, accepting, and supportive. (And to go all protective, even if it wasn't the smartest idea.
I love Eli in this – assuring Adam that he doesn’t need to explain why he had tampons. And then when Adam comes out to them, Eli simply says "Cool." Nothing more to be said, just accepts it as it is.
Claire has been really wonderful so far this season, and here we see her portraying the confusion. When Adam comes out, she asks the questions that most people ask (or want to ask). How did you know? Are you sure you're not a tomboy or a lesbian? The bluntness of Adam’s made it a good portrayal of a coming out narrative and the standard FAQ about being trans.
I'm ambivalent about the fact that Adam's known for as long as he can remember. It made the trans narrative a bit binary and while it's a valid narrative, I feel that it's the one that gets portrayed most often. It's a good place to start though - and maybe the only place to start introducing trans issues is to place them within the context of a gender binary.
At the end, I was eagerly waiting for more, and the episode was simultaneously heartwarming and goodwrenching. Completely successful, in my opinion.
“My Body is a Cage” Part II
I teared up during part I, but part II had tears streaming down my face and reached for the kittens during it to cuddle. It was so brutally honest and accurate that it hurt to watch at times.
The overprotective mother who was trying so hard to protect Adam was an interesting character – she stormed the principal’s office and wanted to either transfer her child or insist on protective measures. It’s the conundrum – how far do you go to keep a child safe especially when the safety measures serve to further separate the student from the rest, therefore reinforcing the notion that they’re “different”. The reaction made sense because we've seen how she got when Drew was hazed. It also serves the purpose of bluntly stating just was trans folks face in schools.
It was a well acted portrayal of a mother trying so hard to protect her child, but simultaneously keeps saying how she misses Gracie and begs him to be Gracie for his grandmother’s visit – either come as Gracie or don’t come at all. I was grateful for the inclusion of this because it’s often not talked about. You hear about the folks who are kicked out of their parents’ house or the ones whose parents automatically love and accept them. But the conditional acceptance isn’t always discussed: the ‘we love you but keep quiet around the family’ excuse. Don’t rock the boat. I was bawling when Adam showed up as Gracie for the dinner. Some might consider it giving in, but sometimes you’re willing to sacrifice that much of yourself just to see / be with the ones you love. I think perhaps I saw a bit too much of myself there when the mom was insisting what to wear and how to come and that look when Adam tried to come out to his grandmother.
I loved how they had Adam second guess himself and consider going back to being Gracie. It showed that being trans is often confusing, and there are times you consider attempting the alternative. It’d be easier – at least it’d be easier for other people. Sometimes we’re willing, or at least willing to consider, giving up that part of ourselves. But the pain on Adam’s face as he tries to go back to being Gracie is just so well portrayed and just made my heart bleed. Once you’ve realized your gender identity doesn’t match the gender you were assigned at birth, there’s no unknowing that – no matter how convoluted the path is. God knows I’ve been there – considering whether or not I could go back to being a girl. Part of me hoped that in writing the thesis I’d discover that I wasn’t trans. It’d be easier if I wasn’t – at least for my family, but I also know it wouldn’t be easier (or healthy) for me.
Which brings me to the self-harm - I wasn’t sure if they were going to go there again since they’d done that storyline in the past, but it fit naturally here and I was glad they included it. It was a point that needed to be made – because when the body doesn’t fit, when the body is wrong, it’s easy (and common) to want to take out anger on it. The method of self harm was just brilliant and particularly fitting. (In that poetic sort of way). I think Adam’s speech to Claire when Claire found him harming himself was just so raw and honest that it might be my favorite part.
Part II was harsher than Part I, but then it needed to be. It was harder for me to watch because it was more focused on Adam’s internal struggle and the family dynamics. The end was beautiful - the symbolic burning of the clothes – his friends and brother being there, as well as his parents eventually showing up. The detail that made it perfect was Adam’s mom sacrificing the photo and then Adam holding onto it and saying “It’s still me.” And that to me is what it’s all about. That the bodies we inhabit don’t change who we are. We are still the same people.
The Degrassi tagline has always been “Degrassi. It goes there.” It went there and it went there in a good way. Yes, there are things that could have been done differently, but there weren’t any moments of OMG! Fail.
The writing was absolutely superb in both parts. You hated the characters you were supposed to hate and felt sorry for the ones going through hard times. I loved the portrayal of Drew as the uber supportive brother (something I’m lucky enough to have) as well as Claire and Eli who are curious and never waver in their support and friendship with Adam. In addition to a well-written script, I was impressed by Jordan Todosey’s acting. It was impressive to see a fifteen year old take on that role and portray it so well, especially all the emotional subtleties throughout the two-part ep.
While I might have liked a different trans narrative than the “man born in a woman’s body”, that’s because I wish there was more room for other trans narratives sometimes. There isn’t a one size fits all trans narrative, but I am damned proud of degrassi for doing a good job portraying *a* trans narrative, and portraying it in an accurate, and at times painful, way. Hat’s off to you, Degrassi, I commend you.