Transgender child actor will be a TV first
Meet Jackson Millarker. He's an actor who's transgender, and he's starring in this week's episode of "Modern Family."
Not only is this the first time the ABC show has cast a child actor who's transgender, but it's also the first time any TV show has done that.
Just a week ago, "Transparent" star Jeffrey Tambor urged Hollywood to cast more transgender actors and actresses during his Emmy acceptance speech.
"I would not be unhappy were I the last cisgender male to play a female transgender on television," Tambor said.
GLAAD's most recent "Where We Are on TV" report found there were only seven transgender roles on scripted shows last season — none of which were on the five major broadcast networks.
But only some of those seven characters are played by actors who are transgender.
Perhaps that's starting to change. CBS will debut a new show midseason starring Laverne Cox, marking broadcast TV's first transgender character to be a series regular.
And we're not surprised "Modern Family" is bucking tradition. After all, its characters have always pushed the boundaries, so why should its casting be any different?
