In the season finale of Pretty Little Liars the villain, A, was revealed to be Cece, a transgender male-to-female character. This upset a few people, seeing as the first transgender character on the show was discovered to be the villain. However, I view this as one step closer to true equality.
Growing up as a straight, white, female living in upper-middle class suburbia cities, I have not faced much discrimination and may not be the best person to speak on this topic. However, from my point of view, society needs to view transgenders are people, not just transgenders. That being said, Cece being the villain was the perfect stepping-stone to this. Being transgender is a hardship that those who are transgender will most definitely face in their lifetime, however, it doesn’t mean that they are only ever going to be viewed as transgender. A transgender individual may be a great writer, or a horrid singer, and in a more extreme sense - a hero, or a villain. Just as me being cisgender doesn’t define me, an individual who is transgender should not be defined by that.
This doesn’t stop at just transgender, but it applies to everyone – race, class, gender, etc. An individual can be a jerk regardless of if they are of African heritage or of European heritage. An individual can be a saint regardless of if they are male or female and an individual can be the smartest person you know regardless of if they are poor or wealthy. That’s what equality truly is, in my books. I think we need to work towards striving to view individuals as who they are not who they appear to be. I noticed this a lot in the presidential election of 2012. Many individuals would tell me that if I weren’t to agree that Barrack Obama should be president then I was a racist. Excuse me, but what?!
Too often we try to avoid expressing our disdain for someone due to their race, gender, sexuality/sexual identity, or other similar things. But that is just contributing to the inequality that they may face on a daily basis.
Pretty Little Liars did an amazing job at that, in my opinion. They didn’t focus on Cece being transgender but instead focused on her being the villain. So the next time you meet someone who is a ‘minority’ view them as a person, view them for their amazing soccer skills or their lack of humor or even their cruel personality, instead of just as them being a minority.
