Positive Roll Models

Last night we watched a CSI, this is not a show I enjoy much for me it is far to graphic, I don't enjoy all the blood and gore, and the story lines far too fancifully.   However there are one or two characters who are nicely developed and my wife loves the show so I tolerate it ~ hey with what she puts up with it's the least I can do.   So, back to CSI this episode was perhaps stretching credibility even further than most but did feature a trans character, albeit in a minor roll.   The trouble was that as is so often the case it was quite a negative portrayal, a mad transvestite arrested for violence against a cab driver trying to protect her unborn child, who then stabs herself with a pair of scissors (the pronouns are mine the writers got a little confused).   It transpires that she was acting as a drug mule which might explain some of the behaviour, at least in the CSI world.

My concern is that this is yet another negative image, more reinforcement of the negative stereotypes that are regularly shown on our screens.   Drug Mule; Hookers; Murderers; Sexual Predators these seem to be the screen writers ideas when it comes too cross dressing characters, I understand that nice suburban husband and father who likes to wear women's clothes occasionally might no make great drama, but why is it always the flawed, dangerous characters who are made to be the cross dressers and not the detectives, why can't we have some positive portrayals on our screens.

We are gradually getting some positive images thanks to Transsexual Summer, Grayson Perry and Eddy Izard but very little apart from them and they are few and far between.  Maybe it is tie for the BBC to take on a transgender presenter for Gardeners World, feel free to lobby on my behalf.