Some trivia on Nickelodeon’s Degrassi Character Adam:
- Adam is the first transgender character to be featured on Degrassi.
- Adam is the first scripted transgender teen character in television history (not including documentaries or one-time guest roles).
- Adam is an FTM (Female to Male) transgender.
- Adam’s birth name is Grace “Gracie” Torres.The original birth name was planned to be Chelsea.
- Adam is one of three characters who caused self-harm to themselves. Others include Ellie Nash and Darcy Edwards, who both cut themselves.
- Adam’s grandmother doesn’t know that he’s transgender.
The portrayal of a young transgender teenager significantly increases trans awareness, due to the amount of youth that watch this show in both the United States and Canada. Unfortunately, groups like the Florida Family Association (FFA) are attempting to end this and other gay story lines on the show. This deeply saddens me because Degrassi is currently the only show portraying trans-teens on television. It should also be noted that the show recognizes Adams gender preference, yet still treats him as a regular character with both faults and assets. I can only hope that the FFA is unsuccessful in its attempts and that the youth who watch this show take something away from the character.
As a life long Degrassi fan, I really admire Degrassi for adding a transgender character. Degrassi has always been the show to discuss controversial topics in teenage life, well before it was widely accepted by mainstream culture. For example, Degrassi covered issues like abortions and teen pregnancy way before Juno or MTV's 16 and Pregnant. Although Degrassi is a teen drama series, it really helps viewers to accept transgendered people, especially since I'm sure this wide range of views may not know any transgendered people. Whether we like it or not, our media has a huge impact on our society's cultural views and I think by having a character like Adam on the show helps our culture think differently about transgendered people.
ReplyDeleteI have never watched the Degrassi, but it is good to hear that television stations are breaking down barriers and presenting characters never seen on tv before. It is helpful for the generation that watches these shows to know that everyone is not the same, and to accept and respect these people as human beings and not second class citizens. I hope to hear about more shows and even movies portraying people of the LGBT community.
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