We’ve come a long way with being in the public eye, but in terms of lessening violence, there hasn’t been a lot of change. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think the most violent trans misogynists are going to be watching The Fosters. I think it’s very important for people looking for depictions of themselves in media, but I think as far as real, concrete change, it’s not going to do a lot. Has seeing portrayals in media made your everyday life any easier given that the subject is less taboo than it used to be? It’s been much easier than the way Cole has had it just because my family has been so amazing. I definitely still deal with struggling with access to medical transition and self-image issues. But I’ve been much more lucky than Cole in that I have a very supportive family and most of the people I’ve come out to have generally been very accepting and kind. I still deal with misgendering and violent language and people being jerks in general. What about Cole connected to your own personal experience?Ī lot of things. And I think that Cole is one of thousands and thousands of ways to depict a transgender person. There’s really no way of knowing if this depiction is accurate because everyone is going to have a different experience. I think that there are so many different people and every trans person’s experience is going to be different. Characters like Cole and characters like Sophia on Orange Is the New Black are really important, especially for trans kids who are coming into their own and just realizing that this is something that they might be.ĭo you feel Cole was an accurate portrayal of a transgender young person? When I was 14 or 15 I didn’t know this thing existed. I feel really lucky to be that and share that with them. A lot of kids who are 14 or 15 have been telling me their stories and telling me that it’s been great to see someone like them on television. What kind of feedback did you get from past appearances on the show and what kind of feedback did you get on your most recent appearance? It was really great of them because coming out a million times can be really emotionally exhausting, so the fact that they took on some of that burden themselves was really great.
The email my parents sent was to all of their friends and distant relatives so that everyone knew. I came out my sophomore year of high school - first to my parents, then to all my friends. Had you already told everyone you knew about your own impending transition before you appeared on the series? When I came out, my parents sent out an email letting everyone know my new name and my new pronouns and what was happening with me, so I think through that Peter knew I was both an actor and a trans person. My parents are in the business and we know Peter Paige through friends. When I got back I was the most sunburned I’ve ever been and I was like, “Why not? It’ll never happen but it’ll be cool to audition.” They called me a few days later and told me I got it. My mom got a call and they asked if I wanted to come and audition. How did The Fosters find you for the role of Cole?
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