While Doubt is getting much deserved attention because of my lovely Emmy Award nominated sis Laverne Cox and her groundbreaking Cameron Wirth character, I have to point out that with the debut of tonight's show at 9 PM CST Laverne is only the second trans person to play a trans major character on a network drama series.
Amiyah is playing the trans character Cotton, a receptionist in me mother's beauty shop in the ATL who is in a sometimes contentious relationship with her devoutly religious mother Carlotta (played by Queen Latifah). Carlotta is a former singer who now does so in her church on Sundays, and who is struggling to accept her only child's transition.
Cotton is a driven person who while acting as a big sister figure to Star, Simone and Alexandra and helping them realize their dream of becoming a successful music group, is pursuing her dream of being accepted as her mother's daughter.
She also representative of the segment of the trans community that is struggling with accomplishing a gender transition while on a low income.
Cameron is also in my lifetime the second Black trans character who not only is a major character on a show, but has a professional background (Maya Avant Forrester on CBS soap opera the Bold and the Beautiful being the first). It is in stark contrast in a landscape of Black trans characters that have either been played for comic relief, shock value, and have been sex workers, entertainers, a prisoner, or the murder victim.
We'll learn more about Cameron's backstory as the show evolves. I'm looking forward to seeing the show every Wednesday at 9 PM CST on CBS.
And I'm so happy they are fortuitously scheduled on Must See Trans TV Wednesday so that I don't have to choose one show over the other
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