MTV seems to be promoting gay and lesbianism much more than other networks. This is evident on many of their shows. However, they have recently stepped up to include a transgender person on their show, the real world. They showed a great deal of this person’s back story and portrayed her journey in a positive light. I think that this is a very good thing for MTV to do. Although it is a simple television show, discussing a journey such as this in a personal way most definitely helps viewers to see the way life is for a transgender person. I think that this was a very bold move for the already provocative television station. As that particular season of The Real World progressed, we were offered a look into the life of Katelynn, a transgender woman who was experiencing many things for the first time since her operation. Katelynn detailed her journey up to the surgery and gave allowed outsiders to see the way she was treated. This show caused Katelynn to become somewhat of a celebrity in the transgender world. Although not famous prior to her real world experience, Katelynn is famous in a similar way to k.d. Lang as discussed in Franco’s article. I think people respect her for being who she really is and are happy to hear her story. In this same season, we also viewed opposite sides of this experience which involved people who had never been exposed to anyone who was transgender or even gay. I think that shows such as this are helpful in that more people (viewers) become accepting of transgender people. I think the viewer feels a connection with the main characters of most reality shows and by the end of the show, they feel some similarities as well. I think this is definitely the case in the real world regardless of which character the viewer is focusing on. Do you think this is the case or do you think these types of shows portray transgender people in a negative light?
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