First it was Laverne Cox, the transgender star of the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black, landing on the cover of Time magazine with the headline, “The Transgender Tipping Point.” Now, Amazon is opening the floodgates to this perversion with a new show that premieres Sept. 26 called Transparent—and the mainstream media is helping push the message far and wide.
Here’s the description for the Amazon original series: “An LA family with serious boundary issues have their past and future unravel when a dramatic admission causes everyone’s secrets to spill out. Starring Jeffrey Tambor, Judith Light, Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass and Gaby Hoffman.” You might remember Tambor as the character Mort on Arrested Development.
In the show, Tambor’s character comes out as a transgender to his grown children. He calls himself Maura Pfefferman, and so the drama begins. Where on earth did someone come up with a storyline like this? Director Jill Soloway is coming from personal experience. Her dad is transgender.
Mainstream Media Celebrates Transgenders
Liberty Voice is suggesting, “Amazon’s Transparent May be a Civil Rights Movement.” But it’s not just pro-LGBT sites that are celebrating the new series. Mainstream media is putting its muscle behind it. NPR says “In Transparent, Transgender Issues Are a Family Affair. The San Jose Mercury News says, “Terrific Transparent Makes Amazon a Player in TV Programming.” And NBC seemed to pull out all the stops to support the drama.
Tamron Hall, host of NBC’s Today show, seemed fascinated by the concept: “This is incredible TV. It’s thoughtful. It’s engaging. It’s surprising. Congratulations!”
Why is the mainstream media suddenly obsessed with transgenders? And it’s not just transgenders. There are 19 new shows featuring LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Questioning) characters.
I realize I’m old fashioned when it comes to TV. I prefer to watch The Andy Griffith Show and Leave it to Beaver to most of what airs in our modern media age. And I understand that mainstream media is trying to be inclusive, but I think we’ve officially crossed the line from inclusive to in-your-face, over-the-top endorsement and promotion.
Beyond Inclusiveness
I mean, the ratio of shows featuring LGBTIQs is skewed … it’s not representative of the LGBTIQ population in America. According to a 2011 Williams Institute Review, fewer than 4 percent of American adults identify themselves as part of the LGBT community, yet 19 of the shows in the fall TV lineup feature characters that portray them.
Clearly, we’re seeing mainstream media mainstream LGBTIQ. These characters are typically funny, cute and otherwise endearing. Meanwhile, when Christian characters do make their way to mainstream television shows, they are usually portrayed as judgmental jerks who run around condemning everyone to hell.
The truth is, not all LGBTIQs are funny, cute or otherwise endearing, and not all Christians are judgmental jerks who run around condemning everyone to hell. It’s all a set-up by the prince of the power of the air to further divide those who need to hear the truth from the ones who carry it.
Jennifer LeClaire is news editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and author of several books, including The Making of a Prophet and Satan’s Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can email Jennifer at [email protected] or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
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