Whether we like to admit it or not, we live in a very pop culture-based world, so often television is the best medium to teach people things. When shows like Transparent and Orange Is the New Black hit the scene, they provided the perfect platform to give the transgender community a voice they so rightfully deserved. And while it's true that society has made great strides on the topic of gender identity, there's still always room for improvement, which is why MTV's newest episode of True Life will focus on trans parents and what two real-life families are actually going through during their parent's transition.
Debuting on Monday, Jan. 25 at 11:30 p.m. (EST), the episode titled "I Have a Trans Parent" will center around the two separate storylines of young adults Kiara and Jeremy, who are both adjusting to the fact that one of their parents is transgender. Unfortunately, some family members are less accepting than others, which leads to some pretty emotional (but very, very real) confrontations. This is all part of MTV's "Look Different" campaign, which exists to showcase the ever-important topics of race, gender and anti-LGBT bias. And honestly, this episode is the perfect way to go about doing so. Because as informative as Transparent can be, it's still a fictitious storyline.
But this True Life episode is different. It won't be focused on made up characters that are reading words from a script. These are real people dealing with real-life issues that the transgender community is faced with on a daily basis. And (hopefully) the more well-informed society is, acceptance is sure to follow. Check out this exclusive trailer for Monday night's hour-long segment below and see for yourself just how eye-opening this episode will be.
Image: MTV
