I have found, anecdotally, that films by, or characters acted by, cis people often highlight only the strife a transgender person experiences prior to and during their transition. So … trans films by cis people for cis people. That struggle is important: it can be very difficult to come out of the closet, and acceptance can feel like a lottery. But it is equally important to balance the negative with the absolute joy transition can bring.
Also, note how many trans stories are about the transgender person returning home for the first time after transitioning. Why not support them and their transition before they leave?
I have only listed media that I have consumed. If I haven’t seen it, then I didn’t list it. Titles are in alphabetical order. The ones most important to me are starred.
Shows with the trans character(s) represented by trans actor(s) are flagged. 🏳️⚧️
These movies feature real people in their lives. Sometimes these titles are the basis of a fictionalized movie. The transgender people in these films are real transgender people, so they all are flagged. 🏳️⚧️
- The Brandon Teena Story (1998) – Deep dive into the murder of Brandon Teena, a transgender man living in Humboldt, Nebraska in 1993. This is the basis for the film Boys Don’t Cry. (Amazon Prime)
- The Dads (2023) – Cis fathers of transgender children come together to talk about their struggles and find support. Often the moms are the focus for fighting for their LGBTQ+ children. This trans positive short film allows fathers the space to work through their own issues to find that same support and fight. (Currently being expanding into a feature length documentary). (Netflix)
- Eldorado: Everything the Nazi’s Hate (2023) – The rise and fall of the queer and transgender community in Berlin, Germany as the Nazi Party took control. It highlights the work of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld and his Institute for Sexual Science, where research into transgender lives formally began. The institute was destroyed by the Nazi Party and as many as 15,000 gay, lesbian, and transgender people were sent to concentration camps and identified with an upside down pink triangle. (Netflix)
- Just Kids (2026) – Focused on the affect gender affirming care bans are having on transgender youth and their families. OMG, a must see. (Amazon Prime)
- The Matthew Shepard Story: An American Hate Crime (2023) – Looking back at the murder of Matthew Shepherd and how this horrible event helped shape the passing of a federal hate crime law. His story, while not about transgender lives, is important to the LGBTQ+ rights movement and does affect all our lives. The production of this film overlaps with the first Trump administration – they did not know there would be a second administration. (HBO)
- Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria (2005) – A look at the beginning of the trans rights movement in the Tenderloin District, San Francisco, 1966, several years before the Stonewall Riots. This film is a good introduction to transgender history, especially when partnered with the book by Susan Stryker, Transgender History.
These movies are fictional or fictionalized stories based on real events. Most have a transgender character as a protagonist or as part of the supporting cast. I have included a few films focused on the LGBTQ+ community that I think are important.
Each movie is listed with the primary actor or actors, the year it was released and where I saw it.
Often trans movies feature self harm or suicide. Be warned.
- Close to You (2023) – Elliot Page; A transgender man visits his quasi-supportive family for the first time since transitioning. As a transgender adult and I can safely say the interaction in this movie is very familiar. I personally loved the retort Sam gives to his mother saying, “You know, family’s not the most important thing. It’s not.” As adult children, we don’t need to stay in relationship with those who do not respect and support us. As parents, it is our whole job to provide that respect and support for our children. (Netflix) 🏳️⚧️
- Emilia Perez (2024) – Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez; The boss of a drug cartel is a transgender woman; hijinks ensue. I know there’s controversy with this film due to Karla’s public comments. That said, I did enjoy the movie and I liked that the transgender protagonist is … complicated, certainly not a hero. And, it did win two oscars. (Netflix) 🏳️⚧️
- Girl (2018) – Victor Polster; A transgender teen ballerina joins a ballet school in Antwerp and faces both support and hostility (self-harm). (Amazon Prime)
- Monica (2022) – Trace Lysette, Patricia Clarkson. A transgender woman comes home to help take care of her mother whom she hasn’t seen since her transition. (Hulu) 🏳️⚧️
- Normal (2003) – Jessica Lange, Tom Wilkinson; A coming out story of an older transgender woman with a family. What I find stunning is the matter-of-fact presentation of Ruth’s transition. Arguably the story isn’t about Ruth, but how her family confronts their own issues with Ruth’s transition, often resorting to (now) common trans tropes (suicide attempt). (YouTube) (Easter Egg: the daughter goes on to the Heroes TV series – save the cheerleader, save the world).
- A Normal Heart (2014) – Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer; Fictionalized account of gay men and activists in New York City at the beginning of the AIDs crisis. The confrontation between the protagonist, Ned, and his brother, Ben, is what got me in this movie. Ned tells his brother, “I am the same as you! Say it!” Ben responds, “No you’re not. I’m not gonna say it.” Acceptance (and affirmation) cannot come without recognition of equality. (HBO)
- Transamerica (2005) – Felicity Huffman; A trans woman finds out she has a son from a prior relationship, pre-transition. She must pick up her son in New York City and drive to Los Angeles before her scheduled confirmation surgery. (Amazon Prime) (Personal easter egg: the scene where Bree is robbed was filmed in my hometown!).
It is rare that series will feature a transgender character (hopefully played by a transgender actor). Until transgender people are simply accepted as normal, I anticipate this list to be short.
- Angels in America: Miniseries (2003) – Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Patrick Wilson, Mary-Louise Parker, Emma Thompson, Justin Kirk, Jeffrey Wright, Ben Shenkman (omg so many famous actors); Set during the AIDs epidemic this story follows two friends in New York City, one recently diagnosed with AIDs and the other struggling with survivors guilt, and their crossed paths with the powerful (Roy Cohn – connected to Joe McCarthy) and the religious. (HBO)
- Clean Slate (2025) – Laverne Cox; A transgender woman returns home to Alabama after her transition to mend her relationship with her father. Sad this was canceled after one season. (Amazon Prime) 🏳️⚧️
- Heartstopper (2023-2026) – Kit Conner, Joe Locke, Yasmin Finney, William Gao; Four friends work through their relationships with each other and their community. This series differs from so many plots in that Elle, embodied by trans actress Yasmin Finney, transitions safely at home with her family’s and friends’ support. (self-harm) (Netflix) 🏳️⚧️
I have not seen stage productions with transgender characters. The only one I know of, right now, is Cats: The Jellicle Ball, the reimagined staging of Cats as drag performers and casting many transgender people.
- Fun Home (2015) – An autobiographical story about growing up in a funeral home set in rural Pennsylvania, finding her lesbian identity in college, and finding out her tyrannical father is gay, and then he dies (was it suicide?). Fun Home, the graphic novel, was instrumental in setting this style of storytelling as a viable medium for everyone to read. Also, the playwright and book author, Alison Bechdel, is attributed with originating the Bechdel Test.
- Rent (1996) – Set during at tail end of the AIDs crisis in New York City and following the relationships of straight and queer friends. This show is a must see/must hear. Find a local or touring production!