18. Dead of Summer- Drew Reeves
This supernatural horror series is set in the 1980s at Camp Stillwater. The counselors, looking for a fun summer away filled with friends, flings, and first loves, have no idea what memories await them there instead.
Zelda Williams, daughter of the late and legendary Robin Williams, plays a loner character, Drew. Few other shows (Orange is the New Black, Transparent) have lead the way to trans representation on television. Dead of Summer is switching it up though. Williams character is a transgender man, which is rare to see, and a visibly underrepresented part of the LGBT community. Williams is proud of this role.
"“It’s great that [the public] will get to learn about a male-identifying transgender character as a lead in an ensemble show, but really, more than anything, he is for the transgender community, because they don’t ever get to see him…. I hope that they’re happy with him, because I’m proud of him…. I’m really excited for people to see who he is.”"
Keep in mind that this is all happening in 1989, a time when awareness and acceptance of people identifying as transgender was nonexistent. Dead of Summer is shining a light on this. It’s also a show on Freeform, targeting a much younger audience. If we can expose more people to these issues at a younger age, maybe they’ll grow up in a world with fewer judgments.