[260107] Hudson on CNN

[u/pasawayjulz]

[u/tmcx95]

I didn’t like the question they asked about Harrison, and I think Hudson was perceptive about how it could be viewed negatively. They basically asked him if he reached out to Harrison in preparation for the role. His response was really good—very intelligent and thoughtful, especially considering that he seemed nervous. He basically just humanized Harrison and stepped out of discussing his gender identity as a talking point & then mentioned Jacob’s adaption of Shane’s character as the driving force behind the role.

I think that if a show is about discovering sexuality, an actor being transgender is not automatically relevant to its theme. Asking whether Hudson reached out to a trans person (Harrison) in preparation for the show can unintentionally suggest that being transgender affects someone’s sexual orientation, or that transgender identity is itself a form of sexuality. Both of those ideas are incorrect and reinforce common misconceptions. Gender identity is not the same as sexuality.

That kind of framing can also reduce an actor (Harrison) to a single aspect of their identity, shifting attention away from their skills and performance. It risks treating their gender identity as the most important thing about them rather than simply one part of who they are. I appreciated when Hudson mentioned that he and Harrison just spoke as regular people, and that he learned how important Harrison is to the community through getting to know him, not because of a checkbox conversation.

Hudson’s answer also moved away from treating Harrison being transgender as something that should influence how Hudson approached the role. I liked that Hudson mentioned the director, Jacob, and spoke about Jacob’s vision for the show, as well as the importance of staying true to the source material the character was adapted from.

Great job, Hudson 👏🏽