Digital Spy article:
Georgie Stone to play character Mackenzie Hargreaves.
Neighbours to introduce its first transgender character as Georgie Stone joins the soap in guest role
She hopes the story can "teach other people how to treat trans young people".
https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/nei...ne-guest-role/
Neighbours has broken ground with its LGBTQ+ representation through Aaron and David's relationship, and now they are taking it one step further.
The Australian soap is set to introduce its first ever transgender character this year, after transgender role model Georgie Stone approached the show's executives a year ago to discuss introducing the character.
Georgie is known as Australia's youngest ever person to receive hormone blockers and successfully campaigned for a change in the law regarding treatment.
Stone took that pro-active approach in getting her role on Neighbours too, telling the Herald Sun: "I came up with the idea of having a trans young person on the show so I wrote a letter to the executive producer, Jason Herbison, with a few ideas on how it could happen."
Apparently she got a response from the show within two hours of sending that letter, which is crazy.
"Both my parents have been on Neighbours so I have grown up with the show," Stone added.
When watching it I could see that essentially, amid all the drama and soapy stuff, it is about human stories and genuine stories that reflect the viewers and society as a whole, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to tell a story that isn’t often told on Australian TV."
Georgie will start filming for her guest role on the soap in June, and she will appear on screens for the first time later in the year.
"When I was growing up as a trans young person, I did not see anyone out there who I could relate to," she continued.
"There was no one on Australian TV screens, on any TV screens really, that had a positive depiction of a trans person, specifically a trans young person. There was no one who I could connect to and I felt quite isolated because of that, so that is why I am so excited about this opportunity."
She added: "Yes, it is breaking new ground, it is a great story, and people will really like it, but I really hope that there will be some trans young people out there who have felt isolated before and then see this character and feel that they are not alone, or that they feel OK to be who they are, and that this story can teach other people how to treat trans young people."
Neighbours' executive producer Jason Herbison also commented on the casting, praising Georgie as an "exceptional young woman".
"Georgie approached us last year regarding a guest role and I could see she was passionate about acting," he said. "Seeing her talent during the audition process, I knew she would be able to tell the story truthfully and authentically."
Neighbours airs weekdays at 1.45pm and 5.30pm on Channel 5.
and:
'It's breaking new ground, and people will really like it!' Transgender rights advocate Georgie Stone, 18, will star as the first trans character on iconic soap Neighbours after she personally pitched the idea to executives
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...eighbours.html