Whether you’re a parent of a trans kid or just a trans person who likes queer media, children’s TV shows with transgender characters can be hard to come by. Most children’s shows don’t have explicitly trans characters or their trans characters play minor roles in larger plots that revolve around cisgender protagonists.

However, we found seven children’s TV shows with transgender characters who are explicitly trans and play larger storyline roles. Our list is ordered with shows intended for younger viewers at the top and ones intended for older and more mature viewers near the bottom. Each one makes for riveting viewing, no matter whether you and your younger viewers are into cartoons, comedies, dramas, reality TV, or even horror.

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This incredibly queer-inclusive children’s show — which follows three outer-space superheroes who train a sensitive young boy — features numerous characters who defy standard gender representations. One of these characters, Stevonnie, is literally a “fusion” between the titular main character and his close gal pal Connie.

Dead End: Paranormal Park

Intended for viewers age seven and older, this horror-themed children’s TV show with a transgender character features Barney, a non-binary person who feels like he can be his authentic self at his place of work. Too bad he works at a haunted theme park where he must battle demons and other supernatural threats — at least he has the help of his friend Norma and a talking dog named Pugsley.

Heartstopper

A romantic teen drama intended for viewers ages 14 and older, Heartstopper is based on a graphic novel that mostly focuses on the romance between two cisgender male schoolboys in England. However, the show features Elle Argent, a recurring Black transgender girl character (played by trans actress Yasmin Finney) who attends an all-girls school and develops feelings for her best friend. The show also features another trans character named Naomi.

I Am Jazz

A reality TV series intended for viewers ages 14 and older, this children’s TV show with a transgender character features Jazz Jennings, a real-life trans teenage girl who is navigating the challenges of high school social and romantic life while undergoing gender-affirming healthcare and working as an advocate raising public awareness about the challenges faced by young trans people.

The Fosters

A family drama intended for viewers ages 14 and older, The Fosters follows a multi-ethnic family headed by two moms, Stef and Lena, who adopt two foster children, Callie and her brother Jude. Prolific trans male actor Elliot Fletcher plays Aaron, a trans boy who develops a relationship with Callie.

While their relationship was one of the first-ever trans romances on a televised teen drama, the show also features Cole, a trans teen who lives in a group home for runaway youth assigned female at birth, as he gradually explores his male gender identity.

Degrassi: The Next Generation

This high school drama for viewers ages 14 and older features Adam Torres, a student who transferred to Degrassi High School as a sophomore to escape transphobic bullies at his old school. But he eventually gets outed after he first accidentally drops his tampons in front of other students and is then seen by his crush to be using a chest binder.

Torres stayed in the show for 78 episodes from the show’s tenth to thirteenth season, a remarkably long run for a trans character on a children’s TV show.

Dead of Summer

This supernatural horror series for viewers ages 14 follows teenage counselors at Camp Stillwater who awaken a dark mythology that they must then survive. In it, Zelda Williams (the cisgender daughter of deceased comedy actor Robin Williams) plays Drew Reeves, a stand-offish counselor who is haunted by his past life and the challenges of working alongside coworkers who all seem to have ulterior motives.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

This horror-themed teen drama, meant for viewers over 14, follows Sabrina, a mischievous teenage witch who often unwisely resorts to magic to solve her personal problems. One of Sabrina’s friends is a character named Theo Putnam, who gradually realizes his transgender male identity thanks to some assistance from the ghost of a gender non-conforming relative.

Sex Education

While this dramatic comedy is rated for viewers over the age of 18, it’s perfectly suitable viewing for mature teenagers. The show, which follows teens who decide to learn about sexual health issues independently, includes characters like Abbi Montgomery (a trans woman), Roman (a trans man), Cal (a nonbinary person portrayed by a trans actor), and Layla (a nonbinary student).

The show touches on numerous important sexual topics, like asexuality, pansexuality, toxic masculinity, sexually transmitted infections, and consent. But the show’s sexual content isn’t provocative or gratuitous. Rather, it tastefully, intelligently, and humorously educates viewers about common sexual stigmas and myths.

It’s a trans new world in TV Land!

Children’s TV shows with transgender characters don’t just reflect our world, where children have begun identifying as trans at younger ages. Rather, they allow younger trans viewers to see versions of themselves confronting real-life issues faced by actual trans youth. As such, the shows above both entertain and educate, while also giving viewers trans heroes to root for.

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