Meet Television’s First Transgender Superhero: Nicole Maines
Transgender Actress Nicole Maines will star as a transgender superhero in The CW’s “Supergirl”
Diversity is thriving in the entertainment industry as content creators strive to be inclusive in today’s cultural climate. The CW is taking another step towards inclusion as they introduce television’s newest superhero, Nia Nal. Nia Nal is described as “a soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others” and will be portrayed by transgender actress Nicole Maines. The announcement was made on Saturday, July 21st, at San Diego Comic-Con, the annual multi-genre entertainment and comic convention.
Some of you may have already seen Maines in “Royal Pains” or HBO Documentary, “The Trans List”. During an interview with Debra Birnbaum, the 20-year-old starlet shared her thoughts on taking on this groundbreaking role stating, “I’m nervous because I want to do it right”, and adding, “We’ve had trans representation in television for a while but it hasn’t been the right representation”.
This announcement comes during the Scarlett Johansson casting controversy. Johansson has accepted the role of trans male Dante “Tex” Gill in Rupert Sander’s upcoming film Rub & Tug. Maine said that she hopes her casting as Nia Nal encourages more casting decisions towards the “right representation” of the trans community.
“Supergirl” will be returning for its fourth season on October 14th on The CW.
