A transgender superhero is coming to TV. Here's why that's huge.
When "Supergirl" returns to television in fall 2018, the show's newest character will make history — and so will the woman playing her.
A new cast member to the show is Nicole Maines, a transgender actress and activist. And not only will she be portraying a transgender character — something that's been controversially left to cisgender (non-trans) actors in the past — but she'll also be TV's first-ever trans superhero. As Nia Nal, Maines will pull double duty as both an intrepid reporter and (reportedly) a caped crusader with precognitive abilities. And her character's gender identity will be an important part of her character arc.
Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb.
Not much is known about the character yet, but one thing's for certain: This is a huge win for LGBTQ representation on television.
According to a 2017 report by GLAAD, only 58 of the 901 regular characters appearing in scripted programming identified as members of the LGBTQ community. Of those, only 17 were transgender (although it's not clear how many were actually played by trans actors).
That number has more than doubled since 2016, and while broadcast television still has a way to go in terms of serving viewers a more diverse character lineup, the fact that more trans actors are playing trans characters is huge.
In an interview with Variety, Maines spoke about how important it is that the landscape is changing.
When she came out in the early 2000s, Maines noted, trans characters were almost exclusively played by cisgender men. Even more problematic? Those characters were almost always stereotyped as sex workers, substance users, and villains. With this move, that's changing.
"We can be whoever we want, we can do whatever we want, we can be superheroes because in many ways we are," Maines said. "We've had trans representation in television for a while but it hasn't been the right representation."
Maines also addressed the problem of cis actors playing trans characters — most recently Scarlett Johansson, who was set to play a trans man in the upcoming "Rub and Tug."
"With trans folks we have a lot of people accusing us of just playing dress up for whatever reasons and that's just not true. Having trans people play trans roles show that we are valid in our identities and we exist," Maines said.
Maines' casting is another ray of light for diversity in entertainment.
Representation in media matters more now than ever. And Maines giving "Supergirl's" audience an authentic character to relate to is bigger than just the storyline. It's a way to let LGBTQ fans see people just like them reflected back on their TV sets.
And that's a huge step forward.
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An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids… 
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie? 
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Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."