7de Laan makes history with first transgender actress
The uber-popular soap 7de Laan made history earlier this year by airing the first ever gay kiss, and now they've done it again.
Producers cast their first ever transgender actress, Deonay Balie, to star in the soapie and educate the audience about issues facing the transgender community.
"We have kept silent for so long. It is time that we open up discussions pertaining to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community - we need to," Deonay told Jacaranda FM News.
She says that she intends using her new-found fame to inspire people to just be themselves.
"I am a woman and I have trials and tribulations just like any other woman. My character Genevieve does not preach. She knows who she is and she knows what she wants."
Balie adds that more can be done by government to shed light on issues facing the LGBTI community.
"Our current Minister of Finance Malusi Gigaba was one of the cabinet ministers who was very vocal about LGBTI rights and that is encouraging," she says.
Deonay, who was born a male, grew up in a small town in the Northern Cape and says she has had to deal with backlash and verbal abuse for as long as she can remember.
"There are always those who are going to hate. How do we eliminate that hate? We educate. And who better to educate people about the transgender community than someone that is transgender."
She says, as an activist, this is the perfect opportunity to normalise being transgender.
"It is part of being human. People are different on various levels like religious beliefs, sexual orientation etc. That is what makes us human - our diversity," she says.