Time of Transition

DRAMATISING THE THRILLS AND ANXIETIES OF A TRANSGENDER GIRL STARTING AFRESH IN SECONDARY SCHOOL, JULIE KALCEFF’S FOUR-PART CHILDREN’S SERIES FIRST DAY TREATS ITS PROTAGONIST’S IDENTITY MATTER-OF-FACTLY WHILE TACKLING COMPLEX SUBJECT MATTER – WHETHER IT BE INSTITUTIONAL DISCRIMINATION, TRANSPHOBIC BULLYING OR PRE-TEEN BODY-IMAGE ISSUES – HEAD-ON. BEYOND ITS ACCESSIBLE NARRATIVE, THE SHOW ALSO SERVES AS A USEFUL TEXT FOR DISCUSSING TOPICS SUCH AS THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSE SCREEN REPRESENTATION AND THE BENEFITS OF INTERGROUP CONTACT, AS STEVEN AOUN DESCRIBES. The idea of representation has long been a rallying cry for cultural diversity, equity and inclusion. Appeals for increased space for the marginalised, displaced and excluded can be increasingly heard across a range of fields, ranging from the classroom1 to the workplace,2 via the body politic3 and embodied lifeworld experiences.4 This is…