Modern Family to Feature TV’s First Openly Transgender Child Actor
Images via Bob D'Amico/ABC, ABC
This week’s episode of Modern Family, titled “A Stereotypical Day,” will feature Jackson Millarker as Tom, a transgender boy and friend of Lily’s (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) who comes over for a play date. When Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) think they overhear Lily insult Tom, they decide to teach her a lesson about acceptance.
Per Time, Millarker will be TV’s first openly transgender child actor.
Modern Family’s mission statement is to present a modern, diverse portrayal of American culture, and tackling the oft-misunderstood topic of gender identity during adolescence is another welcome milestone.
The news broke when the episode’s director, Ryan Case, posted to her Instagram a picture of her and Millarker, saying, “This is Jackson Millarker. He’s 8 years old, from Atlanta, and just happens to be transgender.”
You can see Case’s Instagram post below. “A Stereotypical Day” will air tomorrow at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.