LOS ANGELES — Walt Disney Co.’s ABC Family network will debut its first reality show starring a transgender person, gaining visibility from the widely publicized photos this week of transitioning TV dad Caitlyn Jenner.
“Becoming Us,” airing Monday, is an unscripted look at life for Ben Lehwald, an Evanston, Ill., teen whose father, Charlie, is becoming a woman named Carly. In a preview clip, family members wince at a photo of gender reassignment surgery and Ben meets the parents of his girlfriend, Danielle, whose father is also transitioning.
The show stands to benefit from the surge in publicity surrounding Jenner, the Olympic gold medalist formerly known as Bruce, who appears on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine in a form-fitting corset. ABC Family has committed to 10, one-hour episodes, produced by TV host Ryan Seacrest. Jenner’s own E! network documentary series “I Am Cait” debuts July 26.
“It’s a moment in our society when the world is focusing on transgender issues,” Tom Ascheim, president of ABC Family, said. “It only helps us.”
ABC Family has often led other networks in its portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, characters, according to Matt Kane, director of entertainment media for Glaad, the New York-based advocacy group.
The entertainment industry’s embrace of gender issues reflects changes in attitude taking place in society, including greater acceptance of gay marriage.
Last week, the U.S. Labor Department issued best-practices guidelines that recommend transgender employees have access to the restrooms that correspond to their gender identity.
ABC Family’s most-watched show, “Pretty Little Liars,” features a lesbian character and teen girls kissing each other.
Its No. 2 performer, “The Fosters,” is a one-hour drama about the family life of a biracial lesbian couple. Last year, programmers added a story about a teenager in transition.
ABC Family is targeting 14- to-34-year-old viewers who are in a period of their life when they are discovering who they are, according to Ascheim.
“The questions of identity becomes a very natural storytelling vehicle,” Ascheim said.
The potential viewer response to “Becoming Us,” as judged by online polling, is positive, he said.
And while there are some advertisers who take a wait-and-see approach to edgier programming, the network’s June commercial inventory is sold out, he said.
