Remembering a Trans Icon

 From "Today":

"Now, viewers can binge “Pose,” “Supergirl,” “Euphoria” or even “Star Trek: Discovery,” but when Candis Cayne sashayed onto the screen on ABC’s nighttime drama “Dirty Sexy Money” in 2007, she became the first openly transgender actor with a recurring role on a network television series.

On the show, she played the vixenous Carmelita Rainer, who was having an affair with handsome New York state attorney general Patrick Darling (Billy Baldwin), who was itching to get out from under the thumb of his billionaire father (Donald Sutherland).

“Dirty Sexy Money” only lasted one season but it broke ground in a number of ways: Cayne was a transgender woman playing a transgender character. And Carmelita wasn’t the butt of the joke — she was beautiful, and as deliciously devious as her co-stars."

For more, go here: 

Candis Cayne

Remember transgender actress Candis Cayne? I first saw her on the TV series "Dirty Sexy Money" She performed in drag in New York City nightclubs beginning in the 1990's. After coming out as transgender in 1996 she went on to play the trans mistress Carmelita on the ABC series on 2007.

 

Candis Cayne

Candis Cayne was born August 29, 1971 and is an American actress and performance artist.

Cayne performed in New York City nightclubs in drag since the 1990s, and came out as transgender in 1996; Cayne came to national attention in 2007 for portraying transgender mistress Carmelita on ABC's prime time drama Dirty Sexy Money. The role makes Cayne the first transgender actress to play a recurring transgender character in primetime.

A Transgender Actress Returns

From TV Guide: (no, not transvestite!)

"Grey's Anatomy may be an old show, but it's still on the cutting edge for telling trans stories on primetime network TV.

ABC's medical drama is bringing on Transparent actress Candis Cayne for a multi-episode arc as a patient who comes to Grey Sloan for a "groundbreaking" vaginoplasty surgery, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The storyline is based on a true story about a trans woman named Hayley Anthony who helped Jess Ting, the director of surgery at the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery at Mount Sinai, design a new vaginoplasty procedure.

Candis Cayne

In 2007, Cayne became the first trans actress to play a recurring trans character in primetime on ABC's Dirty Sexy Money. She's also appeared on The Magicians and Nip/Tuck.

Grey's Anatomy has been working to improve trans representation on TV in Season 14. This season has a new character, intern Dr. Casey Parker (Alex Blue Davis), who debuted in October and recently came out as a transgender man. The show has received praise for how Casey's gender identity is not treated as the most important part of his character and how many of his storylines have nothing to do with being trans."

We've Been Around

I happened across this set of five short transgender videos you may want to check out called "We've Been Around" 

Which leads me back to a point I have been wanting to make for awhile. At our last Trans Day of Remembrance planning meeting, the subject came up about how many more transgender people were there. Maybe not organized - but there.

If you watch any of these video's it turns out we have always been somewhere in the shadows waiting for our turn.

I have also began to follow another very wordy blog whom I think was trying to explain away any transgender movement.

I would argue she doesn't read much other than her own blog or doesn't get out much.

As I have always said, it matters not how beautiful you are or aren't, or how rarely you do get out of the closet, unless you are a complete ass, you are part of a larger transgender movement.

Candis Cayne

There is much more to this link including Jen Richards, co-writer, star, and producer of "Her Story," who then used the example of transgender actress Candis Cayne who 
became a positive role model. Cayne, when she came to national attention in 2007 starring in the ABC drama, Dirty Sexy Money. She was the first transgender actress to play a recurring transgender character in primetime, said Richards.

Growing up, Richards said she didn't see people like her on television. They were usually "the dead prostitute or the punch line," she said.

The next generation of trans people will have the advantage of seeing "trans people speaking in their own voices" onscreen in programs like "Her Story," said Richards."

Maybe it's just me, but this just might be a transgender movement?

Caitlin Huckabee?

As I expected, many of you did me proud with your responses to my "Caitlin Trump" post. This post I chose the name of perhaps the most neo religious Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Huckabee just might be the one most likely to have all transgender people burned at the stake-or stoned to death. Enough of my political "drama" It should be noted I was a History and Political Science major in college. None of that makes me right-except to myself!

First, I am going to pass along an edited version of Connie's comments:

"It should be no surprise to anyone that this is just another "reality" show - heavily produced, calculated, and edited. I am only watching it to see if it might be doing some good for the Trans community, despite the circus it is. My hope is that Part II of this road trip will be Cait's awakening, and that all of her obsessiveness with the girly things and her totally misguided "political" views will be crushed when she meets the "disadvantaged ones". and-

"These (sex workers) are stereotypes that the general public has, and the best use of all of the production, calculation, and editing would be to use Caitlyn as the foil who is perpetuating those stereotypes right now - only to see the light later and work to dispel them. If not, then this is just a luxury bus trip with the Transdashians on their way to go slumming - for Cait, anyway"

Connie, I was jumping for joy when Candis Cayne was first through the door. Of course she was!!! The hook has been set by the Kartrashian marketing machine. After all which gender would Caitlin cling to after the change and doesn't everyone's ex Olympic hero look better flirting with one of the most gorgeous trans women out there-rather with some macho guy?

Finally, my solution to all of this is Caitlin is entitled to her political views - but- donate all of the shows proceeds plus her speaking engagements to a foundation for transgender youth. She (Jenner) is one of a very few who can put her money where her mouth is concerning social programs.

Our next response comes next from "across the pond."

Caitlin "Trump?"

Candis Cayne

Well that may be a bit dramatic, but during a particularly telling moment on Sunday’s episode of “I Am Cait,” Jenner made a comment about trans youth that raised eyebrows among many trans people. From the Yahoo TV feed this morning, Jenner said:: "“[Can’t they trans people) make more not working, with social programs, than they actually can with an entry-level job?” Jenner asked, reflecting the right-leaning political views she shared with Diane Sawyer during her April “20/20” interview. “You don’t want people to get totally dependent on it. That’s when they get in trouble.” Jenner must not realize how hard it is just to get a job for most of the transgender population OR how tough most of the younger trans population has it from family pressures alone. Indeed, life does look different from 100 million dollars away.

LGBT activist Jenny Boylan, who was part of the onscreen conversation, later told the camera, “Now I’m worried. Caitlyn has every right to be just as conservative as she chooses, but many transgender men and women need social programs to survive, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

If you didn't see the show, perhaps like me, you could have seen Jenner's comment coming a mile away. The premise of the show was a "Trans Girl's Night Out." and first trans woman through the door (representing a "diverse" mixture of trans women) was the gorgeous Candis Cayne, followed by the fore mentioned Jenny Boylan and approximately four five other transgender women-again a very accomplished crew full of passing privilege. But, in true Hollywood form, an Hispanic and an African American woman were mixed in for the "diversity."

At that point I became totally cynical and even more so when the girl's night out took to the road in a big fancy motor home (of course) then stopped at a fancy resort hotel for the night.(of course) At that point (among other things) Jenner blurted out her feelings about  transgender women and men needs for social programs. She must have not realized one in five transgender peoples have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Then again, let's not forget "This is Cait" is part of the Kardashian  circus machine, so Caitlin's political belief's plus an "attraction" to Candis Cayne just will help to keep us talking about her.

Cyrsti's Condo "Cover Girl of the Day"

Transgender woman Candis Cayne is our feature today and aging well!!!!

Million Dollar Candis Cayne

"Bravo" Television has a show called Million Dollar Listing".
I'm always interested in the show because the basis is a group of very high end real estate sales brokers selling property in New York and Los Angeles I could only dream of ever buying.

Today's show got my attention though when one of the prospective buyers was none other than the beautiful transgender actress Candis Cayne".

Candis if possible is even more beautiful in this show.
Go here for more pix! Many of the shows are rebroadcast on satellite television so you may be able to see her episode relatively easily.

Candis is Back!

From the Cyrsti's Condo entertainment desk, Advocate.com reports:



"Transgender actress Cadis Cayne will be joining Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, and the rest of the Elementary cast for an upcoming episode of the modern Sherlock Holmes series according to the Internet Movie Database. The episode, titled “Snow Angels,” will be a reunion for Cayne and Liu, as the both appeared on Dirty Sexy Money – the same television show that made entertainment history by making Cayne the first transgender actress to have a recurring role on a prime-time series. Since then, Cayne has become one of the most popular transgender actresses in the United States starring in several TV series including Nip/Tuck, Drop Dead Diva, and Here TV’s She’s Living for This."

Meet the Old/New Me!

Recently we posted a story about transgender actress  Candis Cayne  who appeared not long ago in the television series  "Necessary Roughness".  Her character was the former "Gerald" at a class reunion.

"Jamie Clayton"

Yet another beautiful transgender actress is headed to the "HBO" series "Hung". In one of the episodes, Jamie Clayton's character also attends her class reunion. Clayton has a great take on why her character Kyla went:
"Ultimately Kyla’s goal of going to the reunion was to get these people to see her the way she has always seen herself. Obviously she was unable to do that when she was in high school so she sort of wants to go back and reclaim that moment and sort of do a time-machine moment and reclaim that moment and have a good experience. It does sort of backfire on her. But ultimately the way it ends up is so sweet — the moment that she has with Ray. Part of Kyla’s journey is coming to the realization that it doesn’t matter what everybody else thinks about you; in the end, it’s what you think of yourself."
I have a big class reunion coming up in a couple of years and I started to think...would I go?
First of all, I need to say I have never been to one of my high school reunions. I moved from a very small school district to a very big one and never deleveloped many close friendships plus I was very shy. My point to all of this is, very few at the reunion would remember my before let alone my current.
As profound and correct as Clayton's take on the reunion, none of it really works for me. I wish I could say I would be showing my true self all my classmates missed out on so many year ago but then again we didn't know each other then any better than now.
If I was fortunate enough to look half as beautiful as Cayne or Clayton, I supposed I could go show off for an old romantic interest from high (as Cayne did with an old girlfriend.). That wouldn't work either because my senior prom date committed suicide years ago because she thought life had no meaning because she was over weight, unattractive and divorced. (really).
So as revelvant and possibly entertaining the media makes the class reunion appear to be, I think I will  have to be a no show again. I certainly wasn't the social butterfly in high school. No need to become one now.

Candis Cayne

I could not resist sharing this photo of the beautiful actress "Candis Cayne".
Great to see a transgendered actress playing transgendered women!