“Friends” Co-Creator Marta Kauffman Says She Regrets Misgendering Chandler’s Trans Parent
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“Friends” Co-Creator Marta Kauffman Says She Regrets Misgendering Chandler’s Trans Parent
Friends was, obviously, one of the biggest TV shows of the 1990s — and it’s still plenty beloved today.
While talking to BBC News (via E! News), Marta addressed the fact that the show “kept referring to [Helena] as ‘Chandler’s father,’ even though Chandler’s father was trans.”
“Pronouns were not yet something that I understood, so we didn’t refer to that character as ‘she.’ That was a mistake.”
This isn’t the first time that Marta’s recently expressed regret regarding Friends. Last week, she told the Los Angeles Times about her plans to donate $4 million to Brandeis University’s African and African American Studies department as a result of the show’s lack of perse casting.
“I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years,” she said. “Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy. It’s painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know better 25 years ago.”
Marta’s interview with BBC News airs July 11. In the meantime, you can read her conversation with the Los Angeles Times here.