Friends producer apologising for trans storyline from 20 years ago.

I suppose the writers hadn't expected they'd need to turn the outrageous offscreen character (function: to show and explain Chandler's repression) into an actual on-screen character. So, when they were faced with that challenge, they just went hell-for-leather and came up with the comic surprise of having Kathleen Turner play the role.

I'm not sure Marta Kauffman really knows what she's apologising for. She can only have done the cause a favour - certainly when I watched it all those years ago, it never occurred to me that fabulous Charles "Helena Handbasket" Bing might not be typical of "men who lived as women".

You never see Charles out of drag though. You only ever see Helena, even at Ross's wedding.
Whereas if Charles was a drag act only (Helena at Viva Las Gaygas) you would see them as Charles irl (like you do RuPaul or the two Lawrences on celeb gogglebox).

Chandler’s dad was a complete narc. Turning up to Chandler’s swim meets dressed as Carmen Miranda handing out fruit? Slept with one of his teachers? Never once thought how that might impact a teenager. Ran off with the bus boy when Chandler was 9. Not to mention the trauma of witnessing orgies at the age of just 7. Chandler was right to be pissed at him for years, he never once thought about anyone other than himself and certainly not how his actions impacted a little kid.

The whole storyline with Chandlers father was about how uncomfortable he had been with unconventional outlandish parents and reconciling that with an adult perspective

Exactly. I think it was well written.
He wasn't trans so why the fuck would they need a trans actor to play him?

Yes. I think she’s doing a great disservice to her creation and the whole team that worked on it by wanging on about all of its faults by today’s standards. I’ve noticed this a lot from her (but maybe that’s the only thing she says that’s ever reported on)

Friends featured a lesbian wedding in one of its earliest seasons (mid 1990s) way before gay marriage was even being debated in the UK (Australia only permitted gay marriage in 2017!). The whole storyline with Chandlers father was about how uncomfortable he had been with unconventional outlandish parents and reconciling that with an adult perspective. The father character was witty and fabulous and loving and was ultimately accepted by the group without changing anything about themselves

I think it normalised a lot and was way ahead of its time.

And the relationship between Carol and Susan, yes there were jokes, but they were also portrayed as a happy, strong couple, and seeing them get married was lovely.

I remember it as being pretty progressive for back then. There were jokes, yes, but the point was that Monica helped chandler get past his issues with it and reconnect with his father. And yes, his bloody father, he was a gay man working in a drag show.

I'm not on here much mostly a lurker but @Metabigot I was just gonna say something like that I mean as long as the story being told by the actor is done with respect I don't see why it has to be like this I mean its the entire point of acting lol are people gonna have need to have fought in a war to play soldiers next? All of this is just nonsense

I think she has every right to apologise if she feels it was in bad taste. I don't hear her saying it was a terrible travesty to the trans community, just in bad taste.

she is says had it be these days, there would be someone real to play that role.

IMO most trans people will see it for what it is and won't give 2 hoots.

ugh I knew they'd come for Friends. Yikes. It was all done in good humour and I still laugh at Rachel trying to find Chandler's Dad and meeting a woman called Amanda and she's like oh I get it! A Man Duh!
This apologising and backtracking on things and always when its just TV shows sucks the enjoyment out of everything and also I remember there being plenty of diverse characters too. I really truly hate the state of the world today

She says something about how she used the words "Chandler's father" - well, what else was he? His mother? A distant relation?

You can be gender critical and still agree the depiction of Chandler’s father was unkind. Even at the time I thought it was harsh. I also hated the sexism (Ross was the worst 😂). But I still love Friends.

Must have a book coming out or something and be after some attention and virtue points? That's certainly how it comes across...

Sadly I heard Sinatta’s song yesterday So Macho! The lyrics include not wanting a 7 stone weakling or a a boy who thinks he’s a girl. I don’t know if she has apologised yet for being so offensive in 1987.

I think it’s good to be able to recognise things you did wrong in the past and take ownership for them. 20 years ago I called a girl in my Reception class (5 years old?) a pig, I bumped into her when we happened to go to the same uni and she reminded me of the incident - I apologised. I may not have regretted it at the time, but 20 years later it’s still ok to recognise it was wrong. I think Kaufman is doing the same thing - kudos to her.

I have seen the show multiple times through repeats and don’t remember the dad character receiving any transphobic abuse. Chandler was neurotic and uncomfortable around his dad, but that was his problem. I seem to remember the dad was always portrayed as being fabulous and having cutting comebacks to any remarks.

I mean, it’s a moot point because the character wasn’t trans, but a drag queen. I suspect it’s because the show has really picked up traction with the zoomer crowd (my teen nieces LOVE it) and they sell a shitload of merch and make money from conventions and events. They don’t really give a shiny shit about trans people or lack of diversity.

And obviously played by a woman. 😂

Chandler’s dad was a great character, the storylines with him were done quite well and as others said I thought a drag Queen rather than trans anyway.

It was his DAD. There was never any question that he was a man who made a living from drag. Not a transwomen. Chandler never had to call him mum or pretend he was a woman.

I thought the TRA's saw their arse because the character was played by a woman?

Well, quite.

FWIW I thought he was an excellent gender non-conforming character. Strong, funny, unapologetic. The joke was always on Chandler for having an issue with it.