In a thread posted on Twitter, Ezekiel recounts how, thanks to the soap opera "Plus Belle La Vie", he was able to talk about his gender transition to his grandparents.
This is no longer to prove: More beautiful life, on France 3, is a pioneering soap opera in terms of the representation of the French population, in particular LGBTQI + people. A choice of its creators who can help some people to talk about their identity to their loved ones.
This is the case for Ezechiel, a 25-year-old Twitter user who, thanks to the series, was able to tell his grandparents about his gender transition. "I didn't expect to say that one day, but … Thank you 'Plus Belle La Vie'. I just came out to my grandparents ", he shares this December 11, 2020 on the network, before unrolling his thread of tweets. "They don't know anything about it. They aren't mean, but all they know is mostly prejudices, boat stuff, and what you see on TV or in the newspapers, he laments. I was pretty stressed about what they had read in the newspaper or in whatever magazine. But that was important to me, because I (am) not the only LGBT person in the family and there has to be one to test the waters and protect others if it is undermined. "
This is what it feels like to represent LBGT people on screen
Then Ezekiel launches out and tells his story, which warms the heart. "They were absolutely adorable. They are proud that I trust them. They immediately noticed that I have been much happier for some time, right after my first coming out.". The Internet user then describes how, throughout the rest of the conversation, his grandparents tried to gender him correctly (that is to say to use the pronouns and chords that correspond to the gender experienced by the person concerned. ). "Their very first question was 'So what do we call you now?' They kept correcting each other when they gendered me or used my deadname " (the first name at birth, which should be avoided once the person has indicated their chosen first name).
When pop culture evokes questions of identity
According to Ezechiel, if his grandparents managed to figure things out so quickly, it was thanks to More beautiful life. Indeed, the series approached the subject of transidentity through the character of Antoine, who has started a transition. "My grandfather exclaimed: 'Ah yes, you know, it's like that character in More beautiful life, who became a male "https://www.aufeminin.com/", says the Internet user. Then his grandfather said to him: "Ah I understand yes, it must have done you good to come out suddenly." Ezekiel says therefore that he did not have to explain what transidentity is: "They already knew that using the deadname of a trans person is not done. Because they saw it once in a TV series., he said. This is what it feels like to represent LBGT people on screen "
Video: "Has coming out been a has-been?"
The Internet user's conclusion? "Thank you More beautiful life. I don't know who this character is, or how you treated him. I will not comment on the subject. But still, thank you for putting this character there. He made things much simpler for me ", wrote Ezekiel in his thread. A beautiful proof of the power of popular culture, but also, a beautiful story of intergenerational love.