The series Supergirl has cast transgender activist and actor, Nicole Maines, as a series regular in their upcoming season. In high school, Maines won major court case in Orono, Maine (Doe v. Clenchy), in which her family successfully sued her school district for the right for her to use a female restroom. It was the first time any court in the nation had ruled it unlawful to force a student to use the school bathroom designated for the sex they were born with rather than the one with which the child identifies. Not only is she a hero in real life, this will mark Maines as the first transgender superhero on TV.
The character she will be playing is Nia Nial/Dreamer, otherwise known as Nura Nal/Dream Girl. Nura Nal hails from the planet Naltor, where all the inhabitants have the ability to see into the future. Nura, however, is the strongest of her kind. She left her planet due to foreseeing the death of several members of the Legion of Super-Heroes on a mission in space. Determined to prevent their deaths, she introduced herself to the Legion using the name “Dream Girl”. She became one of the first female Legion Leaders. In Supergirl, according to the San Diego Comic Con, they plan on making her more human. Her powers could be completely different. What they do plan to carry over is the strength and will-power of Dream Girl. Her audacity and bravery. Nia Nial was also described as “a soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others”.
In an interview with Variety, Maines stated she hopes the casting in Supergirl is a part of larger wave of the right representation of the trans community. She continued, “I think we’re in a time right now where more than ever representation in the media matters. And what we see on television has a very dramatic effect on our society.”
The series has a lot of exciting additions in store for the new season. You can tune in to the season 4 premiere Sunday, October 14.