ALL MY CHILDREN - TRANSGENDER CHARACTER JOINS US SOAP

TRANSGENDER CHARACTER JOINS US SOAP

A transgender character will appear in US daytime TV soap opera ALL MY CHILDREN, for the first time in American TV history. Actor JEFFREY CARLSON will play rocker ZARF, who is in the process of changing from a man to a woman. Carlson insists the storyline is "not for shock value". Executive producer of the ABC show, JULIE HANAN CARRUTHERS explains, "All My Children was looking for something new, and knows its audience is always interested in anything to do with sexuality." The move has been praised by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), whose spokesman DAMON ROMINE says, "They've put a spotlight on transgender people and tell their story."