Nickelodeon Launches Programme for Transgender Children Pursuing Acting Careers
'Trans Youth Acting Challenge' rolled out by kids' cartoon network
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Nickelodeon is rolling out a new “Trans Youth Acting Challenge” program with one of its transgender actors, in a bid to attract young children, who "identify" as transgender or nonbinary, who are interested in pursuing an acting career.
The children's cartoon network is working with Michael D. Cohen, who played a character named Schwoz in the show “Henry Danger."
In a 2019 interview with Time magazine, Cohen claimed to have assumed a male identity two decades ago after having been assigned female at birth
Since the revelation, Cohen said:
“I’ve been getting a lot of DMs and emails from trans kids around the world who, like me when I was a kid, had dreams of becoming an actor.
"So I went to Nickelodeon and said I really want to help make it possible for these kids to realize their dreams."
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"So together we are partnering to create the ‘Michael D. Cohen Trans Youth Acting Challenge',” Cohen continued.
“The ‘Michael D. Cohen Trans Youth Acting Challenge’ is open to any transgender and/or non-binary youth who love acting.
“Whatever talents your child has, we want to see them.
"And we need you to help them put together their audition tape."
"We’re going to pick 12 submissions, and they will be invited to participate in a very special Zoom acting master class with me.”
WATCH:
“And everyone who submits a tape will be invited to participate in a webinar with me and the Nickelodeon casting team to ask whatever questions are on their minds,” Cohen added.
Cohen later clarified that only young U.S. or Canadian citizens who identify as transgender or non-binary are eligible.
“I’m so excited to see these auditions. This is a dream come true for me, too.”
During the interview with Time, Cohen complained especially about alleged rollbacks of rights for trans people under the Trump administration.
“This crazy backlash and oppression of rights is happening right in front of me. I can’t stay silent,” Cohen said.
“The level of — let’s be polite — misunderstanding around trans issues is so profound and so destructive. When you disempower one population, you disempower everybody.”
The news comes just days after actress Ellen Page announced a new identity as a transgender man named Elliot.
