Here, Rater shares how their transgender son Tommy influenced the series.Doubtpremieres Wednesday at 10 p.m.
In our family, we have this fantasy.
Remember the showWife Swap?
Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS; CBS
Well, our fantasy is about having a show calledTrans Swap.
And its not really a swap.
How would we convince them?
Courtesy of Tony Phelan and Joan Rater
First of all, wed make pasta.
Because who doesnt love that?
Batteries, old hair brushes, random keys, a sock, our dead dogs ashes.
Disgusting and not organized and so normal.
Were normal transgender people and their families!
We have messy drawers and bedtimes and bad hair days and we love carbs.
I forgot about the pie that our son will bake for dessert because he loves to bake!
A cozy night in our house where people see that were all a lot more the same than different.
And our differences are okay; we can talk about them over pasta.
We can learn something new about one another.
We want to be ambassadors to normalize trans stuff.
Okay, thats not why we wrote the show.
We wrote it because we love law shows.
Our son had recently told us he was transgender, so it was on our mind.
Like panicked and crying and what does this mean and why does he want to change his gender?
(Which isnt really what is going on.
And once we were calm we realized NOTHING ABOUT OUR TOM HAD CHANGED except his name.
That did change, and that was hard to handle.
Not gonna lie.
Although then he chose a new name that so suited him, those sad feelings passed.
Tom was still the same funny, smart, sloppy, Sondheim-obsessed teenager he had always been.
He still had his college applications due.
Once he told us, he felt relieved and was able to be more himself.
And he baked more things.
Tarts and cakes and homemade bread!
(Although shes really organized, so my guess is her junk drawer wouldnt look like ours.)
My point is, we think people are going to love Cam.
And once they get to know her, her being trans wont be scary or alienating.
Trans people commit suicide at crazy high rates.
Like 25 times the normal rate.
Thats gotta stop.
And maybe our show can be part of helping people become less afraid.
But we have witnessed families where its hard.
We remember meeting this dad whose daughter had just come out as trans and the dad Could Not Deal.
He couldnt say she or use her new name or tell anyone on his side of the family.
He was so ashamed and upset and angry.
And use his daughters new name.
And he was so grateful and relieved.
So Ive seen the grace that can come from understanding your fears.
So turn your TV on to CBS, Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. And pass the garlic bread.
