The pair spoke at the launch of the new Queer Series at 76 Dean Street
BY ELLA GAUCI
TV trans icons Ella Morgan and Zelah Glasson shared a powerful, candid conversation at 76 Dean Street, hosted by Jude Guaitamacchi last night (20 Jan). Launching Soho House’s new Queer Series, the Married At First Sight UK (MAFSUK) alum and Big Brother contestant sat down to discuss the power of authentic representation and their own experiences on reality TV.
As the first trans bride on MAFSUK in 2023, Ella was quickly thrust into the limelight. In this new discussion, Ella opened up about the pressure to provide positive, authentic representation whilst also trying to find a husband.
“I’m representing a whole community,” Ella said at the inaugural Queer Series launch. “Whether I ask for it or not. I [feel like] I’m talking for every single person, and you can’t make mistakes then.”
For Zelah, who stole the internet’s heart when he starred on the latest series of Big Brother, the pressure to represent a whole group also felt massive. “I wasn’t naive enough to think that I could represent the entire trans community. But I did know, speaking as a trans and Brown person, that people tend to judge an entire marginalised group by the actions of one. I was always scared of f**king up for a community that was already suffering.”
During Zelah’s time on Big Brother, audiences were appalled to see him be misgendered by another contestant. Speaking about this experience, Zelah recalled the response from production. While audiences may hear the Big Brother voice, Zelah revealed that contestants actually speak to several production members throughout their stay in the house. After he was misgendered, Zelah said that he was allowed to stay in the Diary Room for nearly an hour. “They were really patient,” he added. “I was never told how to feel, and I think that’s important for trans people.”
Following the UK Supreme Court ruling last April, many trans people in the UK have been targeted, discriminated against and faced disgusting levels of transphobia. Ella spoke openly about how this experience has impacted her own mental health. “Since the Supreme Court ruling, my mental health has dipped,” she said.
When asked what the industry could be doing better to help support and represent trans people, both Ella and Zelah’s response was simple: we want more trans people on screen.
“When you’re in the edit, don’t just edit everything to do with transness,” Ella continued. “Show us as fun people and the same as everybody else, just a bit more fabulous. Put trans people on the regular. I want to see a trans Ant and Dec!”
Love media made by and for LGBTQIA+ women and gender diverse people? Then you’ll love DIVA. We’ve been spotlighting the community for over 30 years. Here’s how you can get behind queer media and keep us going for another generation: linkin.bio/ig-divamagazine
Did you know that DIVA has now become a charity? Our magazine is published by the DIVA Charitable Trust. You can find out more about the organisation and how you can offer your support here: divacharitabletrust.com
