What is it with Charlie Sheen’s popular sitcom and trannies?

Seems like every show, there’s a reference to us t-girls; sometimes entire episodes revolve around us.

For those who don’t know, Charlie Sheen plays Charlie Harper – a hard-drinking womanizer (basically himself) – who lives with his uptight brother Allan and nephew Jake at his Malibu beach-house.  The whole thing has an Odd Couple-esque ring to it.  The supporting cast includes his mother Evelyn, his maid Berta, his stalker Rose, his shrink, and an endless bevy of beautiful floozies.

The Evidence

It started with the very first scene in the very first episode.  Charlie’ girlfriend holds up a sexy negligee and ask him what he thinks.  His response: “It’s for you, right?”

The re-run I watched yesterday had one of Charlie’s old girlfriends returning after a FTM sex-change, seeking his friendship and instead finding sex and passion with Charlie’s mother.

Here are two clips from the show:

Exhibits #2 and #3

There has been repeated mention over the show’s near-decade run of one drunken night in Las Vegas, when Charlie took home a girl who turned out to be a boy.  And, a similar mistake in Bangkok.

And, here’s a typical exchange from the show; understand that something like this is thrown in in probably three-quarters of the episodes:

Charlie: So this is your first party with girls, huh?

Jake: Maaaaaybe… (coyly, smirking)

Charlie: Maybe?  You’re not sure? You got some crossdressers in 6th grade?  [pause]  Playing a little “Pin the Tail on the Tranny?”

Jake: Shut up! [leaves the room…]

What Does It All Mean?

It is clear that they are using us t-girls regularly as the butt of their jokes, but not in a nasty way, really.  The question is: is it good for our community or does it do us harm?

Seems to be much as it was for gay people a number of years ago, when being a comedic vehicle was the way they crept into the public consciousness.

I think that the more we are mentioned, the less shock value there is, and with less shock value and more familiarity, it naturally gets less and less funny as time passes.  Then the jokes will fade away.

You can cross the line with the jokes, but in the case of this show, despite the relatively negative view the characters seem to take of the prospect of a transgender tryst, I have never sensed any real hostility nor taken any offense.

If anything, I get the sense that some of the folks that work on this show are very much in our corner.

…Call it women’s intuition.