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Nia Nal: The First Trans Superhero On Television

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Akron chapter.

20-year-old Nicole Maines has become the first trangender superhero on television playing Nia Nal, or “Dreamer,” in CW’s Supergirl. Maines’ character is half human half alien transwoman who was born on Earth and raised in Partha, a place where humans and aliens coexist. Despite her roots being accepting of her identity, Nal seeks life elsewhere which eventually leads her to working close to Kara (Super Girl) at CatCo. After her mother’s death she accepts her powers and works alongside Super Girl. During her time as a superhero her roommate is attacked by a man who doesn’t believe superheroes should be trans. Nal doesn’t back down.

girl holding pride flag with blue sky
Stavrialena Gontzou

The role is fitting for Maines as she is strong and resilient in real life. In 2014 she  was the anonymous plaintiff “Susan Doe” in the Maine Judicial Supreme Court case Doe vs Regional School 26. Maines’ parents sued the school board after she was banned from the girls bathroom at her school and forced to use a staff bathroom. She believed it was wrong and alienated her from her peers. The courts ruled in favor of Maine’s becoming the first time any court in the nation ruled against forcing trans students to use a particular bathroom.  

It isn’t hard to recognize the parallels between Maines and the character she portrays in Supergirl. Both in the show and in her personal life she has a supportive family but faces controversy. In both circumstances she chooses to be strong and fight for what she believes in. She defends others and continues doing so even after being the victim of hate. All in all I believe that CW chose the perfect person to portray the first transgender superhero on TV and I am excited to see more and more LGBTQ+ representations going forward.

 

Madeline Myers is a 2020 graduate of the University of Akron. She has a B.A. English with a minor in Creative Writing. At Her Campus, Madeline enjoys writing movie and TV reviews. Her personal essay “Living Room Saloon” is published in the 2019 issue of The Ashbelt. Madeline grew up in Zanesville, Ohio. She loves quoting comedians, reading James Baldwin, and sipping on grape soda. She fears a future run by robots but looks forward to the day when her stories are read by those outside of her immediate family.