Bex Taylor-Klaus is an actor known for their roles in shows like Arrow, The Killing, and Scream. They are now starring in Fox’s new cop procedural The Deputy as Deputy Brianna Bishop. In the most recent episode, discussion around Bishop’s gender identity led to Bishop’s character coming out as non-binary. This is extremely important not only because Bex Taylor-Klaus is non-binary themselves, but because it gives a spot for representation of this identity. Additionally, Bishop is the first non-binary character on network television.
Fox is known to be a very conservative channel. This has been shown by the recent cancellation of the progressive show Brooklyn Nine Nine with the simultaneous pick up of the conservative show Last Man Standing. However, in this current tv season, Fox has premiered two progressive shows–911: Lone Star and The Deputy.
The Deputy is about Bill Holster and his sudden rise to the position of Sheriff in the LA Sheriff Department. With this new position, he makes a lot of changes to the ways in which the LA Sheriff Department works. This includes ending the partnership with ICE, not punishing someone with a mental illness with deadly force, and punishing a cop who has a racist agenda.
In the last episode, “10-8 Search and Rescue”, Bishop gets into a car accident and is taken to the hospital. While there, they’re treated by the sheriff’s wife, who is a doctor. The two get into a fight because Bishop isn’t comfortable with conversation regarding their gender identity. Later on, Bishop has a more candid conversation, coming out as non-binary.
It’s great to see network television move toward being more inclusive and representative. I can’t wait to see where Bishop’s story takes them and how the show portrays a non-binary character. Hopefully, in the future, networks will include more non-binary and gender non-conforming characters, along with characters belonging to other underrepresented minority groups.
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