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Cape Town – 7de Laan this week added its first transgender actress to the show.
Deonay Balie has appeared in the local soapie since Tuesday as a transgender character, Geneviève.
Balie (27) will have a half month stint on the Danie Odendaal Productions soap.
The weekday soap wanted a real transgender person to play the role and picked the primary school teacher from the town of Steinkopf even-though she doesn’t have any formal drama training.
Viewers will see emotional moments as Geneviève is confronted over her sexuality.
“I’m able to use the personal disappointments and hurt I’ve experienced to portray Geneviève,” Balie told YOU magazine. “I believe you should use moments of conflict to educate people.”
“I’d much rather listen to why they don’t like having a transgender woman in the series and then talk about it. I’m a tough cookie. ”
LGBTQI rights group The Triangle Project applauded her appearance on the show.
Geneviève is the South African public broadcaster’s second transgender soap character, following on the heels of the SABC1 soap Generations that introduced Wandile who came out as a transgender woman in late 2016.
