Why Hallie’s Casting In The Big Brother House Is So Important

Big Brother has made its big return, and with it, probably one of the series’ most important castings.

During Monday night’s episode of the show, Hallie gathered her housemates around the kitchen table and told them that she was a transgender woman.

“Hey guys, I just have something to say,” she said. “Yesterday, I feel like I wasn’t being 100% authentic in myself. I thought I’d let everyone know I’m trans, if you didn’t know already. I just thought I’d make that loud and clear. I’m a trans woman.”

Hallie’s speech was met with hugs and words of support from her fellow housemates, who then proceeded to go around the table and tell each other their pronouns.

But her honesty wasn’t just brave faced with 15 new people she had just met – during a particularly dangerous time for transgender people in the UK, her decision to speak out (and even appear on the show full stop) is a courageous one.

At just 18, Hallie is the youngest contestant in this year’s show, and much has already been made of protecting her from any vitriol that may appear online and any adversity she may face in the house.

But based on her housemates’ reactions, thankfully, she needn’t have worried. Later scenes in the episode showed her fellow contestants asking Hallie about her experience on hormone therapy, which Hallie said she was happy to chat about.

This then led to a discussion on how gender reassignment surgery should be available for free on the NHS, and that trans people should not have to go private to avail of healthcare.

Hallie’s chats were informative and welcome within the house, and despite claims from some that Big Brother has “gone woke” (sorry, but did you never watch the early seasons?), this isn’t even the first time that the series has cast a transgender woman.

Back in 2004, Nádia Almada didn’t just appear on the show but went on to win the whole thing, charming the British public with her wit, warmth, and penchant for showering in heels.

She emerged from the house with a reported 74% of the public vote, a result that was not dubbed “snowflake Gen-Z wokery,”, but proof that a transgender person could be treated as just that, a person.

Hallie wasn’t even born when Nádia won BB5, as Rylan this week pointed out on Instagram Stories, “Hallie telling her housemates she is trans is a real big moment, especially in Big Brother history […] What a woman. Seeing the housemates’ reactions is exactly why this show still matters.”

Here’s to more Hallie in the house, and more representation of trans people on reality TV in general.

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• Big Brother
• hallie