“Groundbreaking” transgender storyline in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ to prominently feature Candis Cayne

Actress/choreographer Candis Cayne is joining the cast of Grey’s Anatomy for what’s being called a “groundbreaking” transgender-themed storyline.

The 14th season will feature a multi-episode arc in which Candis plays a trans patient who arrives at Grey Sloan for vaginoplasty surgery.

The story is based on Hayley Anthony, a transgender woman who helped create a game-changing new procedure alongside Jess Ting, the director of surgery at the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery at Mount Sinai.

Showrunner Krista Vernoff tells The Hollywood Reporter, “The surgery revolutionizes the making of a vagina and we thought that was a really cool story, and Candis is playing a character inspired by something we read.”

Talking to Time in October, Candis talked about her experiences as a transgender actress:

“I knew that it was nearly impossible to be an actress. The first part of my career was doing prostitute roles, drug addict roles, or drag queen roles.

I would go to these auditions and say ‘I’m trans,’ tried to pitch myself even though nobody really wanted to talk about it. This wasn’t just about me wanting to be an actress, this was about moving the fabric of society forward.”

It’s worth noting that the current season features intern Dr. Casey Parker, who’s portrayed by out transgender actor Alex Blue Davies.

The character came out to Miranda Bailey as a “proud trans man” after staving off a cyberattack on the hospital’s computer system.

Read more from Source: “Groundbreaking” transgender storyline in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ to prominently feature Candis Cayne