Hulu on Thursday began streaming First
Day, a four-episode series from Australia about a transgender
girl's first year of middle school.
Evie Macdonald, who is transgender,
plays Hannah Bradford, 12, in the series from Australia's ABC Me
network.
As she begins middle school, Hannah
presents herself as female in public for the first time. She
befriends several girls but doesn't immediately disclose her gender
identity. She also struggles with bullying from a classmate from her
primary school.
The series is based on a short film by
the same name. The short won awards at MIPCOM 2018, the Prix Jeunesse
International in 2018, and the 2018 Mardi Gras Film Festival in
Sydney.
Writer-director Julie Kalceff is best
known for her work on the Australian television series Starting
From … Now!, which has been described as a “lesbian love
quadrangle.”
GLAAD praised First Day for
authentically capturing “what it's like to be a young girl who
happens to be transgender.”
“First Day features a
beautiful performance by Evie MacDonald, a talented, young
transgender actress,” said Nick Adams, director of transgender
representation at GLAAD. “The team behind the series worked closely
with Evie to authentically capture what it's like to be a young girl
who happens to be transgender. This series is a wholesome,
age-appropriate story about being yourself, and is a much-needed
departure from transgender narratives that focus on medical
transition and trauma. I hope viewers will watch First Day and
learn more about the experiences of kids who are trans."
Hulu is owned by Disney, which earlier
this year canceled plans to air the gay teen drama Love, Victor
on Disney+, moving the show to Hulu instead.