“I want to show other people watching what it looks like to love a trans person — publicly.”
In an exclusive set visit during the filming of the star-studded season 2 of “Survival of the Thickest” last year, actor, performer, reality TV icon, and GLAAD Board Member, Peppermint, sat down to share the full scope and impact of showing what Black queer love can and should look like.
In a time when transgender people are being outlawed and erased from all sectors of society, Peppermint, along with her cast, crew and creators of the show made history in portraying one of the few on-screen weddings featuring a Black trans woman.
“This is a dream come true,” Peppermint told GLAAD.
“I can’t even fathom the message that I would have processed having watched something like this as a young trans girl.”
Dan Amboyer, who plays Peppermint’s on-screen fiancé Harrison said, “We really wanted to bring something that felt truthful, to this, so it didn’t feel like a side note or a side dish, you know, to us. So we spent some time with each other.”
“We went on a couple of dates, we got together and hung out and had some really good conversations and got to know each other the way that a couple hopefully should,” Amboyer added.
Series creator and executive producer, Michelle Buteau, promised that this season would be “bigger, badder, and Blacker than ever before.”
On the the importance and impact of an inclusive set like theirs, Buteau told GLAAD, “Over 20 years ago, I started out in production, and so, I know what it’s like working those long hours and not seeing anyone that looks like me.”
“I wish people would be more thoughtful and pay attention to detail, you know, meaning us, the black, brown, fat and queer people. We are the details. So pay attention to us, please. And it all matters,” Buteau added.
The cast, crew and creatives behind the scenes couldn’t agree more and shared that this production and life on set was a true model for what an inclusive set should be and feel like — both welcoming, impactful and aligned on mission to bring both popular and meaningful stories to television.