People magazine has the first photo of Dot-Marie Jones as Sheldon Beiste. The character Dot portrays, Shannon Beiste, the female coach of the McKinley High Football team, transitions to male in the sixth and final season of Glee.
I’ve already expressed my mixed feelings about this storyline. Up until this season, Beiste was depicted as a woman who felt feminine inside, despite a masculine presentation. That point drove several of her storylines, including the time she confessed to Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) that she had never been kissed, and that that more than anything she wanted to be acknowledged as a woman. This new turn of events is out of character for Beiste.
On the other hand, it’s a good thing that the lives of transgender people are depicted in the media as a positive thing. The subject has been a huge part of the news cycle lately, as reports about the transition from male to female of the athlete and reality star, Bruce Jenner, swirl throughout the media.
Dot had similar feelings about the sharp turn her character took, initially. “I just didn’t want to let down the girls who are straight and tomboys that my character represented the last four seasons,’ ” Dot told People, “But I got the script and I was, like, ‘Oh my God. This is amazing.’ ”
A terrific actress, Dot has played a character, broadly written at times, with sensitivity and believability. Her portrayal has always elevated the material. For that reason, I’m actually looking forward, despite my reservations about the storyline, to her depiction of Beiste’s transition.
Sheldon Beiste will make his first appearance on Glee, next Friday, February 13, in an episode aptly titled “Transitions.”
Read More: Click for MORE SPOILERY DETAILS from Glee Episode 7 “Transitions.”
