Transparent features transgender full-frontal nude scene

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Trans actress Alexandra Billings went full-frontal nude for the new season of Transparent.

The actress is best known for her role as Davina in the Amazon series Transparent, the best friend of the showā€™s main character Maura.

While Jeffrey Tambor, who plays Maura, is not transgender in real life, Billings is one of several real-life transgender actresses who have appeared on the show.

In a TV first, Billings stripped fully naked for a scene in the premiere of the fourth season, which debuted on Amazon Video this month.

In the scene, Billingsā€™ character is shown in bed being massaged by her ex-con boyfriend, Sal, when she experiences pain from HIV-related illness.

Transparent features transgender full-frontal nude scene

The character then rolls onto her front, briefly exposing her breasts and penis.

Billings, who has not undergone genital surgery, explained that she specifically requested a nude scene.

Netflix stars Laverne Cox and Jamie Clayton have had partial nude scenes on Orange is the New Black and Sense8 respectively, but Billingsā€™ scene is believed to be the first time a transgender actress with a penis has had a full-frontal nude scene in a TV show.

Transparent features transgender full-frontal nude scene

Speaking to the Daily Beast, Billings said: ā€œI donā€™t think itā€™s ever been done before, where you see someone whoā€™s a trans body that was pre-op, especially of a certain age, who looks a certain way.


ā€œIā€™m not built like a model. Iā€™m built in a very specific way, and Iā€™m at a point now where Iā€™m OK with my body. I like it. I donā€™t love it, but I like it.

ā€œIā€™m OK with it. Iā€™ve made peace with what I look like. Iā€™ve travelled through years of not only my HIV and also my silicone injections and all the things we go through in order to survive.

ā€œI wanted to show everything, but I said I donā€™t want to be objectified. I donā€™t want to be sexualised. And I donā€™t want to be fetishised. Itā€™s handled beautifully.ā€

She added: ā€œI thought Jill [Soloway, Transparent creator]ā€™s way of showing it was brilliant. Because that wasnā€™t my idea. I had no idea how they were going to do it or if they were going to do it. So the fact of it was extraordinary.

ā€œI think the result, because I think thatā€™s the great part of your questionā€”what was the hopeā€”the hope is that when we talk or donā€™t talk about surgery that it is not the foundation of our question for trans people.

ā€œHave you had this done or havenā€™t you had this done? I donā€™t know that it matters anymore. The point is this is how I see you, this is how I receive you.

ā€œSo it doesnā€™t matter whatā€™s going on with your genitalia. The important thing is how do we treat each other? Thatā€™s hopefully the conversation.ā€

The cast of Transparent just released a powerful PSA about trans bathrooms