This amazing ‘Fix your hearts or die’ Twin Peaks badge is raising money for trans rights

When Twin Peaks returned to TV this year, many fans eagerly awaited the return of Special Agent Denise Bryson.

Played by David Duchovny, the transgender character was a groundbreaking one back in the early 1990s.

DEA Agent Bryson was introduced in the original run of the show and while her representation wasn’t entirely unproblematic, it certainly challenged mainstream perceptions of the time, such as the sexuality of trans people.

When Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) admitted that he assumed Denise is no longer interested in women, she replied: “Coop, I may be wearing a dress – but I still put my panties on one leg at a time if you know what I mean!”

So it was especially interesting when Duchovny returned to play Denise – now FBI Chief of Staff – in a less comedic segment for Twin Peaks: The Return.

In a scene between FBI Deputy Director Gordon Cole (David Lynch) and Denise, Cole acknowledges that Denise did not have the easiest time coming out at the Bureau.

“And when you became Denise I told all of your colleagues, those clown comics to fix their hearts or die,” he says in the powerful exchange.

• Dec 01

16 TV stars you grew up watching who later came out as LGBTQ+