Jen Richards and Laura Zak are co-writers on Her Story, a new web series directed by award-winning filmmaker Sydney Freeland (Drunktown's Finest), and have been raising money via an Indiegogo campaign. But after appearing on episodes of I Am Cait, Richards has seen a potential new audience for her work that focuses on trans and queer women's lives.
"The visibility and representation [of the trans community] has become a beacon of hope and possibility for a generation who didn't have that prior," Richards tells People, which debuted the trailer on its site.
"We've had an ongoing conversation about how we can accentuate the humanity of these characters," Freeland explains. "That's what will make it relatable to members outside the LGBT community."
Richards, who was encouraged by Transparent creator Jill Soloway to begin screenwriting, tells People that the recent attention paid to trans stories due to Caitlyn Jenner's celebrity can hopefully change lives:
"I think about two of the bigger historical accidents that created this moment: One of them was that [Caitlyn] was who she already was, which is a member of one of the most visible families in the world. That is an accident that we never could have planned for. We could never strategize for that. And I think of Jill [Soloway]. Her parent is trans. That's what inspired Transparent. She is telling an emotional, true story and the opportunity came along just as she was in the place where she could be a showrunner and put the show together.
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"I often think about what my life would have been like had something like this moment happened when I was young. I was 36 years old when I came out as trans. I probably would have come out as a kid if I knew it was possible to have a whole, happy life. Now, a generation is growing up seeing that it can be."
Watch the trailer below:
