What It's Like Being Trans on Reality Television

Billie Lee is a transgender woman who joined the cast of Vanderpump Rules in season six of the popular Bravo Reality TV show. Lee’s introduction to VR represented a significant moment in transgender representation on reality television and propelled her to a position of immense importance for transgender visibility in one of the nation’s most popular TV programs.

However, in season 7, Billie’s narrative quickly grew to focus on her gender identity- the fallout of which caused significant outrage and debate both among her castmates and the general public. While not everybody follows Vanderpump Rules, Billie’s inclusion and the treatment of her story at a national level is an important cultural bellwether.

VICE went to LA to meet the woman behind the show, and to better understand how the nuanced nature of how trans narratives are handled by reality TV — and what we can learn from Billie’s experiences.

Click here to subscribe to VICE: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE

About VICE:
The Definitive Guide To Enlightening Information. From every corner of the planet, our immersive, caustic, ground-breaking and often bizarre stories have changed the way people think about culture, crime, art, parties, fashion, protest, the internet and other subjects that don't even have names yet. Browse the growing library and discover corners of the world you never knew existed. Welcome to VICE.

Connect with VICE:
Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/VICE-Videos
Videos, daily editorial and more: http://vice.com
More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo
Click here to get the best of VICE daily: http://bit.ly/1SquZ6v
Like VICE on Facebook: http://fb.com/vice
Follow VICE on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vice
Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/vice

The VICE YouTube Network:
VICE: https://www.youtube.com/VICE
MUNCHIES: https://www.youtube.com/MUNCHIES
VICE News: https://www.youtube.com/VICENews
VICELAND: https://www.youtube.com/VICELANDTV
Broadly: https://www.youtube.com/Broadly
Noisey: https://www.youtube.com/Noisey
Motherboard: https://www.youtube.com/MotherboardTV
VICE Sports: https://www.youtube.com/NOC
i-D: http://www.youtube.com/iDmagazine
Waypoint: https://www.youtube.com/WaypointVICE

Видео What It's Like Being Trans on Reality Television канала VICE