The rise of trans characters in mainstream media—from Pose to Heartstopper to Umbrella Academy —has allowed the wider public to see trans lives not as abstract debates but as stories of love, friendship, and self-discovery. Moreover, the increasing visibility of —photos of smiling people after top surgery, videos of non-binary parents reading to their children, the thrill of a first same-gender crush—offers a powerful counternarrative to the relentless focus on violence.