I waited for weeks for the premiere of the new CBS drama, “First Monday,” starring James Garner. The premiere aired Tuesday, and I truly looked forward to the show. What could be better?

“The West Wing” has been, and continues to be, a great show, so surely “First Monday” would also be great. But it wasn’t. The acting was great and the writers picked timely and important issues to portray. The problem? They handled an important issue - transgender discrimination - as though it was a topic for derision and comic relief.

For those of you who didn’t see the show, they portrayed a young, Hispanic, male-to-female transgendered person, seeking asylum in the United States from her home country of Mexico. Two Supreme Court justices on the show harassed, humiliated and denigrated the person, despite the attempts of her attorney to explain what being transgendered means. I was appalled and disgusted.

Later on in the show, the attorney also “came out” as a male-to-female transgendered person. But it was too little, too late, besides being couched in a comedic situation which further denigrated the entire issue.

Television is a very powerful media, and the portrayal of the Supreme Court in a prime-time television slot further intensifies any message projected. By portraying the issue this way, CBS has given all those who are biased, discriminatory, or just plain hateful a justification to continue hurting those who are different. It was wrong, and I, for one, am truly disgusted.

Patrick Callahan
philosophy junior