is cece drake trans in real life

When PLL returns for the second half of season 6, the show will have jumped forward five years. thought the twist played into some really ugly tropes about trans people. Pretty Little Liars cannot completely backtrack and reveal that a different character was using Charles' name for the past season, but it can lessen CeCe's own crimes. Even apart from that history, it's not okay that the only trans character on the entire show is a violent sociopath. Okay so I am watching season 7 for like the sixth time and I just realized that all this time I had been taking for granted that Cece Drake had Apparently, Mary manages to get pregnant (twice) and delivers twins in the sanitarium, one of whom we learn in the final season is Spencer (bringing full circle that she was born in a sanitarium only to return to the same one 16 or so years later). Sadness, eating disorders, self-harm, and suicidal ideation have been on the rise in teen girls for a decade. But as a psychologist in practice not unlike the shows Dr. Sullivan (although I certainly do not see groups of 4-5 teens in therapy! WhileNorman doesn't think thewriter meant to imply that being transgender makes you psychotic, or to contribute to that stereotype by making Cece A,that's how it was seen bymany people. Cue a scene of her being violently murdered on-screen. Sometimes the biggest clues are the most obvious ones. Marc Santora, who . And that worry was always front and center in the mind of executive producer Marlene King, who wrote last night's episode, "Game Over, Charles." San Diego Gay & Lesbian News (SDGLN) is the top-read news source for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community of San Diego. Throughout the series' current sixth season, it's been known that Charles DiLaurentis Ali's brother, long presumed dead was behind all of the Liars' hell, but it turned out, in Tuesday night's Season 6 mid-season finale, that "A" was none other than CeCe short for Charlotte Drake (Vanessa Ray), who was given the name Charles at birth. They expect more from I. Marlene King, the writers, and directors. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. We're still reeling from the truly shocking reveal, and we weren't the only ones surprised. Stop trying to have the perfect vacation. I think, again, we're bringing more awareness to the subject and, really, humanizing Charlotte. Mainly just the fact that Charlotte is never misgendered, other than by characters who simply do not know who she is and only knew who her as Charles. No characters ever react negatively to her being transgender, though there is a very formulated element of shock concerning the big reveal. "Crazy runs in the family, I say, and it just so happens that this person, I think, suffered some tragic consequences of a crazy family, but having nothing to do with [being] transgender." Cece Drake: Gone But Not Forgotten. Then she goes out into the world as CeCe Drake. Please enter a valid email and try again. A new name thats just the feminine version of her birth name, and the treatment of her identity as some sort of disguise. Usually, a TV show adding a transgender character would be something to celebrate, since there is not nearly enough trans representation in media. Or I did, anyway, before the "summer finale" of its sixth season aired Tuesday night. Will you support Voxs explanatory journalism? Game on, bitches. Technology is here to stay, so think about your relationship with it. The closest thing to an explanation CeCe gave for her cruel actions was the Liars first taking her long lost sister Ali away from her, then for being glad she was gone after her disappearance (according to Mona's ramblings in Radley), and finally being addicted to "the game." We haven't really discussed it, but my feelingis thatso much of Charlotte I feel like the cooler of the characters is Charlotte for me,the true, honest, broken little kid is Charlotteand she didn't get to have a childhood experience like her siblings did. Yes, CeCe is Ali's transgender sibling. Because of Monas heavily drugged state, doctors were unable to tell her what she was talking to. Vanessa. Dylan Garza as Charles in a flashback on Pretty Little Liars. ", But the best defense actually comes from Autostraddle's Hogan, who also acknowledged deep problems in the show's treatment of the issue. Its a story about how female victims are blamed for the crimes perpetrated against them by men," she writes. She didn't get to go to prom, .css-azif86{color:#000000;display:block;font-family:GTWalsheim,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-azif86:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-azif86{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.3;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-azif86{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.3;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-azif86{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.3;}}Family of Mallory Beach Gets $15M in Lawsuit, 35 Funny Christmas Movies That Will Make You LOL, 12 of the Scariest Horror Movie Characters Ever, Dahmer Victims' Families Speak Out Against Emmys, Check Out These New Photos from Heartstopper S2, 18 Classic Horror Movies You Have to Watch ASAP, 20 Hanukkah Movies That Will Light Up The Holiday, Nathan Lane Won't Be in "Only Murders" Season 3, The Bird Box Barcelona Ending, Explained. We believe thats an important part of building a more equal society. But then Alison was murdered or was she? So, Cece is banished to amental institution (Radley), because her parents believedshe posed a threat to her siblings. Alec Soth/Magnum A dozen eggs, bacon, maybe some biscuits: CeCe McDonald had a modest. But wait, it gets worse! When Russia invaded Ukraine, it put the global food supply at risk until the two countries struck an unusual deal to keep shipments flowing. Hogan also notes the show also encouraged misgendering of Charlotte, having characters refer to her as "he/she/it/bitch" rather than just "she": "And of course when I woke up this morning, I had dozens and dozens of messages on Twitter and Tumblr referring to Charlotte that way. CeCe died in the bell tower in Season 2, and her appearances in various flashback scenes over the course of the show have only made it difficult to predict how she will return in Season 3. She is not A because shes transgender, shes A because shes mentally unstable and she comes from a very crazy family.. Thereare just too many plot holes, like why she feels so angry towards the Liars and not just her family. Her clothing style, tone of voice, and hairstyle are all similar to Ali's . And that's just part of the problem with this episode. Only it wasn't Bethany it was Alison. The first twin was born in order for their biological father, Peter Hastings, and his wife, Veronica, to care for him. During the episode, we saw Cece (or Charlotte at the time)as a child wanting to wear dresses and be treated like a little girl. Shana is black. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Bustle reached out to ABC Family for a statement regarding the CeCe storyline, but did not hear back at the time of publication. Plenty of plot lines straight up make no sense. A teenage girl's eye rolls are a sign that she is beginning to judge and think for herself. She is played by actress Ashley Benson. The finale revealed that Big A is in fact Charlotte DiLaurentis (Vanessa Ray), who was known as Charles before transitioning. 17:How have fans reacted? I was like, somany questions,oh my god,so many feelings. I would hold onto those conversations as if theywere everything to me as an actress. She poisoned Aria, locked her in a crate, and tried to push her off a moving train; tried to burn Aria, Hanna, Emily, and Mona alive; tried to run over Mona, Emily, and Aria; crashed a car into Emily's living room and nearly killed her mom; kidnapped Emily, locked her in a wooden box, and tried to saw her in half; tried to freeze Spencer and Emily to death; and chased the Liars while firing at them with a gun, among other things. Any amount helps. Almost immediately after the reveal of her as a transgender woman. King, 53, acknowledges that writing a transgender character as evil could cause backlash. It's unclear who "he" is, and I sure as hell hope the line doesn't refer to Charlotte. After five andahalf seasons,A was finally revealed on Pretty Little Liars. Charlotte believed that the 4 had moved on and believed that they were happy Alison was dead. Her reveal as the main villain of the show couples with the fact that she is played by a cis woman has attracted ''a lot'' of criticisms for playing to harmful stereotypes of trans women.]] September 24, 2015 by Ryan Roschke. None of these reasons remotely warrant CeCe's treatment of the Liars, leaving her still looking like the evil antagonist A has been portrayed as for five years. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? In a Twitter convo today, he defended the finale,while also admitting that it doesn't allmake total sense. I saw these times over the past threeyears where I was like, 'Oh I totally could've figured it out!' The show also does make an attempt to illustrate the fact Charlotte was a victim of transmisogyny as a child, but that was evidently alleviated after her transition into a perfectly passing young woman played by a cisgender actress- which, we all know is just not the reality. To understand Ceces character, its necessary to understand her rather complex motives. Charlotte DiLaurentis, posing as CeCe Drake (on right, facing away), with her actual family: from left, sister Alison, brother Jason, father Kenneth, and mother Jessica. It has long been speculated that there's an Uber A out there, also working against the Liars and possibly influencing Big A. I didn't find out until early June, that was when westarted filming. But anyhow, it was later revealed that Charlotte was killed by the preceding A, who after turning a new leaf, accidentally killed her in a physical altercation following Charlotte explaining that she was never truly recovered. Charlotte DiLaurentis, aka CeCe Drake (Vanessa Ray), was revealed to be Big A. Pretty Little Liars returns to ABC Family this winter. ', "There was a day whenTroian sort of found out and she looked at me differently. Neither are trans in real life. In Pretty Little Liars, The Zombie Baby Doll Stalker is an anonymous figure. The name Drake comes from Spencer Hastings, CeCes half-sister and Alex Drake, CeCes identical twin. What she is is a person who was neglected as a child, who was never shown love or any humanity and because of that she went down a path of neglecting other people as though their humanity didnt matter either. Charlotte DiLaurentis next to her father, Kenneth, and brother, Jason, both of whom she knocked out. Her first text to the Liars announced, "Mona played with dolls, I play with body parts. 5. Vanessa Ray:"Not as long as people assume. Drake once joked that his diamond chain represents his 42 failed marriage proposals, so it's no surprise that he has some pretty interesting views on tying the knot. For Generations Y and Z, work, school, and life will never be the same. But it's also probably because she's transgender. Cece Drake (Vanessa Ray) was first revealed as A in the episode "Crash and Burn, Girl!" The episode, which aired on July 23, 2013, dealt with the fallout from the crash in the season three finale . But of course, in Hollywood, its all about the backdrop and the hospital was featured in some of the scariest scenes. Including, that is, the ubiquity of the worst of mental healthsanitariums, straitjackets, that human muzzle from Silence of the Lambs (whose terrifying movie cover image kept me from ever watching the film in the first place), and even a disturbing dance number from Maddie Ziegler, known for her performance in Sias Chandelier music video. When did CeCe become A? "I knew we had so many years to build this story and make it layered and not what it could have been. Alison's sexuality is portrayed as fluid; she has relationships with men but also harbors a deep and intermittently reciprocated attraction to Emily. VR: "That's a great question. Why? I think it's very similar tothat, where you have your reasons that they are who they are, and you stand firmly on that ground. To sum it up, Cece Drake is "A" (she was born Charles but transitioned while at Radley you can get her full story here), and Sara Harvey is red coat and black widow. That was really a time permitting thing, I wish we could have shown them getting out, but we will see them healthy and not still locked in the basement five years later.. I will always root for Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily, but right now, I can't root for Pretty Little Liars. Though. I would write questions that I had about the scene or a character or whatever, and the very first question I wrote was, Did I sleep with my brother? she says, laughing. Fans quickly tweeted their disappointment at the show, especially since it has handled LGBTissues so well so far. She's tortured the Liars for years, and killed a lot of people. "She was a villain because she came from a very, very crazy family, so genetically she is probably a little crazy too. I consider myself one who would have proudly passed the famous marshmallow test of Walter Mischel had I been one of those kindergartners being tested for delay of gratification. Hosted by Natalie Kitroeff. But one night, CeCe thought she saw Bethany outside her family home, and, knowing what Bethany was capable of and fearing for her family's safety, hit her on the head with a rock. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. Although the show attempted to give Charlotte an admittedly tragic backstory and clearly wanted viewers to sympathize with her, she did some really messed up things as A- including but not limited to multiple accounts of murder/attempted murder, and keeping 5 girls prisoner in an underground dungeon where she physically and psychologically tortured them so badly for months that all of them suffered clear effects of PTSD throughout the rest of the series. The girls now realize that they have been fighting a much stronger and more powerful enemy than they were previously led to believe. She was a very close friend to Alison and had spent a lot of time with her before she disappeared, a fact unknown by Ali's clique until then. In present day, a regressed Mona explains, "The reason . "I think the lesson we can learn is that if you neglect or torment somebody, which I believe Charles/Charlotte was, at a young age whether that be by parents or [society] if you treat somebody like they're nothing, chances are they will treat others like they're nothing as well.". American Horror Story: Hotel: Trans bartender Liz Taylor is played by cis actor Denis O'Hare. Charles DiLaurentis, the actor playing him, is played by Edward Kerr. Despite knowing that Season 7 would be the last, the . So then to find out you're wrongisa really big low blow. King promises that the still unexplained death of Ali, Jason and CeCes mother will be explored, and that well see CeCe in the first episode back. This has led many to believe that she may be transgender. Everything about the "CeCe as A" reveal seemed so last minute. The big reveal happened in the first 20 minutes of the episode, so the rest of the time we learned about why and how Cece became A. Author Aria Montgomery Lucy Hale Charlotte DiLaurentis (formerly known as Charles DiLaurentis; born Charles Drake; alias CeCe Drake) is a character on Pretty Little Liars, first introduced in Season 3. Charlotte DiLaurentis is a fictional character created by I. Marlene King for the American television series Pretty Little Liars and its spin-off web series Pretty Dirty Secrets . 6. While I am certainly not an expert in every form of psychiatric long-term facility in existence, I can tell you with certainty that the patients I have sent to the hospital have very structured group therapy, individual therapy, and activities hour to hour that keep them more than occupied and not roaming around aimlessly in underground basements. She also faked Mona's death and imprisoned her in the Dollhouse, making her dress up as and pretend to be Alison at all times. Trapped underground and forced to be A's new dolls, Wren, Ezra, Caleb, Jason, and Toby must find a way to outsmart A and bring an end to their twisted game and expose their true identity. Vanessa took some time to talk with Seventeen.com about what it was really like to find out her shocking identity and how she feels aboutthat twist. ", Ray agreed in a phone interview with BuzzFeed News. Which are the best self study blogs which have taken IANS body positive pregnancy test? I don't want to give up on the four young women I've always praised as fiercely feminist characters, but I also can't watch with good conscience as a show with so much influence uses it in such an ignorant way. But when it comes to what were trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on. She and Charles DiLaurentis have the same initials. The writers gave these transphobic people that language, just handed it right to them, and now its everywhere." No, she was not, as was revealed at the conclusion of season four after years of hints; she was merely hit in the head with a rock and partially buried alive by her mother, after which she left Rosewood (the fictional Philly suburb in which the show is set) for a few years and went into hiding, only to return home in season five. And now looking back I'm like, 'Oh that's why she always wanted to have that line that way. She believed she had killed her (she actually hadnt, though the other girl was killed when someone else mistook her for Ali), and retreated back to the sanatorium. newsletter. If you've never seen the show, the basic premise is that the foursome at its center ("the Liars") used to be extremely close friends with Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse), who served as the clique's Queen Bee and was generally an awful person. Cece Drake makes her first appearance in Season 3, after the defeat of the first incarnation of A and the subsequent continuation of the The Game (as the show refers to it) with a brand new A. The main 4 overhear her using phrases attributed to the presumed deceased Alison, only for her to reveal shes been friends with Alison for a long time and knows each of the 4 girls by name and personality. She is one of the shows most important and iconic villains, and we can expect to see a lot more of her in the future. Nigers coup and the international communitys opposition, explained, How To With John Wilson is still unlike anything else on TV, 3 reasons the US might actually fix inflation without a recession, This ticks spit can make you allergic to meat, How windfall profits from AI companies could fund a universal basic income. He doesn't write for PLL, but he sees why the writers depicted A the way that they did. The energy expenditure required for a severely depressed patient to exercise let alone plan some scheme is essentially nonexistent. [With Pretty Little Liars], the blame is actually shifted and its about [Alisons father] Kenneth not being able to handle who [Charlotte] was. With Shannon Lin. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Ray and King filming "Game Over Charles.". Of course, Spencer still manages to find game boards, puzzle pieces, and abandoned rooms and there seems to be a level of roaming about the facility which again, doesnt happen in real psychiatric facilities. According to Elliott and Mona, Cece was accidentally killed by accident in the churchs bell tower. Last week, that deal fell apart. 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But the ABC Family show is also a great modern take on themes from detective fiction and film noir, a deliberate and potent exaggeration of high school conflict that works for the same reason Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars did, an unusually sophisticated treatment of teen sexuality, and a surprisingly powerful indictment of the patriarchy. I think theyre still trapped there, King deadpans. I felt like I was thrown right in the middle of this huge conversation, but I couldnt have it yet, says Ray, 34, of keeping the secret. How To Have Great Anal Sex: A Guide For Gay Men, Is Tom Colicchio From Top Chef Gay? But it did feel like, like you do when you watch the show, you watch the old episodes and you go, 'Oh I can see why Cece did this;'I felt very similar. I've loved, supported, and promoted this show from the moment I started watching it, but after this, I'm seriously considering turning my back on it, unless a few things happen. "Because this wasn't just an accident; Marlene has planned this for threeyears, and she started this storyline in a time when we weren't having the conversation about transgender issuesthat we're having now. You know how high school goes. Mental health videos on social media have received billions of views, and many young people are diagnosing themselves with disorders like ADHD. I was so anxious and nervous and hoped the performance would live up to what people wanted it to be. Charlotte DiLaurentis being creepy with head mannequin hair (with Alison behind her). .css-azif86{color:#000000;display:block;font-family:GTWalsheim,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-azif86:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-azif86{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.3;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-azif86{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.3;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-azif86{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.3;}}Family of Mallory Beach Gets $15M in Lawsuit, 35 Funny Christmas Movies That Will Make You LOL, 12 of the Scariest Horror Movie Characters Ever, Dahmer Victims' Families Speak Out Against Emmys, Check Out These New Photos from Heartstopper S2, 18 Classic Horror Movies You Have to Watch ASAP, 20 Hanukkah Movies That Will Light Up The Holiday, Nathan Lane Won't Be in "Only Murders" Season 3, The Bird Box Barcelona Ending, Explained. This has led many to believe that she may be transgender. Cece was A, as Phaedra Joyce points out for all of us to see, every single time. The body of Mona was never found until the episode aired on Tuesday night. But what really made sense was that she loved her family so much and she wanted to be as close to them as possible, and the thing is she felt an instant connection with him and he felt an instant connection with her. While the show began innocently enough and was intriguing (I guessed Alison to be alive from the first episode and Jenna to miraculously regain sight), over time they pulled out more and more of the stops, with many nods to thrillers such as Psycho (shower scene) and Hitchcock-esque elements complete a Rear View Brew. Thats right. The girls then proceed to break just about every law on the books regarding trespassing, breaking and entering, wiretapping, and so forth trying to stop and unmask A (and solve Alison's "murder"). She quotes Hugh Ryan of the Pop Up Museum of Queer History arguing that Charlotte actually represents progress in treatment of trans villains: "It used to be: If you were trans, that was the reason you were a villain, like Sleepaway Camp or The Wasp Factory. The percentage of children in the deviant category who torture animals is extremely low and they are typically not parading around suburban Pennsylvania towns in heels toting shopping bags. Hosted by Michael Barbaro. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. In the back half of season six, the show can reveal that this person was responsible for some of the worst actions against the Liars, and maybe even forced CeCe's hand. It may take fans forever to dig up all of the obvious clues that CeCe/Charlotte has been A all along, but Marlene is revealing that there aren't just clues, she straight up told viewers who A was. First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. And yet, even post-mortem it continues to get worse. Alice also appears in the third seasons episode This Is A Dark Ride. Although the show doesnt really link any of these behaviors with Charlottes status as a trans woman, its obvious that her character doesnt exist for the sake of positive representation or diversity. It just felt like the right story, so I wanted to be truthful and tell it in an honest way but also be sensitive to the transgender community, and I think we created a very well-rounded character who just happens to be transgender, she explains. "The hands down most damaging trope about trans women is that they are deceitful. At last, 7 seasons and 160 episodes later, I can finally Google all those lingering questions regarding the show, Pretty Little Liars, without fear of accidentally finding out who A was all along. Mona ends up in a mental institute called Radley Sanitarium (sanitariums having been replaced by psychiatric wards in hospitals long ago, and certainly not looking like what is sensationalized on the show) at the end of season one the moment when the missing psychologist Dr. Sullivan returns with a diagnosis (if you can call it that) which explains Monas terrorizing of the girls. Social media's role in the current national youth mental health crisis raises concern for the Surgeon General. But A, like the Dread Pirate Robert or Gossip Girl, is less a rigid designator than a title that passes from person to person, and sure enough, someone else stepped up and became A after Mona was unmasked and committed to Radley Sanitarium. Later, in season three, Mona (while at Radley Sanitarium) told Charlotte that the Liars were glad Alison was dead. King has already addressed this critique of the episode, and argued that Charlotte wasn't the true villain: The real villain was Charlotte and Alison's transphobic father, whose abuse of Charlotte warped her and made her into A. For example, she has never been seen in a romantic relationship with a man, instead only pursuing women. Before the finale, the show had already established that Big A was, in all likelihood, Charles DiLaurentis: an older brother that Alison, the Liars, and the audience didn't know existed until the end of season five. We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and I read a lot about what it was like coming out to their parents and if you did it at a young age or an old age and also the thing I kind of noticed across the board is that they knew from a young age. 2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. "At its core, Pretty Little Liars is a story about the way men assume ownership over womens bodies, strip away their agency, deprive them of their of autonomy, deny them subjectivity, and silence them.

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