Friends: Creator Admits It Was A Mistake To Treat Chandler’s Trans Mom As Male

co-creator of friends (1994), Marta Kauffman apologized once again about another sitcom mistake. This time, she talked about how she shouldn’t have referred to her mother. Chandler (Matthew Perry)who was a trans woman, calling him “dad.”

“Pronouns weren’t something I understood,” said Kauffman in an interview with BBC which will air on July 11th. “So we didn’t refer to that character as ‘she.’ That was a mistake.”

The character, who was called Helena Handbasketwas interpreted by Kathleen Turnerwho said in the program Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, in 2019, that she would not accept to reprise the role because “there are people who are really suitable for the role.”

Kauffman also explained that now she values ​​a welcoming environment on set of the shows she works on. “I really like creating an environment where we have a happy set and a happy crew. It is very important to me that where we are is a safe place, a tolerant place, where there is no screaming. I fired a guy on the spot for making a joke about a trans cameraman. That just can’t happen,” she stated.

Furthermore, in the last week, Kauffman made a $4 million donation to African American Studies as an apology for the series’ lack of representation. The sitcom has come under fire over the years for featuring predominantly white characters.

“I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “Admitting and accepting blame is not easy. It’s painful to look at you in the mirror. I’m embarrassed I didn’t know this 25 years ago.”

Creator added: “It took a long time for me to understand what the racist system is internalized. I have worked very hard to become an ally, an anti-racist. And that seems to be the way I can participate in the discussion from a white woman’s point of view.”