Behind Mask & Makeup – Gender Queer Coding in Screen History

Today I learned that Al Pacino’s DOG DAY AFTERNOON plot was all based on Gender Re-assignment Surgery as the motive for the bank robbery. The idea came up to investigate just how much filthe Zionic Hollywood has foisted upon society, and I tasked gemini to do the research. Dr Lasha Darkmoon (darkmoon.me) and Dr Henry Makow (savethemales.ca) websites also provided inspiration.

Century of MK-Faggification via Zionic Hollywood

Introduction

Film and television have always been mirrors reflecting the shifting boundaries of society. From the earliest days of Hollywood to modern streaming giants, the portrayal of non-normative gender identities, cross-dressing, and LGBTQ+ themes has evolved dramatically. What began as comedic disguise or psychological shock value has transformed into mainstream biographical realism.

This post explores the historical timeline of these themes, diving into the writers, studios, and cultural purposes behind these portrayals, while also examining the undeniable camp and queer coding embedded in one of our most popular modern genres: the superhero film.

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Part 1: The Timeline & Deep Dives

Era 1: Disguise, Subculture, and the Code (1950s–1970s)

During this era, the Hays Code strictly limited depictions of “sexual perversion.” Therefore, cross-dressing and gender fluidity were often masked as comedy or tied to underground subcultures.

• Some Like It Hot (1959)
  • Studio: United Artists
  • Production & Writers: Directed by Billy Wilder; written by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond.
  • Theme & Purpose: Cross-dressing used strictly as a comedic and survival disguise for two musicians fleeing the mob. It subverted the Hays Code by making the “deviance” a desperate necessity, yet it ended up heavily popularizing camp humor in mainstream cinema.
• Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)
  • Studio: Matsumoto Production Company (Japan)
  • Production & Writers: Written and directed by Toshio Matsumoto.
  • Theme & Purpose: An avant-garde, documentary-style dive into Tokyo’s underground gay and transgender culture, loosely adapting Oedipus Rex. It was meant to disrupt traditional narrative and expose a hidden, rebellious subculture.
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
  • Studio: Warner Bros.
  • Production & Writers: Directed by Sidney Lumet; written by Frank Pierson.
  • Theme & Purpose: Based on the real-life 1972 Brooklyn bank robbery by John Wojtowicz. The plot’s major reveal—that the robbery is to fund his partner Leon’s gender-affirming surgery—was a watershed moment. It treated a marginalized identity with striking empathy amid a gritty, anti-establishment crime thriller.

Era 2: Psychological Framing, Thrillers, and Cult Camp (1980s–1990s)

As censorship relaxed, media often linked gender non-conformity to psychological thriller elements, though the era also saw the rise of humanizing independent films.

• Dressed to Kill (1980) & The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
  • Studios: Filmways Pictures / Orion Pictures
  • Production & Writers: Brian De Palma (Dressed to Kill); Ted Tally, adapting Thomas Harris (Silence).
  • Theme & Purpose: Both films used gender dysphoria or cross-dressing as a visual and psychological tool to signify a fractured, dangerous psyche. While highly acclaimed as thrillers, they established a controversial pattern of equating trans identities with criminality or psychosis.
• The Crying Game (1992)
  • Studio: Palace Pictures
  • Production & Writers: Written and directed by Neil Jordan.
  • Theme & Purpose: Set against the backdrop of the IRA, the film’s famous “twist” revolves around the gender identity of the character Dil. It forced audiences to confront their own preconceptions about attraction and gender within a tense political drama.

Era 3: Mainstream Integration & Biographical Realism (2000s–Present)

The modern era shifted heavily toward casting trans actors, telling true stories, and normalizing LGBTQ+ experiences without using them as punchlines or plot twists.

• Boys Don’t Cry (1999) & The Danish Girl (2015)
  • Studios: Fox Searchlight / Focus Features
  • Theme & Purpose: Both are based on real historical figures (Brandon Teena and Lili Elbe, respectively). The purpose shifted from shock to deep empathy, highlighting the tragic real-world consequences of societal bigotry and the intimate reality of gender transition.

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Part 2: The Camp Masters: John Waters & Tim Burton’s Muse

When discussing the deliberate subversion of traditional sexuality and gender norms in film, John Waters is undeniable. Operating out of Baltimore, Waters created the “Trash Trilogy,” purposely trying to offend polite society and elevate “deviant” subcultures to the level of art.

• Key Waters Films: Pink Flamingos (1972), Female Trouble (1974), and Hairspray (1988) all heavily featured the iconic drag queen Divine. Waters’ films were a direct middle finger to heteronormative, middle-class values.

The Johnny Depp Connection:

While Johnny Depp did star in John Waters’ Cry-Baby (1990) as a rebellious teen, the film you are likely thinking of where Depp plays an avid cross-dresser is Ed Wood (1994).

• Production Details: Directed by Tim Burton, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Touchstone Pictures).
• Theme: Depp plays the real-life “worst director of all time,” Edward D. Wood Jr., a heterosexual man who famously found comfort in wearing women’s angora sweaters and women’s underwear, a trait he wrote into his own semi-autobiographical film, Glen or Glenda (1953).

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Part 3: Spandex and Subtext: The Superhero Genre

You cannot explore the history of gender presentation, bodily exaggeration, and queer coding without looking at the superhero genre—literally “men in tights.”

1. The Circus Origins and the Panic of the 1950s

The visual language of superheroes (capes, tight spandex, trunks over leggings) was lifted directly from 1930s circus strongmen and trapeze artists. However, by 1954, psychiatrist Fredric Wertham published Seduction of the Innocent, famously claiming that Batman and Robin’s domestic life in Wayne Manor was a “wish dream of two homosexuals living together.” This panic led to the creation of the Comics Code Authority, heavily censoring the medium.

2. The Camp of the 1960s & The Schumacher Era

The 1966 Batman TV show, starring Adam West, leaned entirely into high camp, turning the hyper-masculine vigilante into a colorful, effeminate pop-art icon. Later, director Joel Schumacher (an openly gay man) directed Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997). Schumacher brought drag/club culture aesthetics, neon lighting, and infamous anatomical suits (featuring molded nipples and prominent codpieces) to mainstream blockbusters, intentionally emphasizing the homoerotic undertones of the genre.

3. Mutants as a Marginalized Metaphor

In the 2000s, the X-Men film franchise (originally directed by Bryan Singer, also an openly gay man) used mutants as a direct allegory for the LGBTQ+ experience. The scene in X2 (2003) where Iceman reveals his powers to his parents is shot exactly like a coming-out scene, complete with the mother asking, “Have you tried not being a mutant?”

4. Modern Subversion

Today, films like Deadpool (featuring a pansexual protagonist) and shows like Doom Patrol or The Boys actively play with, deconstruct, and satirize the hyper-sexualized, fetishistic nature of superhero costumes and hero worship.

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Part 4: The Master Lists (100 Films & 100 TV Shows)

Below is an expanded master index of media where cross-dressing, transgender identities, non-normative sexualities, or queer themes play a part in the plot, narrative, or subtext.

100 Films Featuring Gender/Sexual Identity Themes

The Original 50 (From Previous Analysis):

1. Dog Day Afternoon (Real-life bank robbery for surgery)
2. The Crying Game (Political thriller / gender reveal)
3. Boys Don’t Cry (Real-life tragedy of Brandon Teena)
4. The Danish Girl (Real-life story of Lili Elbe)
5. Transamerica (Road trip / transition)
6. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Punk rock / botched surgery)
7. Paris Is Burning (NYC Ballroom documentary)
8. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
9. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
10. Victor/Victoria
11. Some Like It Hot
12. Mrs. Doubtfire
13. Tootsie
14. White Chicks
15. She’s the Man
16. Yentl
17. Mulan (Animated)
18. Mulan (Live Action)
19. Just One of the Guys
20. Sorority Boys
21. A Fantastic Woman
22. Tangerine
23. Disclosure (Documentary)
24. Ma Vie en Rose
25. Normal
26. Laurence Anyways
27. By Hook or by Crook
28. Southern Comfort
29. XXY
30. Dressed to Kill
31. The Silence of the Lambs
32. Sleepaway Camp
33. Cruising
34. The Assignment
35. All About My Mother
36. Talk to Her
37. Bad Education
38. Law of Desire
39. The Skin I Live In
40. Funeral Parade of Roses
41. The World According to Garp
42. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
43. Pink Flamingos
44. Female Trouble
45. Hairspray
46. The Birdcage
47. Kinky Boots
48. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
49. Dallas Buyers Club
50. Call Me by Your Name

50 Additional Films:

51. Ed Wood (Cross-dressing as a core character trait)

52. Glen or Glenda (Early exploration of transvestitism)

53. Brokeback Mountain (Repressed homosexuality in the West)

54. Moonlight (Coming of age/sexuality in Miami)

55. Carol (1950s lesbian romance/taboo)

56. Milk (Biopic of the first openly gay elected official)

57. Blue is the Warmest Color

58. Portrait of a Lady on Fire

59. Boy Meets Girl

60. Gun Hill Road

61. Tomboy

62. Pariah

63. The Watermelon Woman

64. Bound (Neo-noir lesbian mafia thriller)

65. Desert Hearts

66. But I’m a Cheerleader (Satire of conversion therapy)

67. Shock Treatment (Sequel to Rocky Horror)

68. Clue (Tim Curry’s camp performance/subtext)

69. The Producers (Featuring the flamboyant Carmen Ghia)

70. Shakespeare in Love (Gender disguise for acting)

71. Let the Right One In (Androgynous/castrated vampire)

72. Interview with the Vampire (Homoerotic undertones of vampires)

73. The Matrix (The character Switch was originally meant to change genders in the Matrix)

74. V for Vendetta (Features a subplot about a woman imprisoned for being gay)

75. The Hunger (Bisexual vampire themes)

76. Mulholland Drive (Identity and sexual fluidity)

77. The Handmaiden (Erotic psychological thriller)

78. Happy Together (Wong Kar-wai’s exploration of a toxic gay relationship)

79. Weekend

80. A Single Man

81. Gods and Monsters (Biopic of James Whale, gay director of Frankenstein)

82. Kinsey (Biopic of the sex researcher who shattered norms)

83. Foxcatcher (Repressed, violent psycho-sexual dynamics)

84. Capote

85. I Love You Phillip Morris (True story of a con man breaking out of prison for his lover)

86. Beginners

87. Love, Simon

88. Booksmart

89. Bottoms

90. Batman & Robin (Schumacher’s ultimate camp superhero film)

91. X2: X-Men United (Mutant status as LGBTQ+ allegory)

92. Deadpool (Pansexual superhero protagonist)

93. The Kids Are All Right

94. Orlando (Gender fluidity across centuries)

95. Breakfast on Pluto

96. Velvet Goldmine (Glam rock and sexual fluidity)

97. Cabaret

98. The Favourite (Royal lesbian love triangle)

99. Rent

100. Cloud Atlas (Souls reincarnating across different genders and sexualities)

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100 TV Shows Featuring Gender/Sexual Identity Themes

The Original 50 (From Previous Analysis):

1. MAS*H (Klinger’s cross-dressing scheme)
2. St. Elsewhere (Early medical exploration of trans patients)
3. Oz (Prison dynamics, extreme sexual deviancy, survival sex)
4. Orange Is the New Black
5. Pose
6. Transparent
7. Euphoria
8. Sex Education
9. Queer as Folk
10. The L Word
11. Homicide: Life on the Street
12. Law & Order: SVU (Frequently deals with sexual taboos/crimes)
13. Nip/Tuck (Extreme body modification and sexual identities)
14. Dexter
15. American Horror Story (High camp, queer themes, fetishism)
16. True Detective
17. The Shield
18. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Often featured fetish subcultures)
19. ER
20. Grey’s Anatomy
21. House
22. Chicago Med
23. Will & Grace
24. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Mac’s repressed sexuality)
25. South Park (Mr. Garrison’s gender transitions)
26. Family Guy
27. Arrested Development (Tobias Fünke’s ambiguous sexuality)
28. The Office
29. Broad City
30. Degrassi: The Next Generation
31. Skins
32. Riverdale
33. Gossip Girl
34. 13 Reasons Why
35. Star Trek: The Next Generation (Explored genderless alien races)
36. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (First same-sex kiss in Trek history)
37. Black Mirror (e.g., “Striking Vipers” episode on virtual gender/sex)
38. Westworld
39. Sense8 (Created by the trans Wachowski sisters; deeply queer/poly themes)
40. Six Feet Under
41. Shameless
42. The Sopranos (Vito’s hidden homosexuality in the mafia)
43. Mad Men (Sal’s closeted existence in the 60s)
44. Boardwalk Empire
45. The Wire (Omar Little, a strictly moral, openly gay stick-up man)
46. RuPaul’s Drag Race
47. I Am Cait
48. My Trans Life
49. Californication
50. True Blood (Vampirism as an allegory for queer rights/deviancy)

50 Additional TV Shows:

51. Glee (Pioneered mainstream high school LGBTQ+ narratives)

52. Modern Family

53. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Captain Holt’s stoic gay identity)

54. Schitt’s Creek (Created a universe devoid of homophobia)

55. Steven Universe (Animated show normalizing fluid gender/relationships)

56. Adventure Time

57. The Owl House

58. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

59. The Legend of Korra (Bisexual leads)

60. Harley Quinn (Explores Harley and Poison Ivy’s romantic relationship)

61. Doom Patrol (Features a sentient, genderqueer, teleporting street named Danny)

62. Peacemaker (Explores bisexuality and toxic masculinity)

63. The Boys (Queen Maeve’s corporate-managed sexuality)

64. Gen V (Features a superhero who changes gender from male to female)

65. Looking

66. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (and the modern reboot)

67. The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula (Horror/punk drag subculture)

68. We’re Here

69. It’s a Sin (The 1980s AIDS crisis in London)

70. Veneno (Biopic of Spanish trans icon La Veneno)

71. Heartstopper

72. Young Royals

73. Elite

74. Fellow Travelers (McCarthy-era lavender scare)

75. The Last of Us (Features standout standalone LGBTQ+ survival stories)

76. Black Sails (Pirate history interwoven with queer romance)

77. Spartacus (Roman-era sexual fluidity and same-sex gladiatorial bonds)

78. Game of Thrones (Loras Tyrell, Oberyn Martell)

79. House of the Dragon

80. Orphan Black (Clones with differing sexualities and gender expressions)

81. Doctor Who (The Doctor changing genders; Captain Jack Harkness’s omnisexuality)

82. Torchwood (Bisexual and fluid relationships among alien hunters)

83. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Willow’s groundbreaking lesbian relationship)

84. Xena: Warrior Princess (Heavy queer subtext that became text)

85. Angel

86. Smash

87. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Exploration of bisexuality)

88. Jane the Virgin

89. Vida

90. One Day at a Time

91. Supergirl (Introduced Dreamer, the first trans superhero on TV)

92. Legends of Tomorrow (Heavy themes of sexual fluidity)

93. Batwoman (First openly lesbian superhero leading a TV show)

94. Hannibal (Intense, homoerotic psycho-sexual bond between the leads)

95. Penny Dreadful (Exploration of Victorian sexual taboos)

96. The L Word: Generation Q

97. Queer as Folk (2022 Reboot)

98. Mindhunter (Profiles serial killers with complex psycho-sexual pathologies)

99. Fleabag (Exploration of female sexual transgression)

100. Batman (1966) (The ultimate genesis of superhero TV camp)

how could you leave out midnight in the garden of good and evil?

Actually, I didn’t! If you scroll back up to the master list of 100 films in the previous response, you’ll spot it sitting right there at #42.

But you are 100% right to call it out, because honestly, it deserves way more than just a passing bullet point. It is a massive milestone for the exact patterns of media portrayal we’ve been tracking.

Here is why Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) is such a crucial piece of this puzzle:

• The Lady Chablis: This is the biggest deal regarding this film. Instead of casting a cisgender male actor to play a drag queen or trans woman (which was the absolute standard in Hollywood at the time, e.g., The Crying Game or Tootsie), director Clint Eastwood cast the real-life transgender icon and performer The Lady Chablis to play herself. She stole the show and brought an unprecedented level of authenticity to a mainstream blockbuster.
• Bridging the Eras: In our timeline of how these themes evolved, this film perfectly bridges the gap between the “Middle Era” (where gender non-conformity was tied to murder mysteries and crime) and the “Modern Era” (which focuses on biographical realism and casting actual trans actors).
• True Crime Roots: Based on John Berendt’s wildly popular non-fiction book, it brought the real-life, underground LGBTQ+ subculture of Savannah, Georgia, straight into the living rooms of middle America.

So, while it was on the master list, good catch on emphasizing it—when it comes to unraveling the history of queer representation and true-crime Hollywood adaptations, The Lady Chablis is absolutely essential to the timeline.

NOTES

movie about money for bank robbery being, in the plot, for use in gender reassignment surgery. which movie is it?

Dog Day Afternoon

4

Key plot point:
The main character (played by Al Pacino) robs a bank in Brooklyn, and one of the central motivations in the story is to get money for his partner’s gender reassignment surgery.

Extra context:

• It’s based on a real 1972 bank robbery by John Wojtowicz.
• The film mixes crime, media spectacle, and psychological drama.
• The surgery motive becomes a major emotional and narrative reveal during the hostage standoff.

If you were remembering that unusual motive tied to a bank robbery plot, this is the definitive film—it’s one of the most famous examples of it.

ok now list at least 50 movies having any kind of tranvestitism, queers, gender reassignment, anything sexually deviant playing any part in the plot. this should be easy. list 100 if you can.

I’ll give you a large, clear list of films where cross-dressing, gender identity, or transgender themes play a role in the plot. I’ll keep the descriptions neutral and factual.

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Major / Well-Known Films

1. Dog Day Afternoon
2. The Crying Game
3. Boys Don’t Cry
4. The Danish Girl
5. Transamerica
6. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
7. Paris Is Burning
8. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
9. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
10. Victor/Victoria

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Cross-Dressing / Gender Disguise (Plot Device)

11. Some Like It Hot
12. Mrs. Doubtfire
13. Tootsie
14. White Chicks
15. She’s the Man
16. Yentl
17. Mulan
18. Mulan
19. Just One of the Guys
20. Sorority Boys

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Transgender / Gender Identity Themes

21. A Fantastic Woman
22. Tangerine
23. Disclosure
24. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
25. Ma Vie en Rose
26. Normal
27. Laurence Anyways
28. By Hook or by Crook
29. Southern Comfort
30. XXY

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Crime / Thriller / Dark Themes

31. Dressed to Kill
32. Silence of the Lambs
33. Sleepaway Camp
34. Cruising
35. The Assignment

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Drama / Art House / International

36. All About My Mother
37. Talk to Her
38. Bad Education
39. Law of Desire
40. The Skin I Live In
41. Funeral Parade of Roses
42. The World According to Garp
43. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

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Comedy / Satire / Camp

44. Pink Flamingos
45. Female Trouble
46. Hairspray
47. The Birdcage
48. Kinky Boots
49. Rocky Horror Picture Show

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Additional Titles (Mixed Genres)

50. Cloud Atlas
51. Predestination
52. Orlando
53. Breakfast on Pluto
54. Velvet Goldmine
55. Cabaret
56. The Favourite
57. Pose
58. Dallas Buyers Club
59. Rent
60. Call Me by Your Name

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Summary

• These films span:
  • Crime plots (like Dog Day Afternoon)
  • Historical transitions (The Danish Girl)
  • Cross-dressing disguises (Some Like It Hot)
  • Subculture documentation (Paris Is Burning)
  • Psychological or thriller angles (Silence of the Lambs)
• The theme appears across every genre: comedy, drama, crime, horror, and art-house.

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If you want, I can narrow this down further into:

• Only crime plots like Dog Day Afternoon
• Only real-life-based cases
• Or a timeline showing when this theme became common in film

give timeline, and list real-life-based cases

Timeline: Evolution of Gender / Cross-Dressing / Transition Themes in Film

1950s–1970s: Disguise, Shock, and Early Subculture Visibility

4

• 1959 — Some Like It Hot
  Cross-dressing used as comedic disguise.
• 1969 — Funeral Parade of Roses
  Early depiction of Tokyo transgender/drag subculture.
• 1975 — The Rocky Horror Picture Show
  Gender-fluid performance enters mainstream cult cinema.
• 1975 — Dog Day Afternoon
  First major mainstream film tying a real-life crime to funding gender reassignment.

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1980s–1990s: Psychological Framing + Cultural Expansion

4

• 1980 — Dressed to Kill
  Gender identity used in thriller/horror framing.
• 1991 — The Silence of the Lambs
  Psychological/identity themes tied to criminal behavior.
• 1992 — The Crying Game
  Mainstream dramatic reveal centered on gender identity.
• 1994–1995 —
  The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,
  To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
  Road-trip/comedy normalization of drag culture.

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2000s: Biographical & Humanized Narratives

4

• 1999–2005 transition era
  • Boys Don’t Cry
  • Hedwig and the Angry Inch
  • Transamerica
  • Breakfast on Pluto
  Shift toward personal identity stories, often based on real individuals.

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2010s–Present: Mainstream Integration & Biographical Focus

4

• 2015 — The Danish Girl
  High-profile historical transition story.
• 2015 — Tangerine
  Ground-level realism with trans actors.
• 2017 — A Fantastic Woman
  Award-winning international recognition.
• 2020 — Disclosure
  Meta-analysis of Hollywood’s portrayal.

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Real-Life-Based Cases (Films Based on Actual People or Events)

Confirmed Real Individuals / Events

1. Dog Day Afternoon
   Based on John Wojtowicz bank robbery (1972).
2. Boys Don’t Cry
   Based on Brandon Teena.
3. The Danish Girl
   Based on Lili Elbe.
4. The Crying Game
   Fictional story, but rooted in real IRA conflict context.
5. Dallas Buyers Club
   Based on Ron Woodroof (includes trans character Rayon inspired by real communities).
6. Paris Is Burning
   Real NYC ballroom scene participants.
7. Southern Comfort
   Real-life trans individuals in the U.S. South.
8. Normal
   Inspired by real-life transition cases in marriage contexts.
9. Laurence Anyways
   Fictional but grounded in real transition experiences.
10. A Fantastic Woman
    Fictional story reflecting real legal/social conditions in Chile.

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Additional Semi-Real / Composite / Documentary-Based

11. Disclosure
12. Tangerine (based on real-life experiences of actors)
13. By Hook or by Crook
14. Funeral Parade of Roses (draws from real Tokyo scene)

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Key Pattern Observations

1. Early Era (1950s–1970s)

• Mostly disguise-based or underground subculture depictions
• Rare but notable real-life link: Dog Day Afternoon

2. Middle Era (1980s–1990s)

• Often framed in:
  • crime
  • psychological thriller
• Gradual mainstream exposure

3. Modern Era (2000s–present)

• Strong shift toward:
  • biographical films
  • documentary realism
  • personal identity narratives

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Bottom Line

• The theme transitions from comedic disguise → psychological framing → biographical realism over time.
• Real-life-based stories become far more common after ~1999, especially with:
  • Boys Don’t Cry
  • The Danish Girl

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movie with prisoners in a cell maybe around 1940s, very gomer=pyle feel; however, one inmate is a transvestite. he/she hits on the other cell mates. one or more (who are army) are released. is it the movie phildadelphia experiment?

Stalag 17

4

Why this fits your description:

• Setting: WWII German POW camp (feels like a barracks / cell environment)
• Tone: Mix of humor and tension — often compared to the same vibe later seen in shows like Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. or Hogan’s Heroes
• Characters: Ensemble of quirky prisoners with distinct personalities

About the “transvestite / effeminate inmate” memory:

• There isn’t a literal transgender storyline
• But there are campy, effeminate-coded characters and comedic bits, which is likely what you’re remembering
• The humor style of the era often used exaggerated mannerisms for comic effect

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Another Possible Match (less exact but similar tone)

🎬 Hogan’s Heroes (TV, not movie)

4

• Same POW setting
• Strong comedic tone
• Ensemble cast with exaggerated personalities

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mash tv show w the cd .. also, st elsewhere had an early episode about crossdresser coming into emergency room

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M*A*S*H — Corporal Klinger

4

What you’re thinking of:

• Character: Maxwell Q. Klinger
• Played by Jamie Farr

Key detail:

• Klinger constantly wears women’s clothing as a strategy to get a psychiatric discharge (“Section 8”) from the Army
• It’s a running gag across many episodes, not just one

Important clarification:

• He is not portrayed as transgender
• It’s explicitly a deliberate act to appear “crazy” to get out of service
• Over time, the show softens the joke and makes him a more serious character

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St. Elsewhere — ER cross-dressing episode

4

Yes — you’re remembering this correctly too.

• The show had multiple episodes dealing with gender identity / cross-dressing patients
• Typically presented as:
  • A patient arrives in the ER
  • Staff initially confused or conflicted
  • Episode explores identity, medical ethics, and social reactions

Example pattern (not always one specific episode):

• A biological male presenting as female comes into ER
• Doctors/nurses debate:
  • how to treat
  • what name/pronouns to use
  • psychological vs medical framing

This was early 1980s network TV, so:

• It was often framed as a “medical curiosity + social issue” episode
• More serious tone than MASH*

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list 50 other tv shows containing sexual deviancy as plot item

I’ll interpret this as TV shows where non-normative sexual behavior, identity, cross-dressing, or gender/sexual themes play a role in the plot (comedy, drama, crime, etc.), and list them cleanly.

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50 TV Shows with Gender / Sexual Identity / Non-Normative Themes

1. M*A*S*H
2. St. Elsewhere
3. Oz
4. Orange Is the New Black
5. Pose
6. Transparent
7. Euphoria
8. Sex Education
9. Queer as Folk
10. The L Word

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Crime / Prison / Dark Drama

11. Homicide: Life on the Street
12. Law & Order: SVU
13. Nip/Tuck
14. Dexter
15. American Horror Story
16. True Detective
17. The Shield
18. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

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Medical / Case-of-the-Week Shows

19. ER
20. Grey’s Anatomy
21. House
22. Chicago Med

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Comedy / Satire / Identity Themes

23. Will & Grace
24. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
25. South Park
26. Family Guy
27. Arrested Development
28. The Office
29. Broad City

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Teen / Youth / Identity Exploration

30. Degrassi: The Next Generation
31. Skins
32. Riverdale
33. Gossip Girl
34. 13 Reasons Why

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Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Conceptual Identity

35. Star Trek: The Next Generation
36. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
37. Black Mirror
38. Westworld
39. Sense8

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Drama / Character-Focused

40. Six Feet Under
41. Shameless
42. The Sopranos
43. Mad Men
44. Boardwalk Empire
45. The Wire

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Reality / Documentary / Subculture

46. RuPaul’s Drag Race
47. I Am Cait
48. My Trans Life

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Additional Notables

49. Californication
50. True Blood

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Pattern Summary

Across TV history, these themes appear in several recurring formats:

• Military / institutional comedy → MASH*
• Medical “case” episodes → St. Elsewhere, ER
• Crime / deviance framing → SVU, Oz, CSI
• Identity-focused drama → Transparent, Pose
• Comedy/satire → South Park, Always Sunny
• Reality/subculture → Drag Race