Zoe Luper
| Zoe Luper | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All My Children character | |||||||||||
 Jeffrey Carlson as Zoe | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Jeffrey Carlson | ||||||||||
| Duration | 2006–2007 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | August 23, 2006 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | April 26, 2007 | ||||||||||
| Created by | Megan McTavish | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Zoe Luper is a fictional character portrayed by actor Jeffrey Carlson on the ABC daytime drama All My Children. Zoe is possibly the first transgender television character depicted at the beginning of male-to-female transition.[1] The character debuted in August 2006 as Zarf, a rock star who presents as male. Zarf/Zoe returned during the period of November 29, 2006 to April 26, 2007.
Zoe was created by Megan McTavish, the show's head writer. Her inspiration for the character was TransGeneration (2005), a documentary series about transgender students at universities in the US. "I found [the students'] experiences so moving that I started thinking along those lines," she said.[2]
Storyline
Zoe is introduced on August 23, 2006 as Freddie Luper, a male-presenting international rock star whose stage name is Zarf. Due to a strained relationship with her father, Freddie had left home at age 16. At 19, Zarf is a rock star and a millionaire. In 2006, Babe Carey Chandler and Josh Madden persuade Zarf to sign a contract allowing them to use her music in an ad campaign for Fusion Cosmetics.
In the episode of November 29, 2006, Zarf causes a stir by meditating in the nude to connect with the creative energies of the offices of Fusion Cosmetics. Zarf meets and falls instantly in love with Bianca Montgomery, who is a lesbian. Her feelings for Bianca give Zarf the courage to come out on New Year's Eve as a transgender lesbian named Zoe.
Later, Zoe is suspected of being the Satin Slayer, a serial killer who poisoned Simone Torres and Erin Lavery, who attempted to kill Danielle Frye. when she is openly accused at the Chandler Mansion, she reveals that she is transgender, but no one believes her except Babe. Some people in the town of Pine Valley come to accept Zoe as a woman, but others remain skeptical of her and of transgender experience in general. Zoe is attacked by the Satin Slayer and survives. She is cleared of suspicion when the true killer is revealed to be Alexander Cambias, Sr.
As part of her transition, Zoe joins a transgender support group and meets with an endocrinologist. She talks with her mother about being transgender, and their relationship improves. She has not decided whether or not to undergo genital reassignment surgery. She receives a letter from her father, who says that he hopes to be able one day to accept and love Zoe as he loved Freddie. She returns to her home in London to continue her transition, and to begin work on a new album.
See also
References
- ^ Associated Press (November 26, 2006). "All My Children features transgender role". Today.com. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
- ^ Greenfield, Beth (January 18, 2007). "Soap dish: A blond transgender bombshell makes daytime-TV history on All My Children". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
External links