Dawn Ennis is a transgender parent with two kids at home. She and her family were looking for a dog to join their household. and the folks from the CW Network’s Ready, Set, Pet show stepped in to help. The big question was: Will their new addition get along with their cat?
In each episode of the show, host Phil Torres guides a family through the pet adoption process and helps them make an informed decision that’s right for their situation. In the case of Dawn and her children Liam and Sophie, he also helped them redo their backyard to be dog friendly.
The best part of the episode, though (aside from the cute puppies)? As Dawn wrote in a public Facebook post, “My favorite part: they didn’t once mention I’m trans. #Progress!”
I’m mentioning it here, though, with Dawn’s permission, since it may be heartening to other LGBTQ families to see us represented this way, without the assumption that being LGBTQ is the only or most important thing about us. Dawn told me that GLAAD and actor Scott Turner Schofield (a trans man) partnered with the producers to find their family. “The producers said that they saw us as just another family. I love that!” she said. “They didn’t ask me to not disclose but their attitude was, only if I felt it was relevant. They also paid tribute to my late wife.”
Dawn is also a veteran journalist who writes for The Daily Beast, NBC OUT, Logo, the Advocate, and her own Life After Dawn blog, among other places. She also hosts Rise Up with Dawn Ennis on West Hartford Community Television and co-hosts the Before the War podcast.
The episode, “A Friend for Faith,” which aired last Saturday, is not yet available anywhere in full, but here’s a preview: