‘Blue’ bids Ferndale farewell

Shortland Street’s first transgender star to leave show.

It’s the end of an era for Shortland Street’s transgender actor Tash Keddy, but there are hopes his storyline will have a lasting impact.

Wellington-born Keddy made history when he became the medical soap’s first transgender actor playing a transgender character in a longrunning storyline.

Two years on, Keddy will make his final appearance in Wednesday’s episode as his character Blue — a teenage girl who wants to be a boy — leaves home to go flatting.

Keddy previously told the Herald he identified as “somewhere on the male spectrum — which is pretty broad”.

Reflecting on his first major acting gig, the 22-year-old told the Herald on Sunday he believed the role had hugely changed things for the transgender community.

“There is just a real lack of trans stories being told by trans people, for trans people or even by cis[gender] actors for trans people,” Keddy said.

“Representation is the key, it’s key to reaching new people and reaching out to people who might not be so sure about what it’s all about.

“It’s been really cool to play a character who’s maybe not so likeable but there are moments of charm and just general humanness that a lot of people feel like they can tap into and they can get past the transgender identity.”

Keddy was interested in exploring other acting roles in the future, but for now it was back to Auckland University to finish a fine arts degree he started before he landed his Shortland Street gig.

Keddy said that since hitting screens in March 2016, several people had approached him to say how important it was for them to have a character like Blue on television “which is so humbling”.

The 22-year-old said he was grateful to have played such an important role, but also be involved in decisions, such as the wording used, to make sure they were getting the storyline right.

“We’re not here to tell a story that isn’t real or is some sort of fictitious conception of what it means to be trans,” he said.

Producer Maxine Fleming said that Shortland Street always strived to represent diversity in the community — which was why having a young transgender character was so important.

“Equally as important was to find a transgender actor to play the role of Blue and we were lucky to find Tash to take it on, bringing credibility to the character from the start,” Fleming said.

“I think Blue’s storylines helped bring about a degree of acceptance over time as the audience shifted from initially reacting only to his gender and sexual preferences to responding to his ups and down as they would with any other character on the show.”

Fleming hoped this would also impact on the way transgender people are treated in their communities.

Keddy, whose storylines included bringing down a school bully, said he learned a lot in his time on Shortland Street.

“I got to work with some awesome people as well — people I don’t think I would have met any other way.”

“There is just a real lack of trans stories being told by trans people, for trans people . . . ” Tash Keddy