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Scott Turner Schofield isn’t interested in being known for his “historic firsts.”
The trans actor and activist recently spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about why he bristles against certain labels when it comes to trans-related achievements.
“I’m known for these ‘historic firsts,’ “ he explains. “The first out trans actor on daytime TV, the first out trans man nominated for an Emmy for acting.”
“But the more I study history — when people had the same identities but had to live them differently — the less I believe in the mythology of ‘firsts,’ ” he adds.
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The actor also spoke about being considered part of the “transgender tipping point,” a phrase that refers to a point in our culture when trans people began to have representation in mainstream media.
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“Being part of the transgender tipping point in entertainment isn’t about being ‘the first,’ it’s about making sure there won’t be a last,” he tells PEOPLE. “And right now, that’s in real danger. LGBTQ+ character counts are shrinking on screen — trans characters even more so — at the exact moment we need stories that expand our humanity.”
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Schofield, who became the first openly trans actor to appear in a soap opera when he was cast as Nick on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2015, also said he thinks that daytime television deserves more credit for positively influencing social change.
“Peppermint just had a groundbreaking trans wedding on Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest — and I cheered. I love her and all she does. But we did that on The Bold and the Beautiful 10 years ago,” he says.
“Back then, it was a cis actress playing Maya, the trans bride. But the show did its part to change how Hollywood told trans stories,” he continues. “They brought me in — an actually trans actor — to play her best friend, officiate her marriage and ground the story in truth.”
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“Now that storyline has been syndicated to over 33 million people worldwide,” he adds. “Not influencers — grandmas, immigrants learning English between shifts, people who don’t watch everything online. And to me, as an actor-activist, that’s the most important audience you could hope for: the people who take part in [real-life] communities, the people who raise the next generation.”
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The Emmy-nominated Studio City actor went on to say that he hopes more of the entertainment industry takes note of the lessons that can be learned from the soap opera world.
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“Soap operas have always known that the most compelling stories are the ones society’s still wrestling with. Throw in a bizarre love triangle and a moral dilemma, and you’ve got the formula that’s kept some soaps rolling for over 50 years,” he says.
“For the sake of my community — and honestly, for the sake of television itself — I hope more producers and execs find the guts that soaps have always had to tell complex stories about very different people,” he adds. “At this point, it’s not just activism. It’s good business sense.”
In addition to acting, Schofield, who calls himself an “accidental activist,” has written several books and serves as a consultant on the show Euphoria to help ensure that the trans experience is represented accurately and without stereotypes.
While speaking to PEOPLE in 2020, he said that he hopes that one day, trans acceptance will be so normalized that he won’t feel the need to talk about trans issues in addition to living his everyday life.
“Maybe someday I’ll be able to just be the guy I am and see what that’s like all by itself,” he said at the time.
