The transgender actress reflects on her groundbreaking TV role 17 years ago, how conservative politicians are impacting her next career moves, and her complicated relationship with Caitlyn Jenner.
On November 6th, over 74 million Americans woke up to news they did not want to hear after Kamala Harris’ election loss — and the Republican party’s decisive victory in the 2024 election brought up feelings of divisiveness and fear among many, especially within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Candis Cayne, the first transgender actress to play a recurring transgender role on prime time television, was one of those millions of voters who did not experience their desired outcome. Now, she has made it her mission to fight back against what those worried voters believe Donald Trump’s second administration will bring these next four years.
Candis Cayne on Bathroom Bans
Cayne first made a name for herself as Carmelita on ABC’s 2007 drama Dirty, Sexy Money, and now she’s using her platform to advocate for transgender equality, including their right to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.
The actress and activist sat down with TooFab for an exclusive interview, sharing that in her ongoing mission, “it is so frustrating for trans people who really just want to use the bathroom. I mean, that’s what it all boils down to.”
Cayne is no stranger to discrimination on a personal level. “Foremost as a minority and as an underprivileged group of people, we’ve faced this before. We’ve been called out and yelled at from the moment we could walk because we were different,” she told TooFab. “So we understand this mentality, we understand how to fight against it.”
She recalled interacting with both producers and audiences during her role as Carmelita 17 years ago: “People hadn’t heard of trans people really before and they would see me, they would see Laverne [Cox], they would see Alexandra [Billings],” she explained. “And we are just, just fabulous,fabulous people going into their television sets and talking to them like real people.”
Cayne’s experiences have not only taught her to lead with love, but they’ve also made her more observant. To her, conservative politicians are “the weird ones. They’re the ones that are talking about bathrooms and talking about all this weird stuff […}, we’ve just trying to live our normal lives.”
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Bathroom bans and transgender marginalization have increasingly populated headlines, with a lot of scrutiny in the political sphere falling on Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender Representative to be elected to The House.
After McBride’s election, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson came out in support of Nancy Mace’s transgender bathroom ban in The Capitol. From Cayne’s perspective, the Republican Party’s actions are transparent, and “it’s see through and we see right through it. It’s a way to make clicks to raise money, but it’s marginalizing an entire community while you’re doing it, and causing harm and death in our community, and it’s scary, and they should be held accountable for that. What they’re doing is… is awful. They’re not very good people.”
Cayne’s Relationship with Caitlyn Jenner
Cayne’s opinions about the current GOP have been echoed by others in the LGTBQIA+ community, but there are also those who support the incoming administration, including Caitlyn Jenner. At one point, Cayne and Jenner enjoyed a close friendship, with Cayne even regularly appearing on Jenner’s reality show, I Am Cait.
That relationship has given Cayne experience in navigating relationships with people of opposing political views.
“You know, I tried. I really, really tried. And I have all the love for Cait in the world. She’s an amazing person. I just think that she’s in a cult, and she doesn’t realize that,” the actress explained.
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With Jenner, she said she tried to address not only trans issues but also other controversial topics covered by Trump’s 2024 campaign, including immigration. She said that those discussions did not end fruitfully.
“I really tried to go and do it, like every liberal person should to their conservative friends, and try to, like, at least start a dialog, you know,” she said. “And it’s always been frustrating that she doesn’t understand that. But I don’t have any hate or anything. I think everybody needs to bring the love in their heart.”
Next Steps in Her Career
Pessimism and negativity might appear to dominate social media, but Cayne is choosing to use love and humor in her upcoming projects. She’s wrapping up a one-woman show at Studio City’s Velvet Martini Lounge tonight, and now she’s focusing on projects with her production company, Mary it’s Mary’s Productions.
“Just like SNL, it’s fun to do light things, to get people laughing with you, not at you, or be divisive against you. And so that’s always kind of been my way,” Cayne told TooFab. “I get on stage, and I tell jokes about what’s going on in my life and lighten the situation up.”
“I know these are dark and heavy times, and it’s a very serious conversation,” she continued, “but we have members of our community that do that really well.”
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And while Cayne might reside in Los Angeles, her goal is to touch those in deep red states like Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Mississippi. She said she wants people to say, “Oh, I like Candis. She’s like a down home girl. I could invite her to the barbecue.”
Fans can look forward to content coming out of Mary it’s Mary’s Productions, including Avenue D, a show that will focus on “stories about the LGBTQIA+ community in the ’90s in Manhattan,” explained Cayne, adding that “living through that was super fun.”
To hear more of Candis Cayne’s story, check out the videos posted above.
