Isaiah Stannard on 'Good Girls' Is Getting the Coming-Out Storyline All Trans Kids Deserve

For several seasons now, Beth, Ruby, and Annie from Good Girls have been grappling with the moral dilemmas of their secret lives as criminals. 

And while all three have struggled to be good parents while not being 100 percent good people in the eyes of the law, one thing has definitely been made clear: While Annie Marks definitely has some room for improvement when it comes to making good choices, her reaction to her child coming out as trans is what all gender-nonconforming kids deserve.

As it turns out, the original casting call for Annie's kid was for a son named Ben, but eventually, the call was opened up to kids of all genders. After casting Isaiah in the role, show creator Jenna Bans learned that Isaiah Stannard is trans and uses the pronouns he and him, which prompted Jenna to reevaluate that character's storyline. 

“We realized we had a really great opportunity to tell a story about a character who was gender-nonconforming, but at the same time not necessarily have that be what leads the story,” Jenna told Variety last year. The writers worked with GLAAD to ensure they approached the subject of the character's gender identity thoughtfully.

When his brother was born in S2E8 ("Thelma and Louise"), the tender exchange with Annie was so subtle and tender, some viewers might have missed Ben's coming out. After Annie announces 'Yay, it's a boy!" Ben (who was not yet going by the name Ben) pauses and says, "So am I.” Annie hugs her son close and asks if his dad knows yet, and if he’s OK, to which he replies, “Are you?”

Annie whispers “I always wanted a boy." I'm not crying, you're crying.

Of course, Ben's gender identity has been explored less explicitly in past episodes. However, it seems his journey will likely take a more defined course in future episodes. 

After Annie's son first came out in Season 2, he initially continued going by his given name. However, in Season 3, he chose the name Ben (which was the original name on the casting call for that character).

We've seen a few examples of Annie rising to the occasion to provide the best for her son. Shortly after Ben's coming out, she tried to pull off another drug run. At the end of the episode, audiences learned a lot of her desperation was rooted in wanting to help her son get hormone treatments, which the Fine and Frugal health benefits don't really cover. My question is why on earth Ben's dad, who clearly isn't hurting for money, wouldn't help out. 

Season 4 of Good Girls starts on Sunday, March 7, 2021. In the meantime, you can catch up on older seasons on Netflix. New episodes air Sundays at 10 p.m. on NBC.