Daytime soaps have a long tradition of using the medium to address important real-life issues, and GENERAL HOSPITAL has done just that again by releasing its first transgender character with the casting of Cassandra James as Elizabeth’s old friend, Dr. Terry Randolph, introduced! “Thank you everyone for all the love and support,” the actress tweeted after the Friday, June 29, 2018 cliffhanger that marked her first appearance on the show. “I’m so excited to continue this GH Journey with you all!”
James also added the hashtag “#TransVisibility” and later went on to tweet about how important it is for transgender actors to have the opportunity to play trans characters in film and television. “I’ve never spoken out about it,” she wrote, “but since it’s back in the news, I’ll say this: While I do believe that cis actors have a certain social responsibility during this amazing time of #TransVisibility in the industry have, my real problem are the decision makers behind the scenes. It’s the directors, casting agents, writers and producers who need to do better when it comes to allowing cis actors to play trans roles. We’re talented, we’re here, and we’re ready to tell our own stories.
“But as a trans actress, I can tell you positive changes are happening,” she concluded. “I am so grateful [GH executive producer] Frank Valentini and everyone at GH who campaigned for a trans woman to portray Terry.” (The term “cis” refers to “cisgender,” meaning a person whose gender identity matches their gender at birth An example of this would be cisgender actor Jared Leto, who plays Rayon’s transgender character Dallas Buyers Club.)
Terry was introduced to GH as an old friend of Elizabeth Webber and the boy she had her first kiss with. Franco Baldwin admitted he was a little nervous about meeting one of his fiancee’s old flames, but was kind of relieved to find out she was no longer competition for him. Terry opened up to them and explained how difficult it was to understand what she was going through when she was younger and how relieved she was to finally become the person she was always meant to be. Although she admitted to being rejected by many people in her life, including her family, Terry was happy when Liz assured her that she still loved her. In fact, she insisted that Terry come to her and Franco’s upcoming wedding.
Terry worked at General Hospital as a pediatric oncologist and was heavily involved in the story of Oscar Nero’s cancer. dr Randolph administered the experimental treatment everyone hoped would save the teenager’s life, but ended up having to report that the treatment wasn’t working and all she could do was make Oscar feel as good as possible until he died.
Terry was present at Liz and Franco’s belated wedding party and when Franco implanted Drew’s memories, she tried to help her friend Kim Nero understand that Franco wasn’t really Drew and she was just clinging to the past. She also warned Franco that Kim was heading for a breakdown and urged him to let her go.
The document later resurfaced in October 2020 when Franco was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. He asked her to keep quiet about it so as not to upset Liz, and Terry reluctantly agreed. Of course, the truth came out anyway, and Terry continued to help treat Franco in hopes of saving his life. And when Franco was shot by Peter, Terry was there to help Liz mourn the loss of her husband.
In June 2021, Terry attended a meeting where Monica Quartermaine was named the hospital’s new chair. And when Britt Westbourne feared she might be replaced as chief of staff, Terry officially asked to be considered. Monica surprised the women by announcing that Britt and Terry would be co-bosses. Terry and Britt clashed but eventually found common ground and were able to work together. Liz was upset when Terry revealed that her father, Jeff Webber, had reached out to her when Liz didn’t return his calls.
As 2022 rolled around, Terry reluctantly let Dr. Connecting Portia Robinson to another dating app but was delighted when she received a response. And on Valentine’s Day she went to Charlie’s Pub to wait for the man she’d texted and when she saw that Chet Driscoll was wearing the teal shirt she’d been expecting their blind date to wear, she assumed that he was the guy! He wasn’t, but when their actual date turned out to be a total creep, Chet stepped in to get rid of him and then joined Terry for a drink.
Unfortunately, Terry and Chet’s budding relationship ended abruptly when he was offered his dream job in Chicago. Amy Driscoll confessed that she applied for her brother because she wanted to separate them as she and Terry used to fight at work. But when she saw them together, she changed her mind and urged Chet not to take the job after all. But Terry told him she would feel terrible if he gave up that opportunity and it didn’t work out in the end, so she pushed him to take the job and they could see what happened next valentines day
Stay tuned to see what happens next!
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