ABC has decided to cancel its controversial, poorly-rated sitcom, Work It, which depicted two men who dressed as women in order to get female-only jobs.
Several LGBT rights groups like the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the Human Rights Campaign, and the National Center for Transgender Equality led the charge against the show, which debuted to low ratings on Jan. 3. Viewership for the second episode dropped another 20%.
The show is not about transgender women, however GLAAD warned that "many viewers unfamiliar with the realities of being transgender will still make the connection." The groups also placed an ad in entertainment industry newspaper, Variety, telling ABC that the series invites people to laugh at "the characters' attempts at womanhood," which could give "license to similar treatment of transgender women."
Herndon Graddick, GLAAD's senior director of programs and communications, said in a statement Saturday that ABC has had a track record of groundbreaking shows with LGBT characters, in contrast with Work It. "As a result of this campaign," he said, "an important dialogue has been started in Hollywood and mainstream media about the real discrimination faced by transgender people today."
