Tonight, USA Network is set to premiere an episode of Royal Pains featuring Nicole Maines, a well-known transgender advocate. She will be guest starring as a transgender teen camper and choreographer. You can watch a clip from the upcoming episode below.
Nicole, 17, has been talking about her story in the media since 2011, and most recently was in the news in December 2014, when she won a landmark discrimination case against her former school district in Maine. The Maine High Court ruled that her human rights had been violated when she was forced to use a single-stall staff restroom at school, instead of the standard women's restrooms. In 2011, Nicole was the keynote speaker at the GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) banquet, in 2012 she and her family received the Maine ACLU's highest award for civil rights advocacy (the Roger Baldwin award), and last December she was named "Woman of the Year" by Glamour magazine.
The episode titled "The Prince of Nucleotides" will air at 10 p.m. Tuesday June 23 on USA Network, and USA will also air a PSA about the transgender community and the importance of allies in partnership with PFLAG. A short clip from the episode and the full PSA can be viewed below: