The Telemundo original, Sangre de Mi Tierra novela features a character who is transitioning. Hector Medina, a cuban-native, portrays Leonardo, who is exploring her gender identity. Creators have told media outlets they hope Leonardo’s character will promote understanding of trans people and assist families in similar situations. The soap opera also plans on addressing the problematic nature of masculinity and violence against women.

This will be Medina’s third time portraying a trans person following El Rey de La Habana (2015) and his award-winning performance in Viva (2015). Medina has expressed in outlets his support for the trans community. However, transgender people have spoken out loudly in recent years about how the practice of casting cisgender men to portray transgender women contributes to a culture that refuses to accept trans women as women.

Sangre de Mi Tierra airs M-F 9pm/8c on Telemundo.