Photo credit: E!

GLAAD today responded to the news that E!’s I Am Cait will end after two seasons.

Said Nick Adams, the director of GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program:

E!’s I Am Cait was a groundbreaking documentary series that gave millions of Americans their first chance to get to know a diverse group of transgender women. Caitlyn and her friends, Jenny, Kate, Candis, Chandi, Zackary, and Ella, among others, were able to tell their stories, engage in meaningful (and sometimes difficult) conversations, and share their experiences firsthand with each other and with a national audience.

Throughout its two seasons, the show had fun while also addressing the important issues affecting the transgender community. As she herself acknowledged, Caitlyn had a lot to learn about the transgender community, and by bringing viewers along with her as she met trans people around the country, she and the show influenced the way Americans see and understand trans people and the issues they face. GLAAD was proud to recognize both I Am Cait and TLC’s I Am Jazz with awards for Outstanding Reality Program this past spring at the 27th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

At a time when 84% of people say they don’t personally know someone who is transgender, TV shows like I Am Cait are a powerful way to help people feel they do know someone who’s transgender, and that is the power of visibility and media representation.

We need to see more transgender people and characters on television, but I Am Cait gave us something special – a close look into the lives of interesting, intelligent trans women and their relationships – which entertained and educated people in all 50 states and in over 150 countries around the world.