ABC's MODERN FAMILY to Feature First-Ever Openly Transgender Actor

NewNowNext reports that an upcoming episode of ABC's MODERN FAMILY will feature the first-ever openly transgender child, 8-year-old Jackson Millarker. The actor will portray Lily's new friend Tom.

In the episode set to air tomorrow, September 28 titled 'A Stereotypical Day', Cam and Mitchell have always felt they were the most open, non-judgmental and supportive parents. However, when they overhear Lily insulting her new friend, they have to take a quick look in the mirror before they teach her a lesson about acceptance.

Episode director Ryan Case took to Instagram to share a photo of herself with Millarker which she captioned: "This is Jackson Millarker. He's 8 years old, from Atlanta, and just happens to be transgender. He plays Lily's friend Tom in this week's MODERN FAMILY and he's wonderful. One of the many reasons I love being a part of this show." Check it out above!

About the show: After summer vacations take the Dunphys to New York; Mitch, Cam and Lily to the Midwest; and Jay, Gloria, Manny and Joe to Juarez, Mexico; the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan reunites in its eighth season premiere with all of the families converging at home for Father's Day. In subsequent episodes, as Claire struggles to keep order at the company with Jay back in the fold at Pritchett's Closets, Phil starts to enjoy more hobbies. Gloria's hot sauce business starts to pick up steam, while Mitch and Cam continue to see a parade of interesting guests in their upstairs rental unit, and also deal with their maturing tween, Lily. Meanwhile, Haley changes jobs and starts down a new entrepreneurial path, focusing on her career in attempt to balance out her wobbly romantic life, and Alex learns to keep her life balanced at Caltech, including dealing with a considerable bout of mononucleosis. Manny and Luke fumble through their freedom-filled senior year of high school but feel the pressure of college approaching, complete with a joint college visit. Halloween and New Year's Eve episodes will punctuate a season that continues to watch this wonderfully large and blended family evolve, giving us an honest and often hilarious look into the warm and sometimes twisted embrace of the modern family.

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