by Imtiaz Popat
Pakistani Canadian actor and facilitator Bilal Baig talked about their experience as a trans and queer Muslim leading up to the third and final season of the Peabody award winning TV series Sort Of at the Community Based Research Centre in Vancouver. Baig said that they grew faster than they wanted to. “The king of childhood I had really humbled me”, they said. They feel lucky and had great people around them that made things happen.
“I feel if I can kind of offer images to the world that help understand other people more or see something that really feels honest and true. It’s the only thing that’s making sense to me right now”, they said.
When asked about how Sabi related to their parents in the last season was also true in their lives. They said their relationship with their parents in true life was a lot more challenging than their TV charters life and they still struggle with their relationship with their parents.
While relationships with trans and queer folk might be better for others or on TV, others still struggle. But also the show is not just about love and positivity. It’s about a real journey for Sabi and what they go through. “People have spoken about sharing the show with their families and families are actually understanding transness like even 10% more because you see it because you don’t have to actually talk to family members – you can talk about characters on a show”
Baig, who both co-created and stars in Sort Of, said in a joint statement with their co-creator Fab Filippo that this was not a cancellation akin to so many of the queer/trans TV shows canceled in recent years. Rather, “We made this third season knowing it would be our last.” They even gave “a big shout-out to Sphere Media, CBC and Max for believing in the story and for helping us tell it over these last few years.”
Baig plans to return to the stage after this season and work on more community based projects.