Some of you may be asking: Why did WRAL do a documentary on transgender people? One word: education.

I, like many of you, did not know much about this topic. We wanted to answer a number of questions many people have.

Transgender individuals have been thrust into the spotlight recently with the passage of HB2. It is clear that citizens across the state are divided over this issue, and that the lightning rod for this heated debate has become the transgender community. As a news organization we feel it is our role to shed light on this group of people with the hope to educate and clear up some misunderstandings.

Many of us know little about transgender people and the challenges they face in life. What is known is that they are people who are faced with a biological “twist” that they did not choose and who merely want to live as close to a normal life as possible. They are people who are convinced they have been born in bodies that do not match who they are. And most of all, they have shown the courage to go through a long and difficult medical and personal transition in an attempt to experience the normal life most of us have.

We are aware that there are a wide variety of perspectives, opinions and arguments swirling around HB2. Since it has passed, WRAL News has tried to present as many of those sides as possible. But we feel strongly that the missing element in much of the debate is, “Who are transgender people?” “What is life like for them?” “How have they been affected by this change in law?”

“Transformed” introduces you to a transgender man, a transgender woman and a transgender teen and his family. Several local medical experts also offer additional perspectives on these families’ social and medical journeys.

Minimally I hope we met our goal: educating our viewers on a topic that is difficult for many to understand. When you watch our program, please consider for a moment the hand that each of them has been dealt. Hopefully you will feel what each of our professional journalists have experienced in meeting them – respect and compassion.