Hollyoaks Jasmine/Jason Costello

Jasmine Costello or at least that's what we first know her as, is a somewhat awkward teenage girl who is new to Hollyoaks and is clearly a tomboy but her Mother is trying to encourage her to be more feminine like her older sister rather than like her twin brother Seth and older brother Riley. The thing is Jasmine is not a tomboy nor is she trying to be like her brothers she is instead trying to be like her true self, the one she feels she is forced to hide as she is trapped in the wrong body. Jasmine feels trapped in all senses as she is unable to confide in anyone, she is not able to be her true self and she is constantly being encouraged to wear make-up and tight fitting clothing by her Mother rather than the baggy-ish clothes she constantly wears. Jasmine finally makes a friend in Bart McQueen another teenager within town, the two strike up an unlikely friendship and soon become thick as thieves. The only issue is that Bart is more than happy to be Jasmine's friend but he'd rather be her
boyfriend. Initially Jasmine is horrified by the idea as it's not what she wants or who she is especially as Bart tries to be publicly intimate with her with holding hands and kissing but she soon succumbs to the idea as A) it annoys her father and B) her Mother nags her less as she sees it as her being slightly more feminine. However when Bart wants to go further in their relationship Jasmine agrees to it but it is incredibly difficult for her as she is not comfortable with her body, seeing it naked, letting another person see her naked or the act of sex unless it's as what is originally seen as her alter ego Jason. The ironic thing is Jasmine frequently goes out as Jason but since she is new to town no-one seems to have put together that the two resemble one another. Jasmine or should I say Jason sneaks out one night to go to a house party at the McQueen's that's been thrown by Bart unbeknownst to his Auntie Myra, Jason ends up in a lip lock with Anita during a game of  spin the bottle.

Anita and Jason are left alone in one of the bedrooms in the house where they openly talk and get to know one another on what Jason assumes as a friendly basis as neither of them seem to be into mingling with their peers at the party. It seems like a friendship is blossoming however  Anita thinks she's found herself a cute/sweet and rather charming boyfriend. Initially things seem to be running smoothly for Anita especially when she runs into Jason in town where she promptly kisses him and engages him in a brief conversation. The trouble between Anita and Jason or should I say Jasmine occurs when she tries to get his number from Jasmine but she brushes her off  saying Jason has a girlfriend and he's not that great of a guy. Anita instead gets the number off of someone else and calls it when in the vicinity of Jasmine  to her horror it's Jasmine's phone that starts ringing and she puts two and two together realizing that that is why she thought she knew Jasmine before they had formally met because they had already met indirectly. Anita turns out to be a good confidant for Jason someone he can talk to and really let know how he feels as he definitely can not confide in his family and he doesn't feel comfortable talking about it with his twin brother as he knows he will not understand. Anita understands all of this as she is dealing with her own demons but she reassures Jason that he should let someone know how he feels, who he is, otherwise he's just hurting himself in the long run. A problem occurs when a young girl at school finds out that Jasmine is Jason and begins to blackmail him when he resists her advances. The young girl believes that Jason is transgender but straight so she thinks they can date and he can be her 'beard' but Jason soon declines the offer and things turn nasty for a period. Jason initially only confides in his older sister who doesn't really understand but accepts it as she loves her younger sibling but she warns Jason that their Father will never understand it so for the time being just continue leading the double life. 

Eventually it all comes to light and Jason has a rough time both at school and at home, he's being bullied and ostracized at school by his peers especially his so called friend Bart and his own twin brother Seth and his family have practically disowned him thinking that what he is doing is wrong/not normal. His Mother Heidi even goes to the extreme of getting Jason counseling in hopes that it will make him 'normal' again and that she will soon have her daughter back rather than her so called son. Little does Heidi know that going to counseling is actually making Jason feel more at ease with being transgender as he is now around other transgender teens so he has a support system who not only understand him but are also going through the same thoughts, feelings and emotions as him. As well as he now has the means of getting hormone blockers so that he does not have to witness his body go through puberty as a female when he is most definitely a male. The only issue that arises there is that he needs his parents consent as he is young, so will need his parents to sign off on it. 

With all the trial and tribulations Jason goes through he is eventually accepted by his family and his best friend Bart. Although it seems to be harder between him and Bart as even though Jason is a gay transgender man, Bart is a straight man who is hoping he will one day reconcile with his ex-girlfriend Jasmine but in the end he accepts that Jasmine is long gone and his feelings for Jason will eventually just become friendly ones. Before they reached that understanding though the bond/love between the two young men was very strong and the lines were often getting blurred even when Bart was in a relationship. They both knew they would always be each others first love but that it was never meant to be as Bart wanted a girlfriend and Jason obviously could never be that (a near death experience and being held hostage can do that to you). 
The gender dysphoria was handed really well, the story line, behavior, actions of the character seemed so life like and believable. It opened peoples eyes to what transgender men and women go through everyday and the hardships that they go through every day whether it's from peers at work/school or their very own family. That body dysphoria is a condition that isn't always understand by others and can often be dismissed. With Jason Costello's story line it may have helped a family member with a relative who is transgender or at least opened their eyes to what they deal with everyday.