I think it helps put things in perspective. I think that the point that Richards is making is that the mass media can have the effect of reinforcing the idea that transwomen aren’t real women by having men play those roles. And if someone doesn’t know any transpeople in their day to day life, that’s their primary mode of understanding transpeople. Representation matters, I think, because it’s a powerful way to shape our perceptions of people we may not encounter in daily life.
Note too, the rate of violence against transwomen of color, which is particularly high.
