HOLLYWOOD, California (The Adobo Chronicles, Los Angeles Bureau) – Eat your heart out, Mississippi, North Carolina, and other states and cities with or mulling about anti-transgender laws.  ‘Star Trek Beyond’ has a response. A big response!

Directed by Justin Lin (‘Fast and Furious’), the latest in the Star Trek saga features not only new actors playing traditional roles, but also a new transgender character. (We can’t reveal the name of the new character or the actor playing the role — as yet).

This revelation comes in the midst of recent claims of the ‘whitewashing’ of Hollywood films: the lack of African American roles or the continuing phenomenon of white actors playing Asian characters.

“It’s a victory for the transgender community,” said a spokesperson for the Transgender Law Center in the San Francisco Bay Area, “it’s about time.”

It wasn’t clear as of press time whether the transgender character will be played by a transgender actor.

The Adobo Chronicles tried to reach legislators in Mississippi and North Carolina who, we understand, are all avid Star Trek fans, to get their comments on this earth-shattering announcement from Paramount Pictures. We have not received a response.