A new character joining Hollyoaks village will see the Channel 4 soap portray the struggle of coping with Gender Identity Disorder (GID). Jasmine Costello (Victoria Atkin) will demonstrate the gender disorder, where a person is born one sex but desperately feels that they are the other. When Jasmine returns home from American Summer Camp to her mum Heidi (Kim Tiddy) and over-protective dad Carl (Paul Opacic), it soon becomes apparent that their daughter is concealing a huge identity secret. She reveals a double life as Jasmine and Jason, her male alter ego. As Jasmine battles the trauma, disgust and frustration of living her life as a girl, she experiences a journey of self-discovery as she realises the effect the condition will have on those around her. The soap's Producer, Paul Marquess, said: "I am proud that Hollyoaks is able to tackle the issue of GID and the effect the condition has on the families. "Around one in 4,000 people in Britain are receiving medical help for Gender Dysphoria and if we can bring the issue to the forefront to help more young people identify and talk about the condition, then I believe that can only be a positive thing." A number of young transgender men and women have shared their experiences and have influenced the direction of the storyline, helping to shape the character of Jasmine Costello. Jasmine will arrive on screen in episodes from the beginning of August. Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk’s weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop
