Neighbours Casts First Non-Binary Character

Actor, model and content creator Kathleen Ebbs is making history - they're set to play the first non-binary character on the television series, Neighbours.

Kathleen will be appearing on our screens on May 10 as the character Asher Nesmith.

"Neighbours has been at the forefront of queer storytelling on TV, not only celebrating us but normalising our existence," says Kathleen, "this has been an important move for the rest of the television landscape in taking us seriously not only as artists but as people."

Despite this exciting news, Neighbours is still expected to cease production in June.

The long-running series was unable to seek out an alternative broadcast partner and funding.

Kathleen Ebbs says 'Neighbours' has always prioritised Queer storytelling. Source: Instagram

Kathleen says they're disappointed the government didn't step in.

"This government not only doesn't prioritise the arts but we have seen doesn't even care about the lives of queer people on an everyday level," says Kathleen, "of course they didn't step in to help the longest running TV show in this country - one that not only provides so many jobs, and is such an important institution for young actors, creators, writers, etc; but puts queer storylines and representation at the forefront."

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Header Image: MTV Australia