SVU was dealing with discussions surrounding trans rights long before they were receiving due attention, and the 2003 episode "Fallacy" is a heartbreaking example of how the justice system has failed the trans community and is subsequently one of the saddest SVU episodes.
When Cheryl Avery kills her would-be rapist at a party in self-defense, detectives are taken through the wringer when it's discovered that the DNA found in the bathroom where her attacker was killed that's linked to Cheryl is biologically male.
It turns out that her attacker, Joe, was threatening to reveal that she's trans to his brother Eddie. Feeling threatened, Cheryl struck Joe in the head with a vase.
However, tragedy after tragedy befalls Cheryl as its revealed she's estranged from her parents due to her transition, Eddie commits suicide when he finds out the truth, and she is forced to go to a male prison after her sentencing.
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