So what are some examples of good trans representation in media?

[Fliesen]

Orange is the New Black. Sophia. Trans character played by a trans actor. Writing for the character is iffy here and there but still a good example.

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i was wondering why this hadn't been mentioned earlier.

But then again, i don't think it's not really my place to judge what's "good representation".
I would assume a transperson playing a transperson would automatically qualify, given the low bar set by media as a whole, right?

 

[Woylie]

Pose can be really clumsy some of the time, but I do like that it's one of the very few shows I can think of that has a bunch of trans women, with different backgrounds and personalities, interacting with each other and talking about their varied experiences.

There's one episode I've thought about a lot in the second season where four of the trans women go to the beach and it feels almost like an episode of Sex and the City, but with a group of trans women. They face some transphobia, but it doesn't end up ruining the experience. I was thinking about how that episode in particular one of the only pieces of media I've ever seen where trans female characters get to have a story where nothing really bad happens to them.

Of course, bad stuff happens to them in other episodes and there are times when the show can lean in to the tropiest of portrayals of transness, but I do appreciate that one episode a lot. I wish that, growing up, I'd had even one example in media of trans people thriving and living happily - it would have probably changed a lot for me as a kid.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

i was wondering why this hadn't been mentioned earlier.

But then again, i don't think it's not really my place to judge what's "good representation".
I would assume a transperson playing a transperson would automatically qualify, given the low bar set by media as a whole, right?

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While that is an automatic plus, what the series does with her (from what I watched) leaves something to be desired.

 

[deimosmasque]

I wanted to recommend this but I only watched the first three seasons. Also I refuse to watch more after a certain character dies in S4. Her backstory episode is really good but definitely agree on the writing being iffy overall.

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That's when I stopped watching too. But I thought Sophia was a good but not perfect example.

 

[deimosmasque]

Shit. Had Pose been mentioned yet?

 

[Blackpuppy]

This might not qualify as trans per se, but Freaks and Geeks had a hermaphrodite character whose sex was chosen at birth by her parents and it made you think about gender fluidity.

 

[MidnightCowboy]

Sean Baker's Tangerine

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

This might not qualify as trans per se, but Freaks and Geeks had a hermaphrodite character whose sex was chosen at birth by her parents and it made you think about gender fluidity.

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Intersex is the proper, humane term. Also intersex people are cis if they align with the gender assigned to them at birth, which appears to be the case for that character. There's nothing inherently trans/non-binary about being intersex.

 

[Antrax]

Alluka from Hunter x Hunter. Was not expecting a shonen anime/manga to handle a subject like a trans character so well especially after how the authors prior series, Yu Yu Hakusho dealt with another trans character.

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Most anime/manga are pretty bad at this stuff, yeah. But Alluka was good.

On that note, I'm pleasantly surprised at Dr. Stone. So far, so good with their non-binary character.

 

[Alcoremortis]

Full Fathom Five (book) by Max Gladstone has a trans woman protagonist who was done fairly well. It's also a crazy fantasy story with like a priesthood that does investments with god idols and there's giant robots and shit.

 

[Messofanego]

If Found... released this year and is a trans coming of age story, although it is not always a happy story and honestly the story was incredibly infuriating during some parts (on purpose).



/QUOTE]
If Found is an awesome game!

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[Stooge]

The politician is great. Trans man who is never treated as anything but a man.

 

[Milena]

Pose, Sense8 and The L Word Generation Q are the three TV series that comes to my mind first. The trans characters are all played by trans actors.

Tell Me Why and Dragon Age Inquisition as far as videogames I played.

 

[Blackpuppy]

Intersex is the proper, humane term. Also intersex people are cis if they align with the gender assigned to them at birth, which appears to be the case for that character. There's nothing inherently trans/non-binary about being intersex.

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Thanks for the heads up on proper terms.

 

[EarthPainting]

I once saw a Charlie's Angels-esque anime show called Dirty Pair that had an episode about a trans character. My partner and me were really surprised how respectful it was, given how old the show was. It had a little hint of a "surprise, this person's trans" twist to it, which I'm not really a fan of, but on the whole they did it really well. I also appreciated how this sci-fi made a point of stating that in this future, 10% of the population was transgender, and that it was the most normal thing in the world.

I did a quick Googling and found a summary for anyone that's curious: https://www.cbr.com/80s-sci-fi-anime-dirty-pair-transgender/

 

[AniHawk]

as a cis white guy - does steven universe count at least as an allegory?

 

[T002 Tyrant]

This is by no means "good" representation but as fluid / non-binary I really connect with the concept of Trills in Star Trek especially Dax in DS9. And I think since I personally find a connection I think it's good.

 

[Rosebud]

Lev in TLOU II
I've only watched 2 seasons, but really liked Sophia from OITNB.

Far and away the most emotional and impactful example for me is Umineko: When They Cry, although unfortunately even mentioning that is a spoiler.

Spoiler

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And this. Really is the most impactful.

 

[Deleted member 16516]

As far as recent fantasy fiction is concerned, Tonkee from N.K Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy.

 

[y2kyle89]

Zoe from Sleepless Domain. IMO

 

[BassForever]

Madeline from Celeste even though it's never been outright confirmed in the game/by the developers, but heavily implied.

 

[Dwebble]

A bit of an obscure cut, but Russell T. Davies' Cucumber and Banana series had Helen as played by Bethany Black, a trans actress. I believe there was some talk that she was the first trans character played by a trans actress on a British TV show at the time, but she's well played and sympathetically written, and gets an episode dedicated to her in Banana.

I'd recommend both shows for anyone who's interested in LGBT representation- they certainly aren't without their flaws, but together they represent an interesting and wide-ranging look at different aspects of the LGBT experience.

as a cis white guy - does steven universe count at least as an allegory?

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There are certainly interpretations that read Steven as trans, but for me the whole mother and son motif is so emphasised by the narrative that I'd hesitate to go with them.

They gave Sadie a non-binary love interest in Future, which was nice at least.

 

[Bee.Cups]

Alluka from Hunter x Hunter. Was not expecting a shonen anime/manga to handle a subject like a trans character so well especially after how the authors prior series, Yu Yu Hakusho dealt with another trans character.

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This is my vote too.

 

[julia crawford]

Hourou Musuko

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Oh shit, you're right. I had forgotten about this entirely. Sometimes a pretty good manga about transgender people comes out and it's always great to see.

As for movies i remember really liking Fantastic Woman.

 

[Arkestry]

It's not nearly common enough, but recently I was really impressed with Jules in Euphoria. Not only that but I think they approached it in a really thoughtful and careful way, without making her entire story about her identity, either.

 

[pbayne]

I seem to remember zombieland saga handled it well enough, i could be remembering it wrong though

 

[Patsy]

Shimanami Tasogare, Celeste, Heaven Will Be Mine, The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories. All things others have already mentioned. :(

Also heard a fuckton of praise for Fatamoru, but haven't yet played it myself. Same for Tell Me Why which I haven't played yet either.

 

[Vowel Sounds]

I'll offer Ian Alexander as Buck in The OA, though I know that show isn't for everyone and I'm only halfway through the second season.

I think Sheri S. Tepper did a good job in The Revenants with Jaer, though it's not one of her more well known novels. It's basically Lord of The Rings lite with a trans/nonbinary protagonist, a queer cast of characters, and some pretty neat story telling. Not bad for a book written in the early 80s, and Tepper's work is worth supporting.

 

[Persephone]

Lev (TLOU2) is a great character but his entire story is him suffering horrific abuse for being trans. I feel that's important to point out for trans ppl considering playing the game.

Krem (Dragon Age: Inquisition) is a trans man played by a cis woman and who the player character can be extremely fucking transphobic to. I wouldn't consider him good rep.

Nomi in Sense8 is amazing. A trans woman played, written, and directed by trans women.

 

[LabouredSubterfuge]

I thought Jules in Euphoria was fantastic.

 

[Flaurehn]

Nomi from Sense8 is great, in fact Sense8 is a great example of good representation for so many different kinds of people

 

[Vowel Sounds]

Oh, I forgot about Nomi. She might actually be the best. Definitely my favourite.

 

[Kain-Nosgoth]

While not always the best, you know their heart is in a good place and the bad thing they done wasn't malicious (they even removed some elements in the remastered games by themselves that weren't a good thing), Yakuza did some good stuff :

Kiryu best boy

 

[Deleted member 3010]

While not always the best, you know their heart is in a good place and the bad thing they done wasn't malicious (they even removed some elements in the remastered games by themselves that weren't a good thing), Yakuza did some good stuff :

Kiryu best boy

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I really need to try out the Yakuza games, I've been sleeping on this series for way too long.

 

[chimpsteaks]

I really liked Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club, and the way her and Ron's relationship developed throughout the movie. The dynamic between them was more memorable than the main plot of the movie imo

 

[wollywinka]

Pose gets it right.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

I seem to remember zombieland saga handled it well enough, i could be remembering it wrong though

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I have some quibbles with how it is handled, but Lily is precious.

 

[Leo]

I would say Ivankov and Bon Clay and the gang from One Piece, but I guess they're more gender fluid. There are some newer characters though that are trans and they're pretty cool.

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If only Sanji wasn't there to ruin everything.

 

[Lion]

The film The Crying Game, has a trans character.

 

[TheAuldTriangle]

While not always the best, you know their heart is in a good place and the bad thing they done wasn't malicious (they even removed some elements in the remastered games by themselves that weren't a good thing), Yakuza did some good stuff :

Kiryu best boy

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Fair play, because the PS2/PS3 versions have some transphobic shit in it.

This is sweet interaction compared to previous stuff Ive seen.

 

[Nightwing123]

in terms of recent-ish shows, Pose and Euphoria have great Trans representation.

 

[Reym]

I ran across two comic examples of characters that I fell in love with - who basically became my favorite characters - and who I later put it together were trans:

Jo from Lumberjanes:

And Rosemaster from Cucumber Quest:

I love both of these characters. The trans reveal for both was pretty subtle though. (Like, it's more or less stated in-comic in Cucumber Quest, but it was one quick line in a page full of exposition, so I can see how someone could pretty easily miss it.) This is kinda how I like my character writing, just write people as people and trust the readers to put together who they are from their words and actions.
...but I'm cis...and I've often wondered about what a trans reader's thoughts are on how these characters are portrayed. Do you enjoy the more subtle approach, or would you rather media not play coy with it - make it up-front for purposes of representation?

 

[KoopaTheCasual]

Another vote for Nomi from Sense8.

It's an ensemble cast of "main characters" but she clearly becomes one of the main two central characters, as the series gets towards its conclusion.

 

[Flannel_and_Assam]

Hannah Bradford from First Day, an Australian children's live-action television programme about a twelve year old trans girl adjusting to a new school. The actress playing the girl is trans, and it's a fantastic antidote to the current climate of virulent transphobia and invalidation of young trans identities.

 

[Astral]

Yeah, Bon Clay is awesome but I don't consider the character trans. Yamato (recent character) is trans though. It remains to be seen how Oda will handle it.

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I'm kinda iffy on Yamato. Wouldn't he identify as a woman if Oden was a woman?

 

[tripleg]

warning: cis man playing trans woman

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Should this impact whether the role is portrayed well or not?

 

[meowdi gras]

The film The Crying Game, has a trans character.

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This thread is about good trans representation. The trans character in The Crying Game is problematic in the extreme, and is played by a cis man, to boot. Not a good recommendation.

I really liked Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club, and the way her and Ron's relationship developed throughout the movie. The dynamic between them was more memorable than the main plot of the movie imo

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I haven't seen Dallas Buyers Club so I can't say how the character is written. But once again, is played by a cis man. 👎

Edit:

Should this impact whether the role is portrayed well or not?

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Oh boy, here we go.

 

[Nostremitus]

Nia Noll Arrowverse. Portrayed by a trans actress, is just like any other character on the shows.

 

[vixolus]

I played (and really enjoyed) Celeste, but I never got the impression Madeline was trans.. I think the only thing that I recall is from the DLC (which I haven't played) there was a small pride and trans flag in the background art right? What are the other examples?

 

[ProfessorLv10]

The latest chapters of the manga Vinland saga has a very good treatment of a trans character.