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So what are some examples of good trans representation in media?
- Thread starter Failburger
- Start date
Indeed, I don't think there is much more than that. I think there is also a picture of her younger with short hair. But, in a way, that is also good : that the Trans aspect is only a part of the character without being the focus. There is a difference between trans character serving a message about being trans and trans characters just "being" in a story of their own. Both are good, in a different way.
Perhaps, though he was already moving in a LGBT-friendly direction prior to dating her. YYH already had Sensui and Level E has a whole mini-arc focused on a trans man.
Brilliant thread OP and glad people have covered those I'd put forth already. Lots of other examples for me to check out too so appreciate it.
As Micerider mentioned it's nice to have someone being trans without it being a central confirmed focus of the character. The same with Blanche being non-binary in Pokemon Go. The idea that everyone is cishet unless explicitly stated otherwise is something we should try to move away from, as many see that as the boilerplate that everyone is unless they know different. We don't look to other characters that aren't stated as cis and question their cisness. Unfortunately with where it's at unless it's blown up in bubble letters people will endlessly pick at 'well actually' stances to try to push back on the notion that characters could be or are trans/nb, even when more subtle indicators are there.
That and the photo with her mother when she was younger seemingly presenting as a boy.
As Micerider mentioned it's nice to have someone being trans without it being a central confirmed focus of the character. The same with Blanche being non-binary in Pokemon Go. The idea that everyone is cishet unless explicitly stated otherwise is something we should try to move away from, as many see that as the boilerplate that everyone is unless they know different. We don't look to other characters that aren't stated as cis and question their cisness. Unfortunately with where it's at unless it's blown up in bubble letters people will endlessly pick at 'well actually' stances to try to push back on the notion that characters could be or are trans/nb, even when more subtle indicators are there.
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Pose manages to find the balance between presenting interesting characters with heart without becoming too cliche/preachy.
The time period presented trans voices of color difficult challenges. Pose doesn't pretend they were easy to address.
Please, everyone, watch Disclosure.
This is far from an example of good representation.
Unfortunately, though it was not a bad portrayal, Rayon was a character invented for the movie to make the cishet main character look better, played by a cis man.
I just finished Adrian Tchaikovsky's latest book, Doors of Eden (he wrote the amazing Children of Time and Children of Ruin), and it features a transwoman as one of the more important characters. There is some shitty transphobic moments at the hands of the story's villain, but she's a great character.
Lily from Zombieland Saga
When the other characters learn she is a trans, you would expect coming from an anime they would try to mock her or something distasteful. Not here. They accept Lily and continue treating her like always.
When the other characters learn she is a trans, you would expect coming from an anime they would try to mock her or something distasteful. Not here. They accept Lily and continue treating her like always.
The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin has a trans character.
I don't know if it's good (maybe someone else can expand), like not a big deal was made it was just oh, this character is trans....moving on, she is a really smart geochemist and she is a friend (the plot keeps going).
Great books, if anyone needs something to read.
I don't know if it's good (maybe someone else can expand), like not a big deal was made it was just oh, this character is trans....moving on, she is a really smart geochemist and she is a friend (the plot keeps going).
Great books, if anyone needs something to read.
Hot take: I think Madeline being trans in the Celeste DLC is some straight up cheap ret-conning that actively makes me upset that the creators didn't put that character detail at the forefront of the base games story.
It seems cowardly considering how it adds almost nothing of value to the story or character.
It seems cowardly considering how it adds almost nothing of value to the story or character.
yeah the time period is a bold choice but also an important one. I applaud them for going full bore
trans characters don't have to be defined by transness. it is often preferred for it to be a footnote and everyone just continues on their day, because there's Enough Media About Trans People Suffering
also queer people were definitely reading her as such before farewell, but people always act really weird about queer hermeneutics
Cis guy here, so keep that in mind, but:
I just saw a Swedish movie called Min pappa Marianne, or My dad Marianne, as it's apparently known internationally. Not sure if it's distributed outside of Sweden yet.
The movie is (mostly) based on the true story of a priest coming out to her family, community and parish as trans, as told by one of her daughters. The titular Marianne is played by cis man Rolf Lassgård, but I feel he played the part well.
There were some unfortunate attempts at comedy in the otherwise quite emotional and touching drama, but thankfully it wasn't done at the expense of Marianne.
Not sure if anyone here's interested, or if anyone else will agree, but I wanted to name-drop the movie in here anyway, as I was pleasantly surprised by the movie. I usually hate swedish cinema, but this was a nice little feel-good flick, I thought. Again, with the reservation that I'm cis and might lack a lot of insight into whether this portrayal is good or not.
I just saw a Swedish movie called Min pappa Marianne, or My dad Marianne, as it's apparently known internationally. Not sure if it's distributed outside of Sweden yet.
The movie is (mostly) based on the true story of a priest coming out to her family, community and parish as trans, as told by one of her daughters. The titular Marianne is played by cis man Rolf Lassgård, but I feel he played the part well.
There were some unfortunate attempts at comedy in the otherwise quite emotional and touching drama, but thankfully it wasn't done at the expense of Marianne.
Not sure if anyone here's interested, or if anyone else will agree, but I wanted to name-drop the movie in here anyway, as I was pleasantly surprised by the movie. I usually hate swedish cinema, but this was a nice little feel-good flick, I thought. Again, with the reservation that I'm cis and might lack a lot of insight into whether this portrayal is good or not.
The angel 'White Chain' from the webcomic Kill6BillionDemons struck me as a strong example in a much more out-there fantastical context, the recent chapters conclusion especially.
I thought Gaspar Noé's approach for Climax was interesting with the character of Emmanuelle (Tito's mother), played by Claude-Emmanuell Gajan Maull. She also appeared in Noé's following film: Lux Aeterna.
She was cast not because she was a "trans woman" but because she was a woman. The actress herself felt grateful that she was - for once - not treated as a curiosity at a casting, as she sees it as one aspect of her life, and not her sole defining trait. (I'll let you Google Translate this)
She was cast not because she was a "trans woman" but because she was a woman. The actress herself felt grateful that she was - for once - not treated as a curiosity at a casting, as she sees it as one aspect of her life, and not her sole defining trait. (I'll let you Google Translate this)
I think it's pretty unfair, maybe even cruel, to call it "cheap retconning" or "cowardly" to have a trans protagonist like this given that the designer is literally a non-binary person themself.
Like I personally do get kinda uncomfortable with how some people talk about subtler representation, when they get into or at least border on "it's good specifically because they're not preachy or being a token". It just raises some red flags when people talk that way. But that doesn't mean there isn't value to having trans characters where they're dealing with problems unrelated to/not exclusively due to being trans, with it being signaled in other ways.
The game is banned/not available in these regions on Steam.
There was a small window before release in my region where the game wasn't banned yet, I got it then.
That is absolutely awful. What a shame.The game is banned/not available in these regions on Steam.
There was a small window before release in my region where the game wasn't banned yet, I got it then.
Same reason The Last of Us 2 was banned in many places, display of LGBTQ characters/themes.
Far and away the most emotional and impactful example for me is Umineko: When They Cry, although unfortunately even mentioning that is a spoiler.
yeah. impossible to quote just one thing because it takes like a hundred hours to read all of it i don't think any other story i've encountered in pop media has captured the feeling of dysphoria quite as strongly as umineko. it's not even just the "representation" of any one character, pretty much all of the writing around the subject is wonderful
Bruh, the director/designers/writer of the game didn't come out publicly as non-binary until a year and a half after the game was released. This isn't some Rowling (I really do hate invoking her name) BS "word of god" rep.
Huh. This actually makes me want to check it out.
it's a loooong read and it takes a very long time to arrive at what people praising it in this thread are talking around but it's one of the most glorious "everything clicks into place" experiences i've ever had if you're interested in how fiction handles these themes. you've got to have a stomach for some unpleasantness out of the gate, but it all ends up being crucial setup.
honestly what's most remarkable about it is how it sidesteps some of the most common rakes a lot of stories take square in the face; for example (and I'll spoiler this even though I'm being as vague as I possibly can)
there is a dysphoric character with a tragic past who also appears in an alternate scenario where the tragic event never happened, and they're happier, much different, but still queer—no "tragedy made me trans!!" stuff here.
it's got real thoughtfulness to it!
How do people feel about Oshima in Haruki Murakami's Kafka On the Shore? I remember him being a pretty good portrayal and great character but it's been a while since I read the novel
I don't know what trans community would consider a 'good' rep. Personally, the first trans character I was introduced to was also my favourite: Lord Fanny from The Invisibles. She seemed awesome as all hell.
Lord Fanny is a damn inspiration to me. I'm not sure she's trans as much as genderfluid, but The Invisibles is my favorite comic of all time
A character in Homunculus by Hideo Yamamoto has a tragic end, but a well thought out and sympathetic storyline as the secondary protagonist
My wife loved Ugly Betty. Not my cup of tea, however I noticed when watching it with her the trans character being written well.
In general the deciption of Chinese people in Mr Robot seemed off, particularly for such a diverse show that did a lot of things right, like casting Rami Malek for the lead role that could easily have gone to a generic white actor
Of course all we see are Dark Army guys... but all the American Dark Army stooges get to be interesting, colourful characters (Irving, Leon, Janice), it's only the Chinese redshirt DA guys who are emotionless indoctrinated robots
One piece has two now.
I should also mention Togata from Fire Punch. He is probably one of the better written trans characters in manga.
This one hurt. The context of the character is pretty poignant.
It was such an exceptional scene, though I'm not trans so I can't say if it's relatable to actual trans folks, but to me that really managed to convey that pain the character felt. Probably one of my favourite characters in manga as fucked up as he is.
Excellent taste.
You may not recall, but you recommended Spiritfarer to me a few weeks back. Just to say, me and my eldest daughter are loving it, so thanks for that 👍🏽
The devastating part is that they give up because they literally can never transition due to the regeneration. The fact that they have to permanently live in a hell of never being able to be who they are giving them solidarity with firepunch because he also exists in the same everlasting hell. In the context of FP being a story of despair it's an extremelystrong character and my favorite of the manga
In an ideal world, only if you put a cis man to play the role of a trans woman or a cis woman to play the role of a trans man.
Why the hell would you hire a man to play the role of a woman or vice versa for a group of people who go to great lenghts to show they are the gender they are and not the one they are born with?
In the world we live in, yes.
Trans characters are super rare and trans actors never get cis roles.
So if the role is made with care, they will notice this problem and hire a trans actor.
It is also super easy for an actor to enter in the nuances of the character if they have some familiarity with backstory elements .. like being trans =P
Weird to call retconning for something that if anyone plays the game from start to finish now they will not even notice that it is in a downloudable content.
I think it is amazing how it adds almost nothing .... needing to add something sounds like a homophobe saying "but WHY is this character gay ?" ...there is no reason why people are gay or trans, we just are. Needing a reason means everyone will be cis straight and white till a reason is needed because this is how god intenteded us to be : cis straight and white men.
But anyway, i was one of the people who had a headcanon that she was trans since the start because of how much i related to her and well... i am trans myself =P
Looking into the game, the biggest hurdle to overcome will be the character sprites/designs. What's the best way to play the series? Looks like PC version with PS3 graphics mod.
I personally think the original cartoony art is the best way to read it, but it's totally a YMMV thing--if you prefer the PS3 art yeah, it's extremely easy to install 07th mod ! it lets you pick which art you'd like (original, PS3, or steam (objectively the worst)) along with backgrounds, style of text, and voice acting. I do recommend the voice acting as the performances are amazing but it does add a bit of time to the whole thing obviously. but yeah, it's very easy to get the mod up and running with the exact settings you want.
I'll add Casey Parker (portrayed by Alex Blue Davis) on Grey's Anatomy although he has the issue of every intern. He gets moved way too much in the background. When it comes to his story, they mentioned it very little while putting more focus on his military background and related PTSD and his hacker skills.
(The hacking skills actually tie into the reveal that he was born in a female body, nd I believe it is the only time they mention that.)
(The hacking skills actually tie into the reveal that he was born in a female body, nd I believe it is the only time they mention that.)
I think the main part where they succeed is that this hasn't figured into her relationship drama at all. Like it was used for some dramatic storylines, but never at the cost of her relationships with other characters.
Nia Noll Arrowverse. Portrayed by a trans actress, is just like any other character on the shows.
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Rocko's Modern Life Movie: Static Cling - if you don't know which character transitions, I'd rather not spoil. It's the entire plot of the Netflix Rocko movie and Joe Murray worked with GLAAD and trans friends to ensure the conflict was handled delicately.
Hunter x Hunter - the character of Alluka was handled really well, addresses it without heavy exposition but in context dialogue with her brother yelling at other family members for misgendering and mistreating her. It's sweet and very touching.
I was incredibly moved by how the queer characters, especially the trans characters, were handled in One Piece during Impel Down. Oda claimed that some of his close friends were gay and he would see them at drag shows, based the underground club and characters on these experiences. Luffy's friendship with Bon Clay in particular was so heart warming and wonderful to see. I can't even tell you how happy it made me.
...but then the Sanji timeskip mini arc happens and for some reason reverts and destroys all goodwill from Impel Down by not only exclusively reveling in extremely offensive trans stereotypes, but depicting Sanji as a sympathetic victim and extremely transphobic. I've seen arguments that this was an anime-only story built from only a few drawings that Oda did, but Sanji develops a new character trait of having PTSD from "surviving hell" that is brought up in every arc afterwards, often with flashbacks of the awful stereotypes.
I haven't reached Wano yet.
I'm a bit nervous considering what people are saying about Sanji's full regression into a sex criminal and "he commits his most disgusting act yet" in Wano...but I'm hoping that it's overblown.
Hunter x Hunter - the character of Alluka was handled really well, addresses it without heavy exposition but in context dialogue with her brother yelling at other family members for misgendering and mistreating her. It's sweet and very touching.
Unfortunately this needs more context before recommending One Piece as "positive trans representation."
I was incredibly moved by how the queer characters, especially the trans characters, were handled in One Piece during Impel Down. Oda claimed that some of his close friends were gay and he would see them at drag shows, based the underground club and characters on these experiences. Luffy's friendship with Bon Clay in particular was so heart warming and wonderful to see. I can't even tell you how happy it made me.
...but then the Sanji timeskip mini arc happens and for some reason reverts and destroys all goodwill from Impel Down by not only exclusively reveling in extremely offensive trans stereotypes, but depicting Sanji as a sympathetic victim and extremely transphobic. I've seen arguments that this was an anime-only story built from only a few drawings that Oda did, but Sanji develops a new character trait of having PTSD from "surviving hell" that is brought up in every arc afterwards, often with flashbacks of the awful stereotypes.
I haven't reached Wano yet.
I'm a bit nervous considering what people are saying about Sanji's full regression into a sex criminal and "he commits his most disgusting act yet" in Wano...but I'm hoping that it's overblown.
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As fucking ridiculous as the anime Japan Sinks: 2020 was in almost every aspect, the trans character in that show was actually handled really well.
When Kite shows up he's played off as this ridiculous streamer but he becomes one of the best characters in the show and pretty much saves the day by the end.
It's not until the ending where they're talking about what's going to happen after the events in the anime. There's a montage with a bunch of current events and flashbacks, at one point they show a person with long white hair in a skirt flying a kite before taking off their skirt while continuing to fly the kite.
It was extremely subtle but I was really impressed by how they did that. A lot of people missed this detail.
Even better, in a series that hilariously killed off main characters. He made it to the end.
When Kite shows up he's played off as this ridiculous streamer but he becomes one of the best characters in the show and pretty much saves the day by the end.
It's not until the ending where they're talking about what's going to happen after the events in the anime. There's a montage with a bunch of current events and flashbacks, at one point they show a person with long white hair in a skirt flying a kite before taking off their skirt while continuing to fly the kite.
It was extremely subtle but I was really impressed by how they did that. A lot of people missed this detail.
Even better, in a series that hilariously killed off main characters. He made it to the end.
Love this, thanks for sharing it ❤As fucking ridiculous as the anime Japan Sinks: 2020 was in almost every aspect, the trans character in that show was actually handled really well.
When Kite shows up he's played off as this ridiculous streamer but he becomes one of the best characters in the show and pretty much saves the day by the end.
It's not until the ending where they're talking about what's going to happen after the events in the anime. There's a montage with a bunch of current events and flashbacks, at one point they show a person with long white hair in a skirt flying a kite before taking off their skirt while continuing to fly the kite.
It was extremely subtle but I was really impressed by how they did that. A lot of people missed this detail.
Even better, in a series that hilariously killed off main characters. He made it to the end.
