Does the treatment of gender-nonconfirming (especially trans feminine) folx in [INSERT MEDIA HERE] bother you, but you feel like you can’t criticize their depiction (or have been thwarted in the attempt) because someone pointed out the character doesn’t identify as trans or isn’t “technically” trans?
INTRODUCING: Trans-misogyny. It’s a super helpful framework developed by Julia Serano (a prominent trans scholar whose book you should read).
Here’s a brief definition by her:
Serano’s overall point is that our culture that both marginalizes folx who don’t conform to their assigned gender and marginalizes women reserves a special conflux of hate for those who do both. And what’s especially interesting and useful for us here is that anyone, regardless of identity, who experiences transphobia by not conforming to their assigned gender and misogyny for behaving/performing/expressing themselves in feminine ways, can be a target of it. How you identify is part of it, but another big part of it is how culture devalues femininity itself, regardless of who it is found in.
Guilty Gear’s Bridget, Dangan Ronpa’s Chihiro, Catherine’s Erica, Fire Emblem: Fate’s Foleo, for example, are identified as “really male” by their creators in one way or another, which is typically used for more or less bad faith arguments that trans criticism shouldn’t apply to them. It is, of course, a real danger to impose an outside conception of gender on someone, so it’s a legitimate argument in a certain way.
Look at the treatment of these characters from the angle of trans-misogyny and you’ll see a very clear picture, however:
there’s a lot of hyper-sexualization of these characters, ridicule of their femininity, disgust with their bodies or framing them as artificial or fake, and targeting them for their weakness because of their femininity. Not all of these apply to all of those characters, but at least one applies to each; don’t fall for trying to arguing that a character is trans, just look to see if if trans-misognyny applies.
Arguing the genders of fictional characters written by dudes with no conception of a real trans person’s experience gender will fall apart and misstep very badly because you’re trying to argue something that’s flawed at its very premise. If the author doesn’t think trans women are women, arguing by the in-universe logic of someone who thinks that is going to get you nowhere. Never fall into that trap in the first place!
This isn’t to say that those characters can’t be great characters who you like and/or identify with, just that their depictions reflect the trans-misognynistic culture we’re all subject too. The ways these characters are treated, but more important the ways that the works they are a part of depict femininity and transness, are specifically trans-misognyistic, no matter what the creators say about them or what your own personal idea of what their genders are. Look for how the work (and just as importantly, if you’re making fan works, you!) treats these characters and how they might be debased or fetishized.
If you’re not trans feminine (maybe you’re just trans, or just feminine) you can still use this framework to look at how devaluing of transness or femininity independently happens. A lot of action heroes who are women are also excepted to not be feminine in order to be badass, which should not be a requirement. And we can also see how, say, Persona 4′s depiction of Naoto is very hostile to the idea of transition and how that’s an issue regardless of that character’s identified gender—something we’ll never be able to tell from someone who is fiction and can’t self express.
I hope this was interesting and helpful! However, I definitely recommend reading an actual book rather than leaving your education at a Tumblr post, and Julia Serano’s book Whipping Girlgoes into great detail!
I’m screaming forever and ever because sinilakki drew beautiful terrifying Witch Queen of the Woods Lyka from my explore-a-spooky-forest game, Krypteia.
He is, however, perfectly willing to fuck with time and reality.
And also steal your infants.
He didn’t steal anything. She literally asked him to take the baby. Don’t make him the bad guy just because she was a shitty sister.
I think you are severely misinformed as to how baby ownership works.
It was not her baby to give.
David Bowie is unquestionably the villain.
Which do you think existed first, modern custody legislature, or the goblin king?
The girl was entrusted by her parents with the care and custody of the child. By the laws governing the goblin king and his transactions, the girl was the current rightful owner of the child and made a deal with the king to take the child. Perhaps you’re not familiar with english folklore. Fae have rules, they’re tricksters, they can be sneaky, but they never break the rules.
Slammin’ it down in the Labyrinth fandom tonight, kids.
