Alt Mode Episode 37 – Breaking New Ground

5 Comments

1. 

   Elly

   August 12, 2017 at 2:37 am

   Okay, sorry in advance because this is gonna be long and heated.

   So, I’m genderfluid, and I thought the reveal was handled really well. While I haven’t been able to read the issue yet, I’ve seen the panels, and I was really happy to see how nonchalantly it was mentioned. That’s one of the things that many members of the LGBTQ+ community, myself included, want to see done with representation. Also learning that James Roberts consulted an actual trans person makes me really happy. To me that shows that he wants to get things right. I wish he’d do the same thing when it came to disability and mental illness, but that’s a conversation for another day…

   Anyway, I personally can really relate to Lug and Anode in how they discovered their gender really well. I myself didn’t realize I was nonbinary until I learned that it was even a thing that existed. Growing up I thought that it was just ‘male’ or ‘female’, and nothing else. But learning about all the different nonbianry genders really helped me find a big part of myself. And finally seeing trans characters who don’t fit the ‘had always known’ narrative feels really good for me, too.

   As for the accusation of ‘pandering’, I agree with Charles. It unfortunately seems like any form of representation for minority groups is considered pandering. In my opinion, it would be pandering if Lug and Anode were introduced as conjux endurae, revealed to be transgender, then thrust into the background for the remainder of the series. But having trans lesbian characters playing a major role in the story is amazing! Especially because their gender and sexual orientation isn’t a big deal in-story. That way they get to be the heroes like everyone else, while still being representation for a group of people who sadly doesn’t get that much. This is another thing most groups want when it comes to representation as well.

   Lastly, there IS a perfectly good gender-neutral pronoun; they. I use it for myself, and it’s really not confusing at all. In my experience, it only gets confusing for people when they start to overthink it. It’s actually used quite frequently in every day conversation. When we don’t know the gender of someone, we use ‘they’ as a placeholder. So really, using it for genderless characters shouldn’t be much trouble at all.

   And I have to admit that I have a huge chip on my shoulder when it comes to the ‘Cybertronians don’t sexually reproduce and therefore don’t need gender’ argument. I’ve seen too many bigoted comments about how ‘there are only two genders because there’s only two sexes’ thrown at nonbinary people to be able to handle people correlating sex and gender. The two are not related at all. Not to mention that even sex isn’t that simple, but again, whole other conversation.

   In closing, I’m really happy with how James Roberts handled the scene. Especially since I’ve admittingly been pretty hard on him in the past when it came to his portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters. I’m still not happy with the way he handles other issues, but I definitely give him props for this. I can’t wait to see more of these awesome ladies! (Yep, sorry guys, I’m an Anode and Lug fan. Have been since the beginning. 😉 )

   Anyways, sorry for the rant post. But I just really needed to get this out. Take care, guys!

   Till All Are One!
   ♥Elly
   • 

     Big C

     August 13, 2017 at 9:09 pm

     Hi Elly,
     Unfortunately I’m going to miss the next show, but I wanted to thank you for writing in and sharing your perspective!

     Charles
     • 

       Elly

       August 15, 2017 at 12:52 am

       Thanks. ♥ And sorry if I got too intense. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping a level head.
       • 

         Jeremy

         August 15, 2017 at 10:47 pm

         Hi Elly, we don’t think it was too intense…it’s a sensitive issue, and obviously one that’s personal to you. Darryl, Yoshi, and I read your feedback in this week’s Alt Mode. We’re happy to have listeners like you that can provide better insight into things like this!
         • 

           Elly

           August 16, 2017 at 9:42 pm

           That’s a relief. And always happy to help. ♥♥♥

Comments are closed