Trans Characters in Media
Representation Matters
December 24, 9 pm, Eastern Standard Time. From here on in, I shoot without a script!
So goes the first line of the 1994 hit Broadway musical, RENT. I’ve often joked that I was predestined to become a performer because I was born on the East Coast on that exact date, down to the hour. The show is even set in the same year I was born!
In the same way, there have been many moments throughout my life that, in retrospect, make it very clear that I was assigned the wrong gender at birth. And, like my birthday musical, I’ve realized that before I knew I was non-binary, my trans-ness manifested in intense interest in certain stories, characters, plots, and songs. Creativity and storytelling are perhaps the gifts I value most highly, so it makes sense that this should be the case.
Growing up, my favorite movie characters were Westley from The Princess Bride: a dashing, roguish pirate; Jareth: a confident and villainous Fae-king played by David Bowie at his most glam; and Howl Pendragon: the temperamental shape-shifting wizard at the center of Miazaki’s anti-war fairy tale. I still feel a strong kinship with these characters and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that while they are canonically cisgendered men, all three share a tendency to blend traditionally masculine and feminine looks, traits, and fashions into something new and—for me—much more relatable than either of the two binary genders had ever been.
Growing up in the 90s, characters like these were pretty much the only option for trans kids like me, looking for a hero (or villain) they could see themselves in. There weren’t many trans characters portrayed in television and film at the time, and when they were, the portrayals weren’t often positive. Things are gradually improving, but good representations of trans people in media are still relatively few and far between.
Just recently, Sony’s new Spider-Man movie, Across the Spider-Verse, portrayed one of it’s main characters owning trans pride merch, frequently illuminated in trans colors, and with a storyline that mirrors the trans experience—but never went so far as to verbally canonize her trans-ness within the film. While subtle trans characters like these are great, it’s important that we are given more explicit representation as well.
I’ve noticed that when minority groups and marginalized people ask for this kind of representation, it’s often perceived as entitlement or an agenda to shoehorn queer characters into everything. But in my experience, it’s just the desire to see someone like yourself in the stories you enjoy. Storytelling is a very human experience; we use it to keep track of our history, to entertain, to escape—and it’s also a significant way that we engage with and understand culture. Don’t all people deserve to see themselves represented in the stories they consume? As a 90s kid who constantly struggled to see myself in any of the characters I loved, I know I would have appreciated seeing a non-binary character onscreen—and maybe I would have been able to accept myself sooner, too.
Y’all know I love a listicle, so here are my Top 10 Trans Characters in TV/Film:
10. Dr. Frank N Furter, Rocky Horror Picture Show
I was first introduced to the sweet Transvestite from Transsexual* Transylvania on Halloween 2006, and I was immediately obsessed. Despite already being sold on the concept due to my love of musicals, the campy and gorgeous Frank (played with perfect dramatic flair by Tim Curry) rocketed RHPS into my favorites films from the first tap of his platform heels on the elevator floor. I love how unbothered Frank is by something as banal as gender, and while he is the villain you can’t help rooting for him a bit, just so that he can stay on the screen a little while longer.
* Please be aware that though some folks (especially older queer people) may identify as such, “transvestite” and “transsexual” are no longer considered appropriate to use in reference to the transgender community at large.
9. Anybodys, West Side Story (2021)
Anybodys earns a place on this list for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I grew up watching the 1961 version of WSS constantly; it’s one of the first films I remember seeing as a kid, and it remains a favorite today. Even when I was young, I related strongly to Anybodys—then portrayed as a tomboy who wanted to join the gang because she felt stifled by the expectations put on her sex. For many years, I would refer to this tiny side role as one I would love to play in a staged production of the musical. When I finally got around to seeing the Spielberg remake, I was thrilled to discover the character had been given a more explicit transmasculine portrayal. Non-binary actor Iris Menas plays Anybodys with such care and sincerity, it’s impossible not to be struck by his situation, and the courage it would take to be himself in that time period.
8. Double Trouble, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Created by transmasculine writer, Nate Stevenson, Double Trouble is one of the first non-binary characters I ever saw in a children’s show. And though they’re somewhat villainous, you can’t help but be entertained by their snarky, shapeshifting escapades. Additionally, Double Trouble considers themself to be a performer first and foremost, which leads to a bunch of fun scenes of them getting into character in whatever form they’ve adopted in the moment.
7, 6, 5. The Sailor Starlights, Sailor Moon
I’ve known about the Sailor Starlights for almost two decades, but I only got to experience their story for the first time last year. You see, the fifth and final season of Toei’s hit anime series Sailor Moon wasn’t dubbed into English in the 90s along with the first four. From the very first season, the show dealt with censorship of queer content from the producers of the American dub; in season 1, the gender of one half of a minor gay couple was changed to so the characters would be heterosexual. Things got worse when season 3 introduced Neptune and Uranus** who were much more central to the plot, and the dub notoriously changed them from a lesbian couple to…cousins. Yeah, that did a number on my tiny psyche. Needless to say, when the American license holders learned that season 5 would feature a trio of genderfluid characters who would routinely switch genders and pronouns, they opted not to dub it at all.
Fast-forward twenty years and I’m on 6-weeks bedrest after my top surgery. A new company had obtained the rights to Sailor Moon and in 2019, they finally dubbed season 5. I hadn’t had time to sit down with it yet, so it was the obvious binging choice for my recovery. And what a perfect choice it was. New magical girls who were also pop-star boys??? THE DREAM. Shoutout to Seiya aka Star Fighter in particular—he’s definitely my fave of the three.
**Sailor Uranus is also canonically described as non-binary in the Sailor Moon Crystal remake, but I couldn’t justify putting FOUR characters from the same anime on this list. Sorry Haruka, ilysm you’ll always be #1 in my heart!
4. Raine Whispers, The Owl House
First off, if you haven’t seen The Owl House yet, you’re seriously missing out. It’s a wonderful fantasy romp with incredible world building and an even more incredibly diverse cast of characters. Representation was a primary focus in showrunner Dana Terrace’s writing—the show features characters with disabilities, mental illness, from different races, genders, and sexualities across the board—and it’s all the better for it. Raine is one of those characters—a non-binary bard and romantic interest to one of the leads. They are clever, rebellious, and extremely kind (plus they play the violin just like me!!) and for that reason, they’re one of my all-time favorite characters.
3. Jim Jimenez, Our Flag Means Death
OFMD is another show that just innately understands the value of representation in media. Fans have started calling it simply “Gay Pirate Show” for short, since so many of the main characters are some flavor of queer. Jim in one such character; first introduced in disguise as a mute man, their cover is blown when a fellow pirate spots them bathing at sea and notices that their body is decidedly feminine.
What makes Jim so unique is the way they’re written. The show takes place during the Golden Age of Piracy, and there weren’t really words to describe the non-binary experience in the 18th century. Despite this, the conversation about Jim’s gender doesn’t feel forced or unnatural. They simply explain to their crew mates that they are “just Jim” and that they don’t want to be seen as a woman, and the crew immediately transitions to using they/them pronouns without a beat. Another great thing about Jim is that they are played by a non-binary actor who used their own experiences to inform the portrayal, and has gone on record saying that playing Jim has better helped them understand their own gender.
2, 1. Crowley and Aziraphale, Good Omens
I first read Good Omens in high school and immediately fell in love with Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s parody of antichrist-child horror films. Easily my favorite part of the story was the relationship between the demon Crowley and his heavenly counterpart, Aziraphale. Described as “sexless unless they really make an effort,” these two supernatural beings develop a star-crossed friendship that eventually prevents the apocalypse when they choose each other over Heaven and Hell.
The Amazon series of the same name takes this admittedly already pretty queer-coded storyline and makes it even more blatant; Crowley and Aziraphale pine after one another over the course of 6,000 years, taking on many different forms along the way. Crowley in particular is seen to present himself as whatever gender best serves his purposes at the time, and is played with what I can only describe as transmasc swagger by David Tennant. It’s a nice addition to the love story that plays out like every gay religious kid’s first serious acknowledgement of their own queerness. I can’t wait for season 2.
What about you? Do you have any favorite trans or non-binary characters to recommend to me? Tell me all about it below!
Also, just a bit of housekeeping: you may see less regular articles from me over the next month or so. I’m in the process of selling my house and moving, and things have really started to get hectic. I’ll try to post weekly, but in case I don’t, that’s why. As always, you can subscribe to get this newsletter direct to your email, so you never miss a piece.
As always, thanks so much for reading. I’m heading to my local Pride Fest tonight! I hope you also find a fun way to celebrate the month. Love you all! Talk soon.
Riley from Summer Suns. That reveal.