Breaking Society's Dark Mirror

The Killer … The Villain … The Peado … The Joke …

That’s how I saw any representations of people like me for the majority of my life, even as a little kid. I didn’t know how to explain to anyone how I felt, so to be fair I didn’t always see trans women characters in the media as a representation of me so to speak … because for a while I didn’t know what the words were … I just felt like a girl, but I was told I was a boy and needed to watch ‘boy shows’ - but secretly, this gal always preferred to watch She-Ra over He-Man … but one show that was called a ‘boy show’ I loved was The Transformers (three guesses why lol!)

So as a little kid I saw people like April O’Neil, She-Ra/Adora, Arcee (if I was a robot) Princess Allura, Kimberly the Pink Power Ranger, and others as the characters in the media that sorta represented me, and Alex Mack! Oh my gosh Alex Mack was amazing! (Although, unlike her, I can only turn into a puddle of goop when I try to talk to pretty girls)

But even those characters didn't feel quite right for me ... I didn't look like them, no one saw me as a girl, and I could't explain that is how I felt. At least in my experience, and looking back on things … I never felt I saw trans representation done in a positive way, not even a neutral way until very recently. We were always the ‘sicko’ or the butt of the joke (look at any sitcom from the 2000s!) or the ‘mental case’ or the killer … or the kidnapper of Dan Marino (Laces OUT!)

This is a dark mirror of our society and we need to break it ...

But look at how far we've come!

Things are finally starting to change slowly, we’ve started getting some amazing shows that are doing really good jobs of positive and well managed LGBT+ representation on the whole (let’s hear it for Brooklyn 99 & She-Ra and the Princesses of Power!)

Side note: I could honestly talk about how amazing and great the representation is in the new She-Ra and just how much I love that show, for hours. It's the first remake/reboot of an 80s cartoon I think not only equals the original ... but honestly, as much as I love the 80s She-Ra, the new one is a better show overall. It has an overarching story that actually progresses, fantastic updates on the characters, and drops some things that weren't needed for today's audiences (although I did miss Lookee!) It took me a bit to get the hang of a few aspects, but it quickly grew on me and now it's one of my favourite shows.

The new She-Ra is special to me because it was one of the first really pro and LGBT+ positive shows I watched through after accepting myself, and you cannot believe how excited I was when I first saw the updated shows Perfuma! It's never said explicitly in the show, I just instantly connected with her and somehow knew I was finally seeing myself represented on screen by a trans feminine character who liked girls ... something I later learned was confirmed by the character designer and supported by the show creator, so I'm taking it as canon! I actually like in some ways that it never was said explicitly, just like the show never used words like 'gay' or 'lesbian', it didn't need to, in this version of Etheria - love was just love, no one batted an eyelid about who was in love with who, not even the 'villains'!

This is the type of representation I believe we need more of, the LGBT+ characters, but especially the trans characters ... are just characters, on equal footing with any other. I'm not expecting every character to be LGBT+ Just like the world, we need to see everyone represented, just represented ... well!

It will be amazing to watch as it hopefully continues to get better and I hope the next generation of LGBT+ kids (and trans kids in particular) start to see positive and good representation in the media.

Let’s get the trans girl Batgirl as a show! (I just found out about this version and am SOO keen! Batgirl is my favourite DC hero!)

Let’s get even more queer characters that aren’t a character because they’re queer but that's just one tiny thing about them! (Capt. Raymond Holt is the epitome of this well rounded character IMO!)

Let’s get trans action heroes, detectives, superheroes, love interests, and more! (seriously, Cate Blanchett in a Die Hard reboot but it's her saving her wife ...)

Don’t let us be the joke anymore, the embarrassing relation to a main character, the shameful date brought up for big laughs, the goddamn mentally ill killer! (Before I came out I had to deal with seeing this trope play out over and over again in the crime shows my mum watches, each time thinking, 'wait another week to tell her')

I want to see trans characters in shows and movies where them being trans has nothing to do with the plot or story, it’s just who they are. I want young trans kids to see someone just like them as the lead in their favourite show.

Can you imagine the positive impact on closeted trans kids if a show like Bluey introduced a trans character? Just imagine how powerful that would be? How empowering and uplifting! Yes they introduced a same-sex couple, but there's nothing stopping them bringing in more queer representation, which could also be a way for gender transition to be explained to kids well, and encouraging acceptance and love.

We can help!

As writers, we can help the swing of the pendulum, create characters, and write stories that provide positive and real representation to the whole LGBT+ community!

One of the main characters in my book is trans, but it has nothing to do with the plot or story, and if anything maybe I made it too subtle. I wrote them the whole time in my head thinking, ‘this is the character representing me’ but it never came to a point in the plot where it needed to be explicit, however in the next book there is an integral plot point with a new character and it is revealed ... and I believe it's one of the best scenes I've written, no lie, I cried writing it!

But what about real life influence and representation? I never got that either!

I also believe it is so important that queer kids see themselves represented in day to day life, in the authority figures in their life … such as teachers. I am studying to be a teacher (at least still for now)

One thing that keeps me motivated to finish the course is being able to be a role model and that visible representation of a trans person living out and proud. I want students to see me living my life so they know they can too.

When I was in school I had no words to even explain how I felt, a conservative Christian school in the 90s in Australia wasn’t the place where a trans girl was going to feel understood or seen. Gay people were beyond the understanding of most people I knew and treated as a joke, if you did anything remotely feminine as someone thought to be a guy, you were called "gay". I was once called a girl and gay because I had a pink pen one time … I mean, yeah I guess they were right on both counts … but not because I had a pink pen!

Many authority figures in my life (church, school, youth group, etc) made a point of telling us that ‘those type of people’ by which they meant me, even if they didn't know it. Were 'sinful' … 'wrong' … 'wicked'. And let's be honest, what was represented on TV did nothing to help.

I NEVER want a young queer kid to have to think that again! So if I am open, out, proud, and visible in a school, even if I get known as ‘the trans teacher’ and that makes a difference in the life of one kid, makes one kid feel safer, gives one kid the courage to be themselves …

Then I think I can accept everything I’ve gone through, all the bad representation, and experience. Because it means that the next kid doesn’t have to go through it, ever again …

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This piece was written for the 'Representation' Challenge - I tried to hit a balance between the good and hope for better representation, while acknowledging that many of us older trans people don't have much in the way of positive representation in the media and it's still not as good as it could be compared to others in the LGBT+ community.

Queer Vocal Voices is a group for Queer writers on Vocal to come together and support each other and share our work in a space just for us ... we are so thrilled that Vocal implemented this challenge from our suggestions!