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Original poster

Neighbours new trans character

64 replies

GillyWeasel · 02/09/2019 11:42

So, this is my first ever post on MN. I have been - what I think it is referred to as - lurking for some time. I was peak transed many months ago but have been prompted to share my frustrations this week after something that has particularly riled me.

I watch Neighbours and have done for years, yes I know, what an admission. It is pretty cheesy but for me it is a bit of escapism at the end of the day. However, I will no longer be watching it since their introduction of a new character, Mackenzie. What has enraged me most is that this is a school age child. I had a whiff of how the wind was blowing on the show a while ago when one of the characters decide that their inspirational for international women’s day was Laverne Cox Hmm
As soon as Mackenzie was introduced, my heart sank. I had my suspicion confirmed by the following two articles, both of which have made my blood boil.

inews.co.uk/culture/television/georgie-stone-neighbours-actor-mackenzie-hargreaves-transgender-character/

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/aug/30/neighbours-first-trans-character-might-not-change-the-world-but-she-could-change-lives

inews, reporting that Georgie Stone is youngest person in Australia to have been given hormone blockers at age 10. Not just reporting but gloating that this contributed to changing the law there, which previously ‘compelled’ children wanting drugs having to apply to the family court. Wow, what an achievement, actually making it easier for young kids to access life changing, debilitating medication. I presume this family are the Australian equivalent of a certain CEO’s family of a certain British organisation which I will not name.

Then, the Guardian, again gloating that ‘trans actors will replace cis actors’, thank goodness, all will be right with the world now Shock
They report, spoiler alert, and the reason I am writing now, the upcoming story line. Fellow pupils demonstrate, demanding that this character be given use of the female bathrooms. Angry

FFS, I find this so irresponsible and damaging when, in the UK, sensible parents are battling against the nonsense guidelines pushed onto schools, gaslighting young girls into believing they are wrong for recognising male bodies in their changing areas.
This is mainstream tv, being shown twice a day, what a message to reinforce to school children. I will be complaining to channel 5 and they have lost a viewer. I can’t watch this woke BS, and who knows what the story line will be in a few months time.
Paul Robinson (most evil character) misgendering Mackenzie and being forcibly arrested? Mackenzie breaking the girls sprint record at Erinsborough high? Dr Karl Kennedy prescribing hormone blockers and carrying out top surgery at Erinsborough hospital?
AngryAngry

OP posts:
Bespin · 02/09/2019 15:55

GirlDownUnder

no not missed you at all, I think we just have the same interest in threads. Maybe we have a lot in comman who knows.

OldCrone · 02/09/2019 15:42

next they will be insisting that BAME characters are played by BAME actors next.

For once, you've come up with a good analogy, Bespin. Since male transgender people rarely look like women, it's right that a man should play a male transgender person. It would be totally inappropriate for a woman to play a male transgender person, because that would give the impression that a man could actually make himself indistinguishable from a woman in real life.

There's no reason, of course, why the role couldn't be played by any man, it wouldn't have to be one who identifies as transgender.

GirlDownUnder · 02/09/2019 15:39

Hey Bespin have you missed me or something? You seem to be following me around today and ignoring most the other posters?

By the by your response to me is a little silly. Unless you think that for eg Peggy Mitchell a fictional pub land lady from the BBC soap opera EastEnders should only have been played by an actual pub landlady?!

LangCleg · 02/09/2019 15:36

Fast forward 20 years when the scandal of medicalising perfectly healthy children has broken: re-runs of a particular series of Neighbours will never occur.

Bespin · 02/09/2019 15:28

So we’ll need to have eg real doctors to play doctor roles?

next they will be insisting that BAME characters are played by BAME actors next.

what Is the world coming to.

GirlDownUnder · 02/09/2019 15:08

Then, the Guardian, again gloating that ‘trans actors will replace cis actors’, thank goodness, all will be right with the world now Shock

So we’ll need to have eg real doctors to play doctor roles?

And trans actors can only play trans roles?

And cis actors can only play cis roles?

All a bit limiting - how many trans actors are there? So we’ll see fewer trans parts as there’ll not be enough trans actors?

And if we have to be so literal with who can play what parts I reckon we’ll get some crap viewing cos I’m pretty sure most doctors can’t act.

Qcng · 02/09/2019 14:50

It's completely irresponsible to promote puberty blockers in any way.
"Neighbours" is obviously jumping on the bandwagon, promoting the harmful ideology because it acts as a type of "clickbait" and makes ppl talk.

At the end of the day this child actor Georgie has had their puberty stopped, needs to live evey day taking prescribed drugs, needs surgery, will have a lower life expectancy, will more likely have depression etc... They were never given the option to be happy with their own natural body, their parents and every adult around them decided to make decisions for this child on the child's behalf no doubt because they were gnc or had underlying issues that were never explored. Being trans is so fashionable, everyone around this child leeched onto the idea.

As pp have said, I have no problem with adult trans actors, why would I. But transing children is wrong and using these children to make a soap opera storyline is exploitation.

tobee · 02/09/2019 13:57

To not put in a woke message! I'm having no luck with my prof reading today.

tobee · 02/09/2019 13:56

Other reasons not other reading Confused

tobee · 02/09/2019 13:55

I got wind of a trans character coming to Neighbours a while ago now. I've watched Neighbours for a long time. I decided to stop watching after the killed off Sonia to make way for younger actors because, among other reading, I just didn't trust Neighbours to put in a woke message that would increase my blood pressure.

They had a short lived transman on eastenders a couple of years ago who I thought they handled pretty sensitively. That character was an adult.

Original poster
GillyWeasel · 02/09/2019 13:25

Yes Jessica, it is the fact it is a school child and the upcoming story line which has annoyed me
The character leading this support of using the female bathroom has known this character for all of a week, how do they know they are no threat to girls? But as the guardian says, trans is cool. This is the message I object to being put across to children

OP posts:
JessicaWakefieldSV · 02/09/2019 13:16

They should not be showing transgender children who took blockers IMO. Trans adults would be different, but the storylines do matter.

TerfTalk · 02/09/2019 13:13

I don't have a problem with a trans character. Why would I?

However, I do hope that Neighbours fairly presents both sides of the debate and doesn't just go down the "poor oppressed woman" route a la Coronation Street.

JessicaWakefieldSV · 02/09/2019 13:11

Oh this is particularly annoying. I’m kiwi! How dare they ruin neighbours! Jfc. It’s just everywhere