Yes it's a trans thread! New supergirl series USA will have trans lead

[NothingOnTellyAgain]

[[I saw this on the BBC and thought you should see it:

Supergirl to feature TV's first transgender superhero - www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-44915149 here]]

I don't know anything about this actor, I'm sure they're v nice, reading this this morning though, I think it is a good example of where things are headed.

Girls have historically had far fewer role models of this type than boys. There are way less mainstream female super heroes. Same as in lots of other areas. In male dominated worlds like graphic novels/ cartoons, and in entertainment generally, our role is often restricted to furthering the storyline of the male lead while looking attractive.

This role which is one of the few mainstream superheroes goes to a trans girl. That is more right and fitting, probably, in subconscious minds than giving it to a girl.

It is also the most recent example of things that we have fought for, going. We are told that a 50% TW 50% men parliament will be a triumph for female equality. TW are starting to win in various sports competitions. Various firsts go to them (fist women to direct a movie trilogy-wachowskis. First woman to join UK frontline army unit (sorry not sure terminology) is a TW who was already there and it was literally before it would have been possible for a cunty woman to do it due to rules). Also, labour AWS. And more I'm sure.

Meanwhile TW are fighting and winning access to areas which we had as respite/ safety: prisons, sports stuff, clubs and groups.

I think the thing with all of this is that there are few positions for women, we have fought for them, and they are being turned over to tw. Why not a new trans superhero? There are way more girls than transgirls who have so few of these characters to see themselves in, why do girls need to lose theirs?

Have transmen been hired into these roles in similar numbers, are they taking the place of men in positions of power, accolades, sports wins etc? No not really.

We also have retrospective transing of historical women, women who often feminists have uncovered and brought to the public eye, as historical women who achieve are often erased. Now the ones we have, many of them are being claimed as transmen.

It's obvious where this leads, in line with society and ideas around men being superior to women.

I think we will be left with shitwork- cooking cleaning caring behind the scenes for little or no compensation, producing babies, prostitution and porn. Which is where the men always wanted us, right?

Reading this today is just the latest but I just felt, that's another thing gone for girls.

The evidence that the character is trans is that the producers of the show say so. Characters are fictional, so not set in stone.
For example, Tamsin Grieg recently played Malvolio in Twelth Night. They changed the sex of the character and changed the character name to Malvolia. It’s allowed, because it’s fiction.

I hadn't heard of this person so I looked them up.
They are half of an identical twin male pair.
Their parents noticed something 'different' when they were two years old.
Blah blah Barbies. Blah blah Sparkles.
They legally transitioned in grade 5
They were the plaintiff who successfully challenged bathroom laws which previously restricted female toilets to females, so that males could gain access.
"Her mother, a problem-solver, saw early on that she was different"

Problem: Small male child plays with barbies and likes sparkles.
Solved: transition to girl
Problem: small 2yo male child associates liking barbies as incompatible with having penis. Declares hatred of penis.
Solved: the barbies were kept.

"If they were going to let Wyatt look like a girl and dress like a girl, then surely he deserved a girl’s name"

Oh look yet another teen show insisting on shoving the trans agenda in kids' faces.

Of course it's fiction, and malleable. The issue is it's a genre in which women are underrepresented to start with (not to mention the nature of their typical representation).

Oh sorry everyone I misread the article, I thought supergirl was trans! My mistake. I looked up the character she is playing, see no evidence she is trans? Given that she first appeared in 1964 and is pictured one wiki from a 1988 cartoon with blonde hair and big boobs, I would be quite frankly amazed if she's always been trans.

So, point stands.

I'm not getting why one identical twin is trans and the other one is not?

If transgenderism is genetic and innate then why are they not both the same? Either both trans or both not trans?

Why was one of two identical twin babies born in the "wrong body" and the other was not?

This person is not playing Supergirl herself. Im as GC as they come but I can't get worked up about this. Trans people can be given roles on the telly.

Sorry, referring to Nicole Maines, the actor in question here.

They have an identical twin brother called Jonas.

My issue with this is that women already have so few tv series - especially of the superhero genre - where they are the leads, and that's why Supergirl was special. Agent Carter (my hero) was cancelled which I'm still furious about, and putting a transwoman superhero in this series just takes the spotlight away from women!

There are three other programmes based in their universe featuring male leads that they could have been put in, but no.. just take more away from women.

irrelevant if it's the lead or not. Supergirl may be more famous, this other character is still one that's been around for 50 years and is female.

It is still a role model gone for girls, and if it's a female centric prog it means that one of those female central characters is not female.

This is a slow erosion of what we have fought to get. Why not make a new trans character? Why take a female character that has been around since the 60s and trans her?

If in fact this character has been trans since the beginning I'm happy to take this all back!

But as things stand, it doesn't look like it.

In fact if a character called "dream girl" and going since 1964, presented as sexy lady, has always been trans, I will be utterly astonished! And quite impressed, will have to revise what I thought I knew about the popular side of this genre!

’s allowed, because it’s fiction

Quadruple dare you to say that at a comi con

Yes I understand how fiction works and how actors can change the sex, sexuality etc of many characters

It was more the 'transwoman playing a transwoman' comment when the character has been completely rewritten to make them trans when they werent in the first place. So in the case of grieg no one woukd say 'a woman playing a womans part'

As i said...i dont have a problem with this at all. Its nice to have representation, but a new character could have been developed if necessary

I don't think I'm that bothered tbh as long as there's an acknowledgement that the character is actually trans, and not actually a woman/girl

I can see the first opening lines now "I always knew i was different, I didn't play cars with the other boys, I preferred barbies and wearing skirts, that's when i knew i was a girl. Then, when I smashed my first rock in half with my bare fists at age 4, I knew I was a Super Girl" or similar chuff.

Thanks garden

My post was in response to nuffs

And i dont care about comics...but i know the comic people do

Im sure she will do well in the part,

I dunno about the bechdel test...interesting point though

Dastardly- the character isn't trans though. She's been around since 1964.

Why trans a female character, when s nhs character could be written?
It's because trans women are women, therefore it paves the way for any female characters to be played by tw and/ or "transed".

No objections too this and there is no logical reason to object to any other female superhero having this treatment - supergirl, wonder woman, and into any other female characters.

Eg you could rework sex and the city or Buffy or cagney and lacey with all tw, and where's the problem? As per the parliament thing, there is none.

The thing is you have to think a bit too come up with entertainment with female leads, there's so much less of it. Giving these roles back to males, however well they perform femininity, is going backwards.

I suppose it makes sense with the mainstream comic ones more than anything with women being extreme sexualized portrayals in the main...

Eg wonder woman was a bondage fantasy. It was all about femininity- big hair, big for a, tiny waists. Male wank fantasies. Not actual women, really.

For a = tits....

My phone doesn't Like lots of words!

I remember when Super Girl was first announced feminists insisted people had to watch it for the ratings to help show women could be good superheroes etc. Turns out almost none have as they have no idea that its been a series with a woman as super girl for years!

Oh and FWIW if you are fond of superhero TV series, Super Girl actually is awesome and stands up for itself against other male superhero tv series like Flash and Arrow from the same comic franchise. IMO it actually gets better once it stops forcing the feminist im a woman who can do exactly what a man can agenda ( they literally throw it in your face) and you know just focus on being a super hero who is a woman and is brilliant.

I tried it but couldn't get into it.

I remember the film in the 80s so probably not aimed at me!

When I was a girl the 60s batman series was on, now that was awesome :D