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Thanks for the question, Steph Williams!

Last question of March peeps! Excited for next month :))

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SPIDER-MAN IS TRANSGENDER?!

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Heather Crisford

On the subject of hormones etc. - they are given to children before puberty if they have made the decision to transition, many kids really struggle with puberty if they are identifying as the opposing gender because their bodies change in ways that they feel desperately uncomfortable about, so hormones can stop a voice dropping or hair growth etc, or like John said can encourage breasts to grow. Louis Theroux did a super interesting documentary called Transgender Kids which is well worth a watch. None of this is particularly Spider-Man related but I think it would be a very inclusive plot point and might help transgender people feel a bit more represented, especially in a genre which is my opinion is camp as anything but presents itself as almost entirely heterosexual.

Heather Crisford

Also you saw Tom Holland as Rihanna on lip sync battle right?!? 🔥🔥🔥

Anonymous

Hahaha this discussion was so funny! I loved it! "Sure I don't give a shit. The fuck do I care if he's transgender or not?" - I love how your blunt indifference is actually more powerful than a vigorous argument for or against the idea. His gender identity shouldn't affect who Spider-man is a superhero or cultural icon. He's still the same person, and it's very important to normalize that in mainstream media. I agree that rather than retroactively confirming him as transgender though, I'd rather see a new superhero who's established as transgender or non-binary from the start, so we can see proper and conscientious representation, their journey and challenges, and there’s no ambiguity or preconceived notions for bigoted fans to invalidate the character’s gender identity. I think the most comprehensive version of the acronym I’ve seen is LGBTQQIP2SAA? It stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, 2-spirited, asexual, and allies. It’s commonly shortened to LGBTQ, where ‘Queer’ encompasses almost everything that comes after. If you’re sexually but not romantically attracted to guys, that’s called heteroromantic bisexuality, where you’re sexually attracted to both sexes but only romantically to the opposite sex. Lol. Alternatively, you can be an aromantic bisexual where you don’t develop romantic feelings for either sexes but you’re sexually attracted to both. It’s definitely not offensive to ask questions! I’m glad you’re both open to learning and you acknowledge when you don’t know something rather than making assumptions! How else do people learn? I think when referring to a transgender person before they’ve transitioned, it’s appropriate to say “their assigned sex,” “assigned male at birth,” “assigned female at birth,” or the “period before their transition”. And gender transitioning can be anything from asserting yourself as transgender to changing your clothing, appearance, name, or the pronoun people use to refer to you (like “she,” “he,” or “they”) to undergoing hormone therapy or other medical procedures to change your physical characteristics to better reflect your true gender, and it can definitely begin as early as 15 and earlier than that. I think also after transitioning, it can be triggering to reference the person’s former name. It’s best to address them by their chosen name. Despite preferring a new trans character, I also agree with John’s point that having a transgender Spider-man would be very interesting given his youth and socioeconomic status! It would be a great opportunity to take an intersectional approach and delve deeper into his character. You’re both right MCU is hardly progressive enough for us to see this soon though, which is very disheartening. Maybe it can begin as a comic as you said or even a TV show? I’d love to see that. Thank you both for sharing your thoughts as always! :]

thereelrejects

Appreciate the info, Heather!! Love that we can kinda discuss and learn about these sorts of things back 'n forth together. 😊 Would definitely be interested in checking out that documentary sometime soon! And definitely agree when it comes to the genre. I think sometimes it's easy to forget that superhero stories can often exist to help provide young people with characters they can relate to and who can inspire them, even when dealing with real-life. Since it's all become so mainstream, feels like it's become easier to forget that these were often stories about true outcasts learning to embrace what makes them "different" and channeling that into something outwardly good and, as such, that's a *perfect* place for representation and inclusivity (at least as far as we're concerned). And in light of that, I think this headcanon about Spider-Man kind of echoes that in a really nice way. It's definitely a hope of ours that the genre, especially onscreen, can continue to branch further out to embrace it's broader boundaries and tell more varied kinds of stories while also giving us the colors and action we love so much.

thereelrejects

Aw haha, really glad you enjoyed it!! Seems like part of the magic and appeal of super hero stories in general (espeeecially with fully-masked/costumed characters) is that they could be ANYBODY! …and that’s part of what makes them (or can make them) so endearing and inspiring! Especially for kids, who it seems to be kinda easy to forget these stories are also for and for whom they can be incredibly valuable.

Seems like most superhero tales grapple with a sense of Other-ness at some point or another (…unless you’re Iron Man, I guess?) and that’s, like… the perfect place to explore themes like these and to help folks feel represented in the process. The power of good art in general haha. 

And while Spider-Man does seem like a great already-established character with whom it would make a lot of sense to explore these ideas with (because he is so relatable and universal in his appeal, and because of his specific moment & circumstances in life), it would *definitely* be wonderful to see a fully fledged, original trans hero introduced - especially given the arguments that can get in the way when, as you said, people have preconceived or very rigid notions about who an established character is or is “supposed” to be. …at this point I guess I just hope there are enough unique powers left to go around haha, but I’m sure someone will crack it. Really appreciate you breaking down some of the specifics here as well! Like we said to Heather (above), I think it’s really cool we’re able to broach these topics - even just a little bit - learn some, and share in the knowledge together :) Seems like there really is everything under the sun and so many different ways a person can be and feel; and though it can be a bit overwhelming to keep track of sometimes & make to sure you’ve got all the knowledge straight, it’s awesome that we’ve been able to put our collective finger on so many of these things. Really appreciate you taking the time out to enlighten us a little. Definitely believe in harboring consideration for people, especially when it comes to identity because… that’s up to you! Each of us gets our own unique one and the only way we get any further as people is to share and pay attention to one another’s experiences. Would definitely be nice to see a big machine like the MCU begin to expand its boundaries and represent more kinds of people. I feel like we’ll get there someday (and glad they’ve at least begun to focus on broader ethnic representation as well as better female characters), but I’d imagine that kind of change will flow upward from the smaller films or stories that break through, as you said, on the comic book side. Another part of why we keep hoping studios will start to embrace more out-there, lower-budget stories so that we can start to see more interesting characters, contexts, and themes to go along with the requisite pulp and action. Fingers crossed!! Thanks as always for the really thoughtful feedback, dear!! 

And now, if you’ll excuse me…. about to go check out that Gorillaz tune… ;)