Speaking of Family Safe Transgender Entertainment ...

[starlitsky]

... here are a few webcomics i am following right now that deals with transgender issues. as always, read from the beginning of the archive; you'll get much more out of it.

http://venusenvy.keenspace.com - "Venus Envy" ... so there's this MtF, with an accepting father, and an uncompromising mother (who happens to be a medical doctor) ... and this FtM, who overdoses on testosterone and becomes violent ... there is a lesbian soccer team ... there's issues dealing with the dangers of coming out of the closet, passing, fitting in ... religious issues, family issues, relationship issues ... there's just so much. my description does not do it justice.

http://jadaze.keenspace.com/ - "Lean on Me" ... about a GG who falls in love with an MtF ... and a lesbian who also wants to date said MtF because she likes girls but needs to present a male to her family ... parents that cannot accept their child ... i haven't finished reading this one yet ... the art is quite silly at times, but it's fun for a quick read ...

http://www.transe-generation.com/ - "Transgeneration" ... mostly one panel strips by a FtM about the trials and tribulations of personal experiences ...

just thought i'd share with you all :p

[Shy Charlotte]

Being a child of the 80's, I grew up with a cartoon series, released in the U.S. called "Robotech" (released by Harmony Gold, it was actually three separate japanese cartoons.... Macross, Southern Cross, and MOSPAEDA). In the last of the series, a character named Lancer was first introduced to the audience as a beautiful purple haired singer named Purple Dancer (I never understood the choice of hair colors in japanese cartoons, but I always loved it). In the series the character was never ridiculed or frowned upon for his clothing preferences, and was constantly lusted over by many male characters in the series.

I'm also a big fan of Ranma 1/2, and I believe that it may represent the philosopher's stone of crossdressing... the ability to change from one gender to another with a simple splash of water. These two shows have always portrayed crossdressing in a positive, albeit quirky light.

In American cartoons, however, when the character (e.g. Bugs Bunny), dresses as a woman, it's more for comedic value. The characters are portrayed as singular, in a cartoon fashion (Bugs is always a wiseguy, Elmer has bloodlust, Daffy has second child syndrome, etc.).

I wonder if these kind of cartoons have any effect on molding young minds' perceptions towards crossdressers.


Arigato gozaimasu Star-san. Anatta dai kireii desu.
Sumimasem, demo watashi-no Nihongoga warui desu.

[Wen4cd]

I think it was "Yellow Dancer" refering to the costume instead of the hair.

[Shy Charlotte]

I must be getting forgetful in my old age. You're absolutely correct. It was "Yellow Dancer". I was thinking about the hair when I wrote that.

Thanks for the gaff check.

[Wen4cd]

No problem, I was a big Robotech nerd back in the day.

You know, reading all the paperback books and such.

I got out of it about the time all the Macross 2 stuff started. Things got a little too confusing!

Wen

[Shy Charlotte]

Try Macross 4? I think the story goes that the main characters are super-rockstars, and they'll be playing a concert when suddenly there's an alien attack. They throw down their instruments, run to their conveniently stashed Veritechs, and fly off into the horizon. No wonder rock-stars turn to drugs.... to much stress.

Going back to the vein of the post, I think that Asian cartoons are much more positive regarding CD's, and in American cartoons CD's are still viewed as a source or ridicule. Even up to and including South Park, crossdressers are seen as a source of ridicule (that being said, I'd love to see an avatar of Cartman pretending to be a cop, pretending to be a prostitute).

Even at the Hustler Store in Hollywood (and probably elsewhere), they have a doll that is a muscle-bound man in a dress and a wig, with the captions "I'm so pretty, oh so pretty". Ugh.

I guess the old saying "Naked women are sexy, and naked men are funny", also applies when clothed, and typical male minds get short-circuited when they see something repulsive (males) in something alluring (female clothing).

Ah well, where's Harry Truman when you need him?

[starlitsky]

I'm also a big fan of Ranma 1/2, and I believe that it may represent the philosopher's stone of crossdressing... the ability to change from one gender to another with a simple splash of water. These two shows have always portrayed crossdressing in a positive, albeit quirky light.


in the other thread (http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=982) , i was just talking about Ranma 1/2! if you like gender bender comedies, may i also recommend "Pretty Face" ... Pretty Face is translated by ( http://www.akatsukimanga.com/ ), and i believe they've done all four or five volumes of it. you can view it online here: ( http://www.anime-source.com/banzai/...tegories&cid=21 ).

although the main protagonist is a reluctant "hero" who never wanted to dress, he does so for the girl he loves, knowing how important it is for her and her family ...

Strawberry Eggs is an anime that deals with crossdressing as a profession as well ... it starts off with a man who wanted to work at the local private school, but was rejected because they only hired women teachers. (it's actually strange because the school is co-ed ... the boys remain somewhat in the background) i won't give away the ending :roll: but (of course, being the main character), there was an overall positive effect on the students, and despite what society says, it is truly the person inside that matters, not what they wear or how they look like ... (i hope i didn't give away the ending!)



In American cartoons, however, when the character (e.g. Bugs Bunny), dresses as a woman, it's more for comedic value. The characters are portrayed as singular, in a cartoon fashion (Bugs is always a wiseguy, Elmer has bloodlust, Daffy has second child syndrome, etc.).


i also notice that when they do dress, it's usually to entice males into falling for their traps, giving the image of being a seductress, a temptress and a trickster; someone you have to be wary of when you walk down the street at night.

comparing that to Ranma, a martial artist who was brought up to be and do the honourable thing ...



I wonder if these kind of cartoons have any effect on molding young minds' perceptions towards crossdressers.


oh definitely! as part of children's entertainment, it plays a role in their socialization process. i was discussing the issue of "Animaniacs" a while ago, and we agreed that the level of comedy in "Animaniacs" was much more adult than, say, Bugs Bunny. Imagine children laughing at parodies of Macbeth, or the Raven (Edgar Allen Poe). I don't think many children would have knew about the characters until they watch the show ... but if you asked them later what they thought of the Raven ... i'm almost sure they'll giggle and say "Nevermore!"



Arigato gozaimasu Star-san. Anatta dai kireii desu.
Sumimasem, demo watashi-no Nihongoga warui desu.

wow ... thank you ... ! :o perhaps some day, i will be brave enough to post a real picture of myself ... i'm not sure if you saw in the other post, but ...
i really like your picture! one of my favourite fashion trends right now is "Gothic Lolita (http://www.blue-period.fsnet.co.uk/egl.html)" (no, it's not some underage thing) .... dark flowing clothing that has a sense of mystery ....


unfortunately, i'm not japanese ... but i did manage to figure out most of what the sentences said without looking it up! :p learning french, japanese and mandarin ( Canada's official second language) is somewhere up on my list of "things to do" ... i guess staring at anime subtitles for so long ... it does tend to rub off a bit ... now if only i can find french and mandarin films i like and can consume in equal quantities ... :)

[starlitsky]

Try Macross 4? ... Going back to the vein of the post, I think that Asian cartoons are much more positive regarding CD's, and in American cartoons CD's are still viewed as a source or ridicule.

i was never a big mecha fan ... the only mecha anime i could watch was the ever-depressing Gainax's Neon Genesis Evangelion, and underrated Dual Trouble Adventure, by Pioneer (the same people who did Tenchi Muyo, El Hazard ... all three lean towards a "harem" type ... where there are many girls trying to win the affection of the main character, a usually confused male). Dual Parallel actually had an episode devoted to trying to hide the main character's gender (only females could pilot robots ... except him) ... so they stuck him in a girls jumpsuit, padded in all the right places ...

i think the cartoons are a reflection of the values of our society. north american values were based on the people who came to settle here, like the pilgrims and puritans. some believe that part of the reason these people left england in the first place was because of the degree of naughtiness in popular culture back then ... Shakespeare's plays were quite steamy (well, and young men also dressed up as women to play the parts ...) Breast baring (http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20040517/breasts.html) being popular, and so on ...

as a result, a lot of our culture and values are religiously tinged, despite our seperation of church and state. we have huge debates about the issues of abortion, euthenasia and pre-marital sex (although not as much anymore) ... people get seriously angry over changing the name of "Christmas Holidays" to "Winder Break" ... gay marriage is still a big issue .. "sacred vows before God as the union of male and female", usually using Deuteronomy and Leviticus, books of the bible, as a guide as to what to do. (i hope i'm not starting a flamewar here ... )

on the other hand, other cultures have their own set of values that they follow. ... in Sailor Moon, for example, i believe Zoisite, one of the villians in the show, was changed to female when the show was brought over to North America, all because of his relationship with Malachite, another male villian. the love interest between Uranus and Neptune (both female), were also removed and glossed over .... considering Sailor Moon was originally marketted for "shoujo", young girls ... it is quite different than the north american equivalent



Even at the Hustler Store in Hollywood (and probably elsewhere), they have a doll that is a muscle-bound man in a dress and a wig, with the captions "I'm so pretty, oh so pretty". Ugh.


actually, this reminds me of a few GGs i know who love yaoi. (in case you don't know, yaoi usually refers to love stories between two men. they are usually drawn as beautiful as the women in the story (if there are any), with long flowing hair, spectacular lashes ... very seldom are they muscle-bound men in a dress and a wig ...) once, i sent them a link to a yaoi gallery featuring musclemen ninjas making out from an anime we all watched... and they said, no, this is gross ... these people are ugly ...

on the other hand, i always liked how some of the musclemen in anime and manga are revealed to have a very soft feminine side (although, it may be because they're hinting that they're homosexual and i didn't get it) ... usually about how these big fighters are afraid of getting their beautiful face cut ... or ordering a large icecream concoction liberally sprinkled with multicolour sprinkles



Ah well, where's Harry Truman when you need him?

i'm not sure i understand the reference ... who is Harry Truman? are you referring to the President?

[windycissy]

You're right about Venus Envy, my all time favorite strip was this one: Click here to see Zoe getting ready for her big date (http://venusenvy.keenspace.com/d/20021211.html)

I'm also a fan of TG fiction, here's a link to some great stories: Click here for the stories of Nom de Plume (http://snurl.com/tgblog)

I'm planning to put a list of beach reading with crossdressing themes on my internet advice column, Ask Windy Cissy (http://snurl.com/askwindy)

[Wen4cd]

Well, the latest 'crossdressing' episode of South Park was really really clever, on a metphorical read.

Cartman dons a robot costume, in order to fool Butters into telling him his innermost secrets, so he can later ridicule him about it publicly.

Butters begins to tell personal secrets to what he thinks is his personal objective "robot friend" (possibly a symbol for the pseudo-anonymity of the internet, or maybe just feigned objectivity from aquantiences)
Butters has an embarrassing medical condition he cannot control. (Another familiar side of the classic "choice or condition" debate)
Cartman tries not to laugh at the embarrasing secrets. He fully intends to crush Butters later by telling everyone.

Just as Cartman is about to remove his robot costume and reveal his evil plan to devastate Butters, Butters reveals that he has secretly videotaped Cartman crossdressing as Britney Spears, and will show the tape to everyone if Cartman ever picks on him again!

So, Cartman is forced to keep the robot facade, and become Butters' servant, or else risk people seeing the embarassing tape. He has to keep pretending he's something else, and despite the discomfort of keeping up the false identity, he won't risk removing it in front of Butters.

Meanwhile, Butters is growing attatched to 'his robot" and feels he finally has a true friend he can trust. It's uncannily similar to a relationship in which a crossdresser can't come out to his SO, leaving the SO living under a happy delusion, making it even that much harder for the crossdresser to ever come out, and stop pretending to be something he's not.

They go through a few adventures together, and Cartman is captured by the military. He tries, too late, to tell them he's not a robot, just as they're about to drill holes in his head and reprogram him.

Ironically, Cartman's robot facade is finally shattered by the military and his own uncontrollable physical self emerging from beneath the 'costume" (Hey, robots don't fart!)

When his deception is revealed, Butters gets revenge by showing the crossdressing video to the whole town in one huge screening.

In the final disturbing sequence, everybody in town is watching Cartman dancing around dressed as Britney Spears on a big movie screen, while Butters is smiling and clapping happily. All his friends are laughing at him. All his facades shattered. It's played up almost as the worst nightmare of a closet dresser.

All he can do is sit there and take it, grudgingly. His outing is portrayed as a punishment for his deception, and his original intent to reveal the secrets of Butters. He was living in a glass house and throwing stones, and now he's paying for it.

Comfortingly though, he does not appear to be shattered by being outed to the whole community. He looks annoyed and slightly angry, as if he fully realizes that he brought it on himself.

And at the very end, when the stereotyped "right-wing military general guy" turns to him and says: "Wow kid, you're a little faggot!" Cartman just rolls his eyes, and says, "Lame....."

It's really an awesome episode. It doesn't have that 'propaganda' feel of a lot of web comics, and it doesn't cast a bad light on the actual behavior of crossdressing at all. It's portrayed as a slightly embarassing personal secret, that people will go to hilarious lengths to hide, even to the point of pretending to be something completely different.

What is portrayed as wrong, obviously, is deceiving people to violate their trust.
The show makes a BIG disctinction between the two. Deceiving people to protect your privacy is a wholly different thing than deceiving people to hurt them, but the lines can be confused in an issue like crossdressing and relationships.

[Rachel Ann]

I just *love* Venus Envy. It makes me laugh and it makes me cry.

I find the strip funny, heartbreaking, heartwarming and engaging. Also not at all sappy, and frequently edgy.

I never had to live as a teen TG but it rings very very true.

Sometimes http://venusenvy.keenspace.com is hard to reach, but there is a mirror site, http://madisonave.ca/ve/ve-0001.html that usually works.

[Rachel Ann]

bump - I just don't want anyone to miss Venus Envy

[Sharon]

Thanks Rachel, I just bookmarked it so that I can check it out tomorrow.

[babe4life]

Yes! Love Venus Envy too!

And I could so understand most of those issues. Wish I did it back then though :(

Oh well.

Much love,
Vicky

[Rachel Ann]

btw Venus Envy is not something to be read completely in one sitting unless you are prepared to suddenly realize that it's 3am.

Also, there are a couple of broken links:

At page 112, if you click on "next" when at http://madisonave.ca/ve/ve-0112.html it will take you to the last page, and you will miss pages 113-144. At that point, just change the browser address to http://madisonave.ca/ve/ve-0113.html.

Page 125 just keeps returning to itself. When at http://madisonave.ca/ve/ve-0125.html you must change the browser address to http://madisonave.ca/ve/ve-0126.html.

Love

[Chandra Marie]

Butters begins to tell personal secrets to what he thinks is his personal objective "robot friend" (possibly a symbol for the pseudo-anonymity of the internet, or maybe just feigned objectivity from aquantiences)
Wen, I love South Park, That was a good one. I thought you might like to know that Matt & Tre are not getting that deep with the symbolism of the robot, it's a play on Honda's A.I. project "ASIMO". www.asimo.honda.com/inside_asimo.asp?bhcp=1 (http://www.asimo.honda.com/inside_asimo.asp?bhcp=1)