CW: Mentions of transphobia, lesbophobia, and enbyphobia. Brief mentions of violence against women. Spoilers for Hollow Knight.

Header image from the official Steven Universe fandom wiki.

Non-binary and trans characters in fiction are still a huge rarity, even in our modern era. While there are tons of good games and even some movies and TV shows that feature representation of trans and non-binary people, it’s still an uphill battle to find something actually watchable. And finding a human non-binary character is an even rarer event. For the most part, non-binary characters in any type of fiction are usually :

a. “genderless” non-human beings of some description

b. aliens

c. robots

Robots, aliens, and non-human beings are not bad representation in themselves. There are dozens of non-human characters that are also queer in some way or another–such as the Crystal Gems–and it doesn’t automatically take away from their queerness. While it serves as an “excuse” for queer representation–because aliens don’t have to abide by normal human conventions, so they can literally do/be anything sexually or romantically–it’s not horrible in itself. Although that raises the question of why so many aliens in classic science fiction were known for following earthly conventions–i.e. being perfectly heterosexual and very clearly gendered–despite literally being from another planet. Yep, even the world of science fiction wasn’t free from this hetero-normative bullshit. In any case, why–today–are so many non-binary characters not human? And does it really matter?

Double Trouble from the new She-Ra series is a good example. Shapeshifters don’t really need a concept of gender, as they can shift into whatever gender they want to at any time. So it makes sense for Double Trouble to be non-binary. Although technically they should be agender, i.e. someone who doesn’t identify with any gender identity. Or maybe pangender, which is someone who identifies with multiple genders at once. But that’s going into specifics. For what it’s worth, Double Trouble is voiced by an actual non-binary person, so there’s that. And as far as representation goes, Double Trouble is beloved by the fandom for being a chaotic neutral antagonist. There are some unfortunate implications–the idea that trans/non-binary people are trying to “trick” cis people with their gender expression, for example–but that was clearly not intentional. Double Trouble is a good character created by a queer person–Noelle Stevenson–and this is important. Given that people tend to judge art more harshly if the creator is queer, it’s probably not worth picking apart the implications of having a shapeshifter be non-binary. But it is worth picking apart why this kind of representation makes some people upset. And it’s not as if being upset is an invalid response. After all, why do all the good and well-known non-binary characters have to be robots, aliens, etc.? Non-binary people are just as human as everyone else. Doesn’t this kind of representation imply that they aren’t? Doesn’t it suggest that gender as a binary concept is so engraved into the human experience that those who experience it in different ways–i.e. agender, pangender, etc.–aren’t human? While it’s true that gender as a binary concept is engraved into the human experience, it mostly manifests itself as gender roles, gendered expectations, and hetero-cis-normative culture. That is why people often perceive non-binary people as performing some kind of gender fuckery or androgyny, as the normal “rules” of gender don’t apply to them. This is of course very discouraging for GNC people, particularly GNC trans people. Being gender non-conforming or androgynous is not a non-binary trait. There are GNC lesbians, GNC gay men, GNC straight people, GNC cis people, etc. In fact, the art of gender non-conformity often manifests itself in stuff like drag shows and the existence of stone butch WLW. While being GNC is not an LGBTQ+ concept only, it is often linked to the queer community. The reason being that queer people in particular tend to be on the opposing side of traditional gender roles.

But the truth is, being non-binary or trans can make someone feel like an alien or a robot or another sentient non-human entity. It tends to be a unique experience that can’t be wholly expressed. In a world that relies so heavily on gendering–products, roles, expectations, clothing, etc.–it can feel alienating to step outside of that. After all, what does a non-gendered being feel like in a heavily gendered and binary world? Not to mention, non-binary actors often end up portraying cis or trans characters in fiction, depending on their gender expression. For example, the character Theo from the Netflix original series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is played by a somewhat masc-presenting non-binary person, despite the character themselves being a trans man. Acting is acting–and it is unfortunately common for trans characters to be portrayed by cis actors–but it’s an interesting choice. It should be noted that trans people hardly ever portray cis people in fiction. Even today, the entertainment world is often hostile towards trans and non-binary people. It is exceedingly rare for a trans people and non-binary people to be given a diverse amount of roles. Basically, trans people are usually portraying trans people. Is this necessarily a bad thing? No, because any work in the entertainment industry–especially for minorities–is in itself rare. And it’s better than cis people portraying trans people, which has its own pitfalls. Halle Berry’s casually insensitive and transphobic tweets about her upcoming role as a trans man come to mind, as well as ScarJo withdrawing from a movie in which she would have played a trans man. Cis people stealing roles from trans people is a common practice. And this further creates a strange bubble of alienation for the trans and non-binary experience.

The main character from the video game Hollow Knight–who shall now be referred to as “Ghost”–is a more interesting study. The bugs don’t really seem to have a concept of gender. Or at least not a human concept of gender. However, gender is specifically mentioned in regards to a particular character: Hornet. The White Lady refers to Hornet as “The Gendered Child”. And what about Ghost themselves? While many fans gender Ghost as “male” outside of canon, the game never actually refers to Ghost as anything other than “it” or “it’s”. The language is intentionally dehumanizing, as Ghost is meant to be an empty vessel with zero personality, desires, etc. However, although rare in real life, it/itself are valid pronouns that are sometimes used by people. And Ghost is effectively agender. No, not “genderless”, but literally agender. The proof? The simple fact that Hornet is called “The Gendered Child”, implying that the bugs do have some small understanding of gender. If Hornet is “The Gendered Child”, wouldn’t that make Ghost the not gendered child? And Ghost is very much its own person, a character of its own. It is not “empty” like vessels are supposed to be. But this is where it gets a little tricky. At what point is the player guiding the character? If the player shapes the story, isn’t the player also creating Ghost’s personality? And if that’s what we’re seeing, how can Ghost have a personality? Well, we get to see a little of Ghost’s personality through the deeds it can do. You can choose to have Ghost deliver the delicate flower to the grave, you can choose to have Ghost kill the Nailsmith, etc. These are all choices that don’t exist in a bubble. If the player chooses to let the Nailsmith live, Ghost allows the Nailsmith to live and the Nailsmith–if he is found afterward at Sheo’s house–actually thanks Ghost for doing this. This is important: The Nailsmith thanks Ghost for letting him live. The Nailsmith recognizes Ghost as a fully-fleshed out character who had two choices to make and chose to make that particular one. In other words, the characters in the game recognize that Ghost has a personality, regardless of the player’s input. The other characters talk to Ghost as if it is making a decision, as if it is capable of thinking things through and coming to a conclusion like a real person. This indicates that Ghost is a real person, at least to the other characters. And if Ghost is a real person and not just an extension of the player, it follows that Ghost has a gender identity that is completely independent of the player.

How many online non-binary and trans communities identify with non-human entities and impossible fictional characters? A lot of them. A short look at the r/traaa subreddit reveals trans people using anime characters–often with cat ears–and joking about cute anime characters–again, often with cat ears–being “transition goals”. Non-binary memes tend to revolve around wanting to get rid of or “transcend” their mortal body, becoming a void creature or a robot without genitals. To be fair, this could actually be a product of all the–mostly–non-human representation of non-binary characters in fiction. “Cause or result” is a question worth asking. But as it’s pretty much impossible to track Internet history back far enough to see which came first, it’s a safe bet to assume that non-binary people often identify with a feeling of humanlessness. The concept of being less or more than a human person. It makes sense. Having a human body comes with unique burdens for non-binary folk, such as being constantly mistaken for their assigned gender or intentionally and maliciously misgendered. The phrase “Wait, you’re non-binary? But you look like a (man, woman, etc.)” is common, as there is no actual way to look non-binary. The simple truth is that we–as humans raised in this society–are always subconsciously on high alert for any obvious gender markers. While most of us cannot guess someone’s assigned sex/gender even after prolonged contact, we tend to make assumptions based on a person’s gender expression. And when the person’s gender expression doesn’t match up with how they look in some way, it tends to make certain people–i.e. transphobic people–uncomfortable. This isn’t even a trans person problem. Butch or masculine-looking cis women are often mistaken for men or trans women and are subjected to harsh treatment in public bathrooms. In her book Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink Or Blue, Leslie Feinberg relates a story of being denied life-saving medical care and labeled “mentally troubled” due to her masculine appearance. According to her personal accounts, it was years before she could receive the care she desperately needed. While this story takes place a while ago, it does show how our society is steeped in bias and obsessed with enforcing traditional gender roles and expression at the expense of queer lives in particular. Fortunately, gender fuckery has become more common, with more and more non-queer people experimenting with non-traditional gender expression. There’s still a long way to go, but gender fuckery–in other words, having a non-traditional gender expression that transcends the stereotypical view of gender–has become more commonplace in Western society. There is pushback from people trying desperately to hold onto the social order–even at the expense of other peoples’ happiness and freedom of expression–but ultimately society continues to progress.

Gender is a surprisingly important aspect of gaming. While most popular story-based games give you a protagonist with their own fully-formed personality and relationships, many games–both story-based and otherwise–allow you to choose the gender of your protagonist. For example, the 2017 game Prey gives you a choice upfront: Male or Female Morgan. It should be noted that this choice means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. The only minor change is whether or not your main love interest is a WLW or not. There are no significant changes in dialogue or major events based on the gender of your character, except the voice and one or two aesthetic changes that are easily missable. And that makes sense. Why would Morgan’s gender have any bearing on their story? There is nothing particularly gendered about Morgan’s life or their relationships. So why the choice, other than for aesthetics? There aren’t even practical reasons, as you hardly ever see your actual character in-game. There is only one obvious solution: Morgan’s gender is important to the player. It’s easier to connect with and put yourself in the shoes of a character who is the same gender as you. It’s about helping the player insert themselves deeper into the narrative and become more engrossed in the story. It’s easier to imagine that it’s you experiencing the events, rather than a character on the screen. This is also why the silent protagonist is a popular MC in games: it allows you to superimpose your own personality over the character. And it can also be a welcome escape from real life, allowing trans people to play as their actual gender identity and feel some measure of euphoria from it. Elaborate character creation also offers this chance at more intense escapism and self-insertion.

Resources/Further Reading

Steven Universe’s creator just came out as non-binary (Josh Jackman, Pink News)

NPR’s 1A Podcast Interview with Rebecca Sugar- “The Mind Behind America’s Most Empathetic Cartoon”- July 14, 2018 (Transcript)

In Netflix’s ‘She-Ra,’ even villains respect nonbinary pronouns (Tracy Brown, LA Times)

Halle Berry Apologizes For Signing On To Play A Trans Role (Ineye Komonibo, Refinery29)

Scarlett Johansson Will No Longer Portray Transgender Man in Rub and Tub Following Backlash (Gina Martinez, Time)

Butch lesbian confronted ‘tens of times’ in public toilets as anti-trans hostility spills over (Emma Powys Maurice, Pink News)

Butch Please: Butch in the Bathroom (Kate, Autostraddle)

Taking the “Sex” out of Transsexual: Representations of Trans Identities in Popular Media (Johanna Schorn, Universität zu Köln)

Non-binary or genderqueer genders (Christina Richards, Walter Pierre Bouman, Leighton Seal, Meg John Barker,Timo O. Nieder & Guy T’Sjoen, International Review of Psychiatry)

Trans Liberation : Beyond Pink Or Blue (Leslie Feinberg, Beacon Press)

Sissy: A Coming-Of-Gender Story (Jacob Tobia, Penguin Publishing Group)

Being Nonbinary in a Binary World (Evyn Tindle, Her Campus)

The Struggles of Rejecting the Gender Binary (Daniel Bergner, New York Times)

Living as a non-binary in a Binary World (Graysen Hall, TedEx) (Video)