Some people are hailing the character Pidge from Voltron: Legendary Defender(2016) as a win for transgender visibility. While the character certainly challenges gender stereotypes, Pidge probably isn't best described as transgender(at least in her current iteration). Not only does she "come out" as a girl half way through the series and start using female pronouns, the show treats her choice to embrace her assigned gender identity as a mature, positive decision: “Owning who you are is going to make you a better Paladin"- Shiro. Is having a cross-dressing character serve as a plot device a necessary baby-step on the road to trans visibility in media(especially children's media)? Or, is adhering to the "Sweet Polly Oliver" trope in this day and age really doing a disservice to trans men and cis women alike?
This is very interesting! As a fan of Voltron, I'd like to read more about this. You seem very interested and knowledgeable about this subject, so I think you would be able to provide a lot of insight for those who want to know more about this - like me! Pidge is an incredible character; and diving deep into her story throughout the episodes is a great way of going about answering your question. Please continue! – gabby9188 years ago
This is totally weird...in a good way. I think you should find more examples from other sci-fi movies, TV shows, etc. – alecflor118 years ago
I think remembering why Pidge became a Galaxy Garrison brings a new perception. – taviromakizuto8 years ago
Within the show itself, I don't think one could necessarily make the argument that Pidge is explicit trans* representation given her gender declaration as you mentioned. However, I do think an interesting point of analysis would be how the fandom has attached to Pidge as potential representation in the respect that she's often written as nonbinary within a significant proportion of fics. I think it could tie into the representation argument regarding fanfiction: when queer youth fail to see representation of their identity on popular television, they craft it themselves. – phaasch8 years ago