{"id":587,"date":"2024-06-25T09:14:27","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T09:14:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/glare\/?p=587"},"modified":"2024-06-27T11:57:19","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T11:57:19","slug":"the-basics-terminology-around-genderqueer-trans-and-gender-non-conforming-identities-in-animation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/glare\/the-basics-terminology-around-genderqueer-trans-and-gender-non-conforming-identities-in-animation\/","title":{"rendered":"The basics: Terminology around Genderqueer, Trans+ and Gender Non-Conforming identities in Animation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is a list of concepts and terminology in relation to trans, genderqueer and gender non-conforming identities with explanations to help deepen understanding of this area.<\/p>\n

Androgynous<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Picture
Cr: Disney-Pixar \u00a9 2012<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Androgynous is not a specific label for an identity \u2013 instead it refers to a mixture of feminine and masculine characteristics, or an absence of gender. Characters who do have a binary gender i.e. man or woman, can also be considered androgynous, for example, Zulkifli and Haris (2021)<\/a> analyse the female characters Merida<\/a> (Brave<\/a><\/em> Chapman and Purcell, 2012)) and Puteri Limau Kasturi (Puteri, <\/a><\/em>Khalid, 2014) as representations of androgyny. Androgyny is often considered to subvert traditional gender roles but does not mean that a person\/character is necessarily gender queer.<\/p>\n

Cisgender<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Cis means the opposite of trans \u2013 \u2018cis\u2019: on this side, \u2018trans\u2019: across\/ to the other side. Cisgender people are those who identify with the sex they were assigned at birth, for example someone who was considered female when they were born, and still identifies as a woman. In the same way that \u2018heterosexual\u2019 or \u2018straight\u2019 is a more effective term than \u2018not gay, bisexual, queer\u2019 etc., cisgender means the same for gender \u2013 someone who is not transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer or intersex.<\/p>\n

Gender-nonconforming (GNC)<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\"picture
Makoto Kino – Cr: Toei Animation \u00a9 1992<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"picture
Kazi – Cr: Netflix \u00a9 2018<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gender nonconforming or GNC for short, is somewhat synonymous with androgynous. It describes someone whose gender expression doesn’t match their society’s expected gender roles or norms for their gender identity. Again, this can be applied to any gender identity, cisgender or otherwise. Vogt (2022)<\/a> looks at gender nonconformity in trans and gender queer characters (e.g. Kazi<\/a> from The Dragon Prince<\/em><\/a> (Ehaz and Richmond, 2018-present)), whereas Campanelli (2019)<\/a> looks at cis female characters who are gender nonconforming, such as Makoto<\/a> from Sailor Moon<\/a> <\/em>(Iriya, 1992-1997). It can be used as an umbrella term for gender identities such gender queer, gender fluid, non-binary etc, such as in the initialism TGNC (Trans and Gender Non-Conforming). Some people may also choose to use it as a label for their gender identity.<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

GENDERQUEER<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"image<\/a>
Gender Queer Flag<\/a>– Maryln Roxie 2010<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Describes gender experience\/expression that is outside of the norm. It can be its own gender identity but also an umbrella term for non-binary, trans and gender nonconforming identities. Additionally, but less commonly, it can be used to describe presentation outside of the norm, not necessarily in relation to labelled identity. Instead, it is similar to how GNC or androgynous may be used to describe a character\u2019s mix of feminine, masculine and non-conforming traits for a character of any gender. Putnam (2012)<\/a>,\u00a0 for example, looks at how Disney villains are encoded as genderqueer.<\/p>\n

\"image
Maleficent – Cr: Disney \u00a9 1959<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Intersex<\/a><\/h3>\n
\"image
Intersex Flag<\/a> – Morgan Carpenter, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe a range of variations of sex characteristics. Intersex people are born with\/develop physical sex characteristics (such as sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, hormonal patterns and\/or chromosomal patterns) that do not fit typical definitions for male or female bodies. Intersex describes biological sex in the same way that female or male does; intersex people can identify as many different gender identities, binary or otherwise, and may or may not consider themselves to be LGBTQ+. Vogt (2022)<\/a>\u00a0 looks at Stevonnie<\/a> from Steven Universe<\/em><\/a> (Sugar, 2013-2019) as an example of an intersex character in animation.<\/p>\n

\"image
\u00a9 Cartoon Network, 2018<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

QUEERBAITING<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When fans accuse media producers and performers of adding queer subtext to persuade queer viewers to watch and engage, without the intention to ever actualise a concrete representation of whatever identity they are using to \u2018bait\u2019 fans. Often, it is practice used to avoid losing support from conservative viewers, while maintaining interest from queer audiences. For example, the Disney-Pixar film, Luca<\/a><\/em> (Casarosa, 2021) faced accusations for queer baiting<\/a> due to its use of queer themes (social acceptance, hidden relationships, etc.) and imagery, but ultimate choice to label the main characters\u2019 relationship as platonic not romantic. The term is not limited to gay\/homoerotic contexts but can refer to any purposeful encoding of a character as queer (sexuality and\/or gender) in order to draw audiences without any intention for it to lead to \u2018official\u2019 representation of that identity. Considered to be a negative version of queer coding.<\/p>\n

\"Alberto
Luca – Cr: Disney \u00a9 2021<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Queer coding<\/h3>\n

Svobodov\u00e1 (2022) describes queer coding as \u201cwhen creators use traits that the audience associates with the LGBTQ+ community to hint at characters\u2019 queerness without explicitly making them queer, this is what is known as \u2018queer coding\u2019\u201d (p.22). While this may sound very similar, it is often used less negatively as the term \u2018queer coding\u2019 is associated with time periods in which it was not possible or even legal to make explicitly queer media. The Hays code, for example, famously limited what was considered morally decent in television and film between the years of 1934 \u2013 1968, including banning “inference of sex perversion” \u2013 a.k.a. queer representation. Queer coding can be either positively or negatively; as a way for queer representation to get past censorship, or as how Putnam (2012)<\/a> covers for Disney villains, a way of using queerness to insinuate immorality or villainy.<\/p>\n

Neo-Pronouns<\/a><\/h3>\n

Any set of singular third-person pronouns that are not officially recognized in the language they are used in, typically created with the intent of being a gender-neutral pronoun set. For example, \u2018xe\/xir\u2019 in English, \u2018xier\u2019 in German and \u2018iel\u2019 in French. Particularly used in languages where there is no gender-neutral singular pronoun, equivalent to they\/them in English.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Non-binary<\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/div>\n
\"picture
Nonbinary Flag<\/a>– Kye Rowan, 2014<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"picture
Cr: Disney \u00a9 <\/em> 2020<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Any gender identity that does not fit within the gender binary, i.e. man and woman. Can be either an umbrella term for any of these identities or its own label. For example, Vogt (2022)<\/a> looks at examples of non-binary characters in animation, such as Raine Whispers<\/a> from The Owl House<\/em><\/a> (Terrace, 2020-present).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Transgender<\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/div>\n
\"picture
Transgender Flag<\/a> \u2013 Monica Helmes, 1999<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Transgender people are those who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth, for example someone who was considered female when they were born, and now identifies as a man. It has mostly replaced the use of terms such as transsexual and transvestite and considered more respectful.<\/p>\n

Transfeminine:<\/h5>\n

Someone who was assigned male at birth but now identifies as a woman\/feminine person. Also referred to as male-to-female (MTF)<\/p>\n

Transmasculine:<\/h5>\n

Someone was assigned female at birth but now identifies as a man\/masculine person. Also referred to as female-to-male (FTM)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

REFERENCES\/FURTHER READING<\/h2>\n

Campanelli, C. (2019).<\/a> Gender Nonconformity and Lesbianism in the Magical Girl Genre<\/em>. Retrieved from https:\/\/soar.suny.edu\/handle\/20.500.12648\/13233<\/a><\/p>\n

Casarosa, E. (Director). (2021). Luca<\/em> [Film]. Walt Disney Pictures Pixar Animation Studios<\/p>\n

Chapman, B., & Purcell, S. (Directors). (2012). Brave<\/em> [Film]. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.<\/p>\n

Ehaz, A., & Richmond, J. (Executive Producers). (2018-present). The Dragon Prince<\/em> [TV Series]. Netflix Inc.<\/p>\n

Iriya A. (Producer). (1992-1997).\u00a0Sailor Moon<\/em>\u00a0[TV Series]. Toei Animation.<\/p>\n

Khalid, S. N. (Director). (2014). Puteri<\/em> [TV Series]. Les Copaque Production Sdn Bhd; TV3.<\/p>\n

Putnam, A. (2012).<\/a> Mean Ladies: Transgendered Villains in Disney Films. In Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability<\/em> (pp. 147\u2013162). McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers. https:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/lancaster\/reader.action?docID=1109590&ppg=156<\/a><\/p>\n

Sugar, R. (Executive Producer). (2013-2019). Steven Universe<\/em> [TV Series]. Cartoon Network Studios.<\/p>\n

Svobodov\u00e1, T. (2022). The Queer Outcasts: Three Decades of Queer-Coded Characters in Mainstream Animation (Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts). Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts. Retrieved from https:\/\/is.muni.cz\/th\/y213w\/?lang=en;id=296578<\/p>\n

Terrace, D. (Executive Producer). (2020-present). The Owl House<\/em> [TV Series]. Disney Television Animation Company.<\/p>\n

Vogt, O. (2022).<\/a> \u201cYou Are an Experience!\u201d: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Characters in Children\u2019s Animated Series [Ph.D., North Dakota State University]. In ProQuest Dissertations and Theses<\/em> (2721219508). ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/dissertations-theses\/you-are-experience-critical-discourse-analysis\/docview\/2721219508\/se-2?accountid=11979<\/a><\/p>\n

Zulkifli, N. N., & Haris, N. \u2018Anira. (2021).<\/a> Brave (2012) vs Puteri (2014): The Representation of Androgyny Characters. International Journal of Advanced Research in Education and Society<\/em>, 3<\/em>(4), Article 4.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here is a list of concepts and terminology in relation to trans, genderqueer and gender non-conforming identities with explanations to help deepen understanding of this area. Androgynous Androgynous is not a specific label for an identity \u2013 instead it refers to a mixture of feminine and masculine characteristics, or an absence of gender. Characters who … Continue reading The basics: Terminology around Genderqueer, Trans+ and Gender Non-Conforming identities in Animation<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1840,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[162,207,206],"class_list":["post-587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-concepts","tag-gender-queerness","tag-queer-coding","tag-transgender-studies"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/glare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/glare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/glare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/glare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1840"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/glare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=587"}],"version-history":[{"count":90,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/glare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":770,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/glare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587\/revisions\/770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/glare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/glare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/glare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}