The Australian prison drama Wentworth and trans characters being portrayed as saints

submitted by AdmiralPangolin from self.GenderCritical

I got hooked on Wentworth about two years ago, it's a criminally underrated TV show I recommend you check it out if you haven't already. The show is set in a women's prison.

Onto the point, from season 2 through 4 the show had a TIM character called Maxine, before identifying as trans Max was a gay man who stabbed his boyfriend because his boyfriend tried to cut his hair and yada yada we are led to believe that his actions for stabbing the boyfriend were justifiable because "how dare you". Anyways, in the prison Max is an absolute saint, even though he is a TIM he is sent to a women's prison. So at one point the writers thought the show had enough from saint Max and they wrote him off.

Season 8 premiered last night, in the first episode we are introduced to Lou Kelly (who is a lesbian) and her girlfriend Reb. Later it is revealed that Reb is in fact a TIF, Reb also gets sent to a women's prison for robbing a jewelry store (get this, to get enough money for Reb's surgery) with Lou. One of the inmates, Boomer, says to Lou "So Reb's gonna be a bloke one day, so how is that gonna work, cause you are like still a lezzo. What are you gonna do when one day she comes out with a d!ck, it's probably gonna gross you out and I know that lezzos love titties... so what are you gonna do when those are gone"?

So this is precisely the TRA narrative, if a lesbian dates a TIF then she is not a lesbian. But in the show we are led to believe that Lou is still in fact lesbian and Boomer's words are transphobic. Later, Lou tries to smother Boomer with a plastic bag thanks to those words. Now in the discussion thread for the latest episode, many people call out Boomer for her words but not Lou for her murder attempt via a plastic bag, because that's justifiable as long as the one on the receiving side of the plastic bag is "transphobic".

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[–]Ossidiana 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

This level of propaganda is nothing short of disturbing.

[–]Jalaces 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Prisons aren't exactly a safe space for anybody. I see the point here but the end valid goal should be that no women go in prison, not that women prisons are better exclusive.

[–]lefterfield 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

There are some people who need to be removed from society. If not prison, there needs to be some other (practical) alternative.

[–]RevengeOfTheCis 10 insightful - 5 fun10 insightful - 4 fun11 insightful - 5 fun -  (1 child)

Trans characters are always portrayed as saints in modern media. Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs was the first and last accurate depiction of a trans male character in media.

[–]Thatstealthygal 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Nah. In Transparent, you're encouraged to view the central trans character positively BUT like all of the rest of the family, Maura is extremely selfish and the effects of that selfishness on others are shown.

[–]MezozoicGay 12 insightful - 4 fun12 insightful - 3 fun13 insightful - 4 fun -  (5 children)

Why both TiM and TiF are in women prison? Why TiF is not in men prizon then? TiM is woman and TiF is female? Or what is their logic?

[–]AdmiralPangolin[S] 14 insightful - 2 fun14 insightful - 1 fun15 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

That's what I thought too upon viewing the latest episode. Guess women's spaces are a dumping ground for whoever feels like they belong there.

[–]our_team_is_winning 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

women's spaces are a dumping ground

Well-said. That sounds like officially policy at this point.

[–]artetolife 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

There's a fair few interesting posts on reddit about TiF's experience in prisons. They all end up in women's prisons or in male prisons but seperated from the men, usually by choice, because (put on your shocked face) men still see them as women so they're not safe.

[–]AdmiralPangolin[S] 8 insightful - 2 fun8 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

As women TiFs of course they don't belong in a men's prison, however TiMs and the rest of the TRA community are incredibly loud regarding TiMs "belonging" in women's prisons, on the other side there is silence. So the solution is of course, women's spaces are fair game for every single gender identity. Regarding the show, I don't see this new character Reb crying to be put in a men's prison, after all "he" is a man right? And being in a women's prison would surely trigger "his" dysphoria.

[–]artetolife 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I haven't seen the show, I'm just passing through here, but I think it's telling that both TIFs and TIMs act like misgendering is a life and death matter up until they really are under threat, then suddenly muh validation doesn't matter so much.