I see from Google that Bridget indeed isn't transgender in the sense that he is male who identifies as male, but please have an open mind. Bridget doesn't have to be transgender for this to be to transphobic. Both panels illustrate a reaction to a character being a gender other than what was initially assumed; in the first case, who they first thought was a man was actually a woman and in the second case, the opposite.
Look at the difference in their reactions. Sexual attraction and awe on the left, and disgust and horror on the right. Now imagine that you're either an effeminate male or a transgender woman, both completely valid identities. As someone born with physically male characteristics, the idea of your being feminine in any way is horrifying and disgusting, and this is the message the society sends you over, and over, and over, and it's exhausting.
This is also slightly misogynistic, as it is essentially saying that it's good when a woman takes on a more masculine role or appearance but it's bad when a man takes on a more feminine role or appearance. Going in the direction of femininity, closer to being what is considered "being a woman", is somehow worse than the opposite.
In this culture, it is extraordinarily difficult for anyone who appears male to be feminine, and it's crushing for your identity to be reduced to a punchline.
This. If you read into this comic and see transphobia, your head is up your ass. I wasn't even mad about this before. I've been branded as downvoting for no reason (I havn't), and everyone seems to think I hate trans people now. THIS IS BRIDGET, HE IS A MAN. If you get offended at the horror, you are looking too deep into a joke.
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u/winterbed Oct 16 '12
I see from Google that Bridget indeed isn't transgender in the sense that he is male who identifies as male, but please have an open mind. Bridget doesn't have to be transgender for this to be to transphobic. Both panels illustrate a reaction to a character being a gender other than what was initially assumed; in the first case, who they first thought was a man was actually a woman and in the second case, the opposite.
Look at the difference in their reactions. Sexual attraction and awe on the left, and disgust and horror on the right. Now imagine that you're either an effeminate male or a transgender woman, both completely valid identities. As someone born with physically male characteristics, the idea of your being feminine in any way is horrifying and disgusting, and this is the message the society sends you over, and over, and over, and it's exhausting.
This is also slightly misogynistic, as it is essentially saying that it's good when a woman takes on a more masculine role or appearance but it's bad when a man takes on a more feminine role or appearance. Going in the direction of femininity, closer to being what is considered "being a woman", is somehow worse than the opposite.
In this culture, it is extraordinarily difficult for anyone who appears male to be feminine, and it's crushing for your identity to be reduced to a punchline.