Its because the writers listened to trans people. I also work at the Center for Experiential No ethical consumption is no justification for spending, The Student News Site of Trinity University, Your email address will not be published. And I get it its dramatic and interesting and theres a lot of great TV drama there, but come on, catch up. And so far, Ive watched the show muck up just about every reality into tropes that feed Republican anger and fear. In early high school (during a more primary stage in my transition), I felt safer using the womens restroom and locker room., Schafer is critical of trans representation in Hollywood and would like to see trans roles played by trans actors because she feels they can bring their experiences forward to their performances. A showcase of some of the best young up and coming actors. In terms of representing the LGBTQ+ community, Euphoria receives full marks as it is a pinnacle of positive representation. newsletter, most compelling television series of 2019, not only gets, but respects, todays teens, advocate turned model turned teen drama star. Most of all, they want their stories, especially the sensitive ones, to be told with respect. Being listened to as a trans person is a powerful thing in and of itself. 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But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. Having queer individuals involved in the story and writing process of shows, not just Euphoria, allows for marginalized groups to have a way to tell their own stories, instead of people who have not gone through their experiences telling it for them. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Jules is shown to be vulnerable when it comes to romance, and her yearning to explore her sexuality led her to hook up with older married men that she met online. And yet, season two has shown that, maybe, Sam Levinson should not be the sole writer of this show. Lets hope Euphoria moves forward to highlight how the new generations anticipate and welcome trans individuals into society. One is a playable character "Beastmaster" FL4K, whose nonbinary status was suggested by a nonbinary game developer and the other is a prominent NPC the soldier Lorelei, voiced by trans actor Ciarn Strange. And that Sam got that so right without words, just got it completely spot on that was the greatest high, better than any drug Ive ever used. Shes introduced as Jules, not as the trans girl, but just a new girl who happens to be transgender. I love that they have a trans series regular that is fully formed and shes right there with [Rue]. A . Throwing Elliot in the middle of Rue and Jules's relationship fetishizes lesbians and is queer baiting. Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity. But I understand that thats what a lot of teens are dealing with these days. Levinson wrote McKay getting sexually assaulted into the story for it to never be acknowledged and developed or for McKay to heal. I feel the way it If we want accurate and non-exploitative representation, we need marginalized people in the writers rooms, the directors chair and everywhere else. If its the closest thing to being desiredIll take that. Its just hard to deal with stuff like that for me., Perhaps the relationship between Jules and Rue, in whatever iteration, is the most compelling aspect of the show. Euphoria also handles the characters sexualities extremely well. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Erm. Who thinks that watching 16,000 ultra-violent gun murders / simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence (American Psychiatric Association, 1998) has fed the fires of our current situation? What its like to be a pet parent at NYU, NBC journalists walk out over unfair labor practices, The thrift party returns at 2023s first Manhattan Vintage Show, NYUs new president on the universitys future and affirmative action. Men are so quick to profess their love for cis women. Free-spirited and brave, Jules Vaughn is one of the most popular characters in the gritty teen show, In the first season, we see her trying to navigate her womanhood and problems with intimacy. Can you explain exactly what that means? One topic that often came up was how wild the show was and its most . When she was growing up, Schafer . Theyre so enthusiastic and warm. That was the true moment of real trans infiltration, you know what I mean? There are further issues beyond the show's complicated trans representation. I mean, it took everything: teaching people how to use they/them/their pronouns as a singular; making sure people understood that trans women are women; if someone asks you where to go to the bathroom, this is where you go. Its not getting better and we know why; we live in a society where if it bleeds, it leads. Courtesy of HBO. Cis women have been objectified for many, many years. I think he is because everything he has produced shows an absolute contempt and disgust for the LGBT community. Zendaya and Dominic Fike in Euphoria. Oct 22, 2020 . Content warning: This article mentions sexual assault. The only confirmed gay male character comes in the form of a violent, predatory middle-aged man, who hoards videos filmed nonconsensually. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. His character enduring something so traumatizing, even just to watch, just to be sidelined. My job was to take what I know about being an actor and what I know as an advocate and as a media expert, and make sure that both the actors got what they really needed and were seen the way that they really wanted to be seen and heard and that the audience got the benefit of the representation. but by Hunter Schafer, the actress who plays Jules, In season two, Sam Levinson tries to humanize this character. There was a push to sort of really name the labels, whether it was Jules labels or to label Jules and Rues relationship in a way that isnt really how we do things anymore. He is the sole writer and creator of the hit HBO television series Euphoria. Unfortunately, the highly anticipated second season is falling flat and many viewers are noticing why: Levinson writes stories empowered by experiences he does not hold. Levinson is not the guy and Euphoria is not the show to give us the representations of our communities that we want. Im just doing my own thing. Better. Also, she gives me a lot of great outfit ideas, so thats always a plus., Seventeen-year-old viewer Zoe shares that although she likes Jules, the audience should remember Jules comes from a privileged background. Shes white, skinny, conventionally attractive, and passes well. I feel the way it depicts Jules is exploitative and dehumanizing. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. In season two, Sam Levinson tries to humanize this character and instead falls into the trope of excusing violent and homophobic behavior just by virtue of the character being closeted. But more than anything, it focuses on family and what that means when you get to pick . However, subtle details in the semi-biopic film push it into bad representation territory. Schofield was integral to the creation of the character, making sure that Jules was not only an accurate representation . Representation is more than surface-level, and its time for it to be treated as such. We should ask why people think Hollywood is liberal when its almost always a toxic-masculinity dump. If you haven't heard about Orange is the New Black 's stunning portrayal of a black trans woman in prison, portrayed by the brilliant . 06.18.19. When do we find out Jules is trans? What we see on TV right now is very much where our mainstream culture is. Jules Vaughn is a main character in the HBO series Euphoria. Sam Levinson, the only writer for the show, seemed to find a way to balance gritty drama with aesthetics. The only Black male lead character in the first season, McKay (Algee Smith), is a football prodigy already an extension of the common racist stereotyping of Black boys and men as hyper-athletic in his first year of college. Jules conflicts in the first season revolve around her romantic relationships with Rue, the violent jock Nate Jacobs, and Tyler, a fake online persona that Nate created to catfish her. Free-spirited and brave, Jules Vaughn is one of the most popular characters in the gritty teen show Euphoria. Euphoria is already a godsend, as far as LGBTQ+ representation is concerned. Especially, as he was completely absent in the new season. New viewers wondered early on Is Jules trans in. I dont come and just put my brand on top of something and say its OK. In the pivotal scene, Rue came into conflict with Jules because the latter planned to meet with Shyguy118, an anonymous guy she met and fell in love with on a dating app. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The violence and lack of help that the protagonist, Brandon Teena, dealt with is nightmarish for most trans men. Her narrative is complicated. Shes clearly a positive force of energy for Rue. Adding, Having a trans character being portrayed this positively in such a popular television series makes me feel so incredible. Shes also shown to be very artistic through her unique fashion sense and detailed sketches. Since its debut on HBO in June, "Euphoria" has provoked conversations around teen sexuality, trans representation, full-frontal male nudity, and One Direction slash fiction, to name just a few . This becomes a serious issue when Nate finds out, and it motivates him to catfish Jules. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Rue was concerned for Jules safety and tried to convince her to meet this person somewhere public. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. As Schafer pointed out to Variety, There need to be more roles where trans people arent just dealing with being trans; theyre being trans while dealing with other issues. Jules transition journey isnt seen in the series, but her personal development and relationships are a fascinating part of the show. Photograph: Alexis Desaulniers-Lea. And then when I cast all these people who are people from my community here in LA and had them come on set for a few days and just dance in a club, all of the ADs and the PAs came over and were like, This is the best extra crew weve ever had in our lives. In stark contrast, she has a good relationship with her father, who supported her transition at a young age. Luckily, representation of trans characters has improved with time. When Jules recognized Nate from a photo of his wife and young sons on his phone, she quickly left after their encounter. Not to mention the common racist stereotyping of McKay being a football player plays into the hyper-masculine and hyper athletic trope often associated with Black men. Jules Vaughn is a main character in the HBO series. That the major honor that I give to the show. In an uncharacteristically safe move for Soloway, Josh balks at following through with a sexual relationship after finding out Shea is HIV-positive. When do we find out Jules is trans? Lysettes character in Transparent, Shea, is the closest parallel to a sexually desirable trans character like Jules. Nate from a photo of his wife and young sons on his phone, she has a good with... 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