That’s a pity they haven’t changed. I know a lot of Japan has gotten better, but I also know that they still have a prevailing homophobic purity culture.

Rant:

One of my favorite animes is one piece, and as much as I love it for it and some personal connections in my head around it, there’s just so much hurtful and thoughtless stuff in it.

Generally, Oda does a good job of keeping it harmless and goofy, even when using racist or sexist or homophobic tropes. He generally keeps them colorful and just for the sake of having weird shit. Which I have always loved.

But… Every once in a while there’s like an ice cold bat to the face, be it something that is just old (I’m rewatching it) and at the time may have been trying to bridge an acceptance gap, or just downright mean spirited.

Like for example, I’m in the whitebeard war area of the story, and there’s the crossdresser stuff and the king(queen?) of them. Fat, Giant Head, lingerie all the time even outside, giant chin and jawline, crazy makeup, and when he attacks, he winks at you. Like. Come on. That’s so shitty. And I would say that the character is a drag queen, but he LITERALLY USES HORMONES TO CHANGE HIS AND OTHER’S PHYSIOLOGY. Like a military guard is about to attack him, and he injects him with hormones and turns the guard into a woman, who then gets embarrassed, mews, and collapses in heat and embarrassment. He’s not a drag queen, they’re a transgender non binary, genderfluid troll that everybody calls an okama, which, to my knowledge, is basically a sissy or maybe even a slur, >!faggot or fag!<.

And all the hyper stylized femininity toothpick waist girls and barrel shaped boys. Like come on, if you’re gonna do that style, give me those waify boys, tough girls, and sexy and confusing enbies at least.

All the people in queer land are just manly crossdressers. Where are the femboys!? Where are the gorgeous women who just happen to be assigned male at birth?

Maybe one piece gets better over time. Maybe there are anime that are better. Maybe there’s “Western” media today that’s more realistic.

/Rant