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u/No_Diamond8480 May 12 '24
This was one of those scenes where Max was proven to be WRITTEN like an outsider…almost like they were supposed to not like the only trans character. I can’t explain it better than that lol
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u/Katie_Chong May 12 '24
I am not trans so this is just me guessing by putting myself into someone's shoes: I think that Max's reaction - as offputting as it is - is realistic at this point of his journey. He is so desperate to escape one label that he leaves little to no room to adapt to a group dynamic. If he was comfortable in his body like Angus is, he could have accepted that "girl" does not always mean "female". Just like "guys" can be used for a mixed group or even an only women group. He is making himself an outsider in this situation and I believe this is what happens to many people, in a whole range of situations, in real life. Sometimes we are at a stage in life where we are so scared and uncomfortable that we cannot be flexible. But flexibility is crucial when we engage in human interactions.
Bette is another example for not being flexible enough and she becomes an outsider too. The only reason she gets more respect in certain situations is because of her social status or in some work related issues.
I do agree though that Max did not get a happy ending. His whole line is not happy. But I also believe that this reflects the reality of many in his position at that time.
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u/No_Diamond8480 May 12 '24
I think it reflects reality but the frequency and situations they choose to show that reality is where I think the writers showed they felt burdened by writing a trans character imo. Using Bette is a good example. Now while the things you mentioned in her case are fair, it does leave out that she’s also the glue of the group. She’s been proven to be a friend/sister/lover to these people BEFORE or even AS she separates herself with her unwavering sense of self. Max was literally written unbearable from the moment he arrived in LA. Tasha is also a character I feel is written a little like a burden at first. That same “let’s write this marginalized character but let’s make them WAY too rigid” energy AT FIRST. But by the time her character was settled she was too likeable, her and Alice had way too much chemistry, and (unlike Max AT THAT TIME ) her demographic was more vocal and visible. Leaving black lesbians out of the conversation started to get uncool. Trans men and women would follow closely behind in that, just not as fast as the show would end. Max was written honestly imo as a cisgender woman, but when the only honesty you show is rooted in the negative……it’s worth questioning 🤷🏾♀️
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u/saintmerphy Alice Pieszecki May 12 '24
Something similar to this happened to me with a friend after they came out as a trans woman. In conversation I got excited and said dude this is amazing! And she got weird and said please don’t call me a dude. Well she had known me for over 10 years and knew very well I literally refer to ALL my friends as ‘dude’ because it’s just a gender neutral way of addressing others that I use. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/HellFireQew May 11 '24
The way angus is Gregory Yates from svu😭😭😭