#its been almost a year since i watched s1 though so maybe im just forgetting something

[starswallowingsea]

Transphobia in Cable Girls

Or: How not to write a trans character and story. 

Source: I’m a trans man and this was just BAD. 

Now before we really get into this, I will put a disclaimer here that no, I don’t think Cable Girls is the worst show ever and it’s cancelled or whatever. I love the show to bits and historical telenovelas are one of my favorite things to watch. I will say though, that the idea for this post has been sitting in my mind for a while, pretty much since I caught up to the Final Season Part 1. 

So with that out of the way, let’s get going. The character I am talking about is Oscar Ruiz (and for anyone not caught up to I think season 2 episode 3, his dead name is Sarah Millan). 

CWs: transphobia (obviously), violence, torture, war, mentions of nudity, sexual harassment, abuse mentions, murder, blackmail, general queerphobia, and spoilers for basically the whole show 

Oscar was originally presented to us as a sapphic woman attending a feminism presentation where he meets Carlota, and this in and of itself is fine, as I considered myself both a lesbian and a bisexual woman before I realized I was trans and I know other trans men and trans masc people have similar experiences. 

However, his character is outed as trans after his partner, Carlota, gets suspicious of him and goes through his things and eventually follows him to a hotel that he checked into under his chosen name and outing him as trans. Eventually this fact gets out to the other girls who accept Oscar for who he is and use his chosen name when they can. This is great! I was super excited when I watched this episode because I’m trans and I never see trans people in historical shows! But everything just goes downhill after that though. 

Oscar willingly enters himself into a place to help what today would be people under the LGBTQ umbrella, and he thought they would help him transition (I believe synthetic hormones were just starting to become a thing used to help cis people with medical problems, but were also sometimes used for trans people who could get their hands on it). Instead, he is forcibly TORTURED to make him stop being trans. We also see into other cells of queer and trans people who are just absolutely lifeless. Oscar is not allowed to call for help and ends up having to wait for his cis friends to get him out after a desperate call when he is alone in the main office. Later it’s revealed that one of the nurses there is also a trans man who was the son of the person who ran it and his punishment was to watch as other trans and queer people were tortured in this way. 

It’s also worth mentioning that Carlota convinced him to not go to visit a trans commune in Berlin and instead start a women’s activism movement in Spain. And in Season 3 his wishes for the movement aren’t respected at all and he ends up almost dying while handcuffed to a bomb with Carlota. 

When Carlota runs for office in season 4, she is bribed to drop out of the race by her opponent (who is a huge shitstain for the record). He ends up dead in a hotel after blackmailing Carlota with photos of Oscar in casual dress, revealing that he is, in fact, not a cis man. Carlota ends up as the main suspect, with almost no evidence originally pointing to anyone else. However, Oscar turns himself in in order to protect Carlota and he is sent to a women’s only prison, sentenced to death. I get that this takes place in 1920s Spain and even in 2020 we don’t have great trans rights in much of the world, there had to have been a different way to move this plot line forward instead of “the only trans character gets sentenced to death for a crime they didn’t commit to protect their partner” even though he was able to escape with everyone else (RIP Angeles). 

Season 5 has to be the worst offender though. This takes place during the end of the Spanish Civil War and there’s a few instances that just really pissed me off as a trans person. First, after the Francoist Republicans win and take over the press hotel that Carlota and Oscar are staying at, one of the officials finds Oscar hiding in their hotel as Carlota and James (another reporter for those who haven’t watched season 5) are trying to cover for him so that they don’t find out Oscar is trans. Good for them, but the official who finds Oscar makes him take his shirt off and upon realizing that he is binding his chest and “not really a man,” he makes some sexual and transphobic comments towards Oscar. 

After this brief interaction, Oscar flies into a fit of rage, while naked, and then puts on clothes that don’t match how he sees himself. The rage scene personally ticked me off. I don’t see any reason for him to be naked during it, especially as a trans person myself. I would have preferred he wear at the very least undergarments of some sort, but that’s just my personal preference. 

Anyway, these are just the most obvious bits of transphobia that Oscar faces, but compounded with the fact that he never seems to be happy, or when he does, it’s quickly dashed (like having Carlota dash out to meet with her political opponent right before their wedding and then get framed for murder) is just. Disheartening. He hardly gets any genuinely happy moments, and even though most of the show is just tragedy after tragedy, Marga still gets Pablo in the end, Lidia moves to America with Francisco, her daughter, and Angeles’ daughter, Angeles had someone who really, truly loved her right before she was shot helping Oscar escape prison (and also her abusive husband was murdered a few years ago). Yeah, Oscar moved to France with Carlota and they came back as conflict journalists to Spain during the Spanish Civil War, but it didn’t really feel satisfying to me. 

Like I said at the top, I don’t dislike the show and obviously transphobia has always existed in modern history, but that doesn’t need to be the defining thing about your only trans character. Give him a life outside of being trans, especially since I don’t believe any of the show runners are trans themselves. You could also argue that a lot of this is biphobia on behalf of Carlota, as both of their stories are heavily intertwined, although Carlota is the perpetrator of some of the subtle transphobia Oscar faces in the series. 

[actualltr4sh]

its been a while since i did oneuhdeez

basics what’s your name ➔ zarina do you have a nickname ➔ ‘z’ usually do you have a middle name ➔ i dew do you like your name ➔ luv  do people often mispronounce your name ➔ yeah, i get “serena” a lot but i cut that shit out do you like the meaning of your name ➔ luv. it means golden so that’s fire when is your birthday ➔  01/15 how old are you ➔ 5′4 do you like your age ➔ it’s okay. i’m old lmao what’s your zodiac sign ➔ good cap!

appearance what’s your hair colour ➔ blackityblackblackblack is your current hair colour your natural hair colour ➔ yeth do you dye your hair ➔ i have before, i don’t make a habit of it though do you have natural highlights ➔ nerp when was the last time you had a haircut ➔ recently! like a month ago lol what length is your hair right now ➔ um the back of it is like at the base of my neck but the front is short lol do you have straight, wavy or curly hair ➔ nigger curls boo do you have frizzy hair ➔ not usually do you use a curling iron ➔ not usually do you use a hair straightener ➔ not usually do you braid your hair ➔ almost always lmao what’s your eye colour ➔ brown do your eyes change colour ➔ this is not a john green novel lol do you wear contacts ➔ never!! if so, do you use colour contacts or regular contacts ➔ NEVER!! do you wear glasses ➔ yes i can not fucking see bro lmao do you have naturally long eyelashes ➔ not really ;/ they look so bare lol do you wear braces ➔ no do you have dimples ➔ no do you have moles ➔ a few, none on my face tho do you have outstanding cheekbones ➔ kinda? not really. i got a good jaw tho do you have freckles ➔ nerp. love em though do you have piercings ➔ i lost some :( i have 8 now do you have tattoos ➔ 6?? do you wear make up ➔ just my eyebrows cus i dont have any lol do you paint your nails ➔ sometimes. whenever im feeling edgy do you wear jewelry ➔ bracelets normally but my wrist just broke out so not now are you happy with your height ➔ it’s fine. im not like short but im not tall either

personality would you consider yourself outgoing or shy ➔ super shy and anxious baybee are you sarcastic  ➔ i used to be a lot worse but its toned down a lot. too anxious LMAO what’s your biggest fear ➔ being in a car accident.. didn’t used to be number 1 but now? yep what’s your guilty pleasure ➔ coke. not like cocaine but coca cola LMAO are you religious ➔ meh do you get easily along with people ➔ typically! do you cry easily ➔ if i cry a lot is that the same thing as crying easily? idk. i be stressed though lmao

school do you go to middle school ➔ like now??? do you go to high school ➔ ?????? do you go to a private school ➔ no lol are you home schooled ➔ nope have you gratuated from school ➔ ya ya ya ya yaaaa what grade are you in ➔ done done done done doneeeee have you skipped a grade ➔ nope have you been held back a grade ➔ almost! freshman year of high school was whooping my ASS okay have you ever failed a class  ➔ bitch several have you been sent to the principals office ➔ not to my knowledge have you skipped school ➔ yeah i used to be tripping have you cheated on a test ➔ how else would i have gotten my degree lol

family do you live with your biological parents ➔ hell nope do you get along with your parents ➔ mehhhhh my dad yeah my mom not really do you tell your parents everything ➔ man hell no lol do you have strict parents ➔ growing up my mom was v strict do you have siblings ➔ 5! are you the oldest ➔ nerp are you in the middle ➔ almost are you the youngest ➔ pretty much?? but not really are all of your grandparents still alive ➔ um... on my dads side maybe?? i think so

friendships do you have a best friend ➔ yeth  do you have more than 10 friends ➔ yall funny as fuck do you have at least 2 friends you can trust with your life ➔ i guess. i dont even trust myself with my life if we being real lmao do you have a lot of guy friends, a lot of girl friends or equal girl and guy friends ➔ i dont have a lot of friends period its probs equal or more girls do you text with your friends a lot ➔ two of them i talk to almost every day!

relationships what’s your relationship status ➔ dolla dolla bill yall! have you ever been in love ➔ i have and bitch oowee do you believe in love at first sight ➔ idk lmao have you ever been in a relationship ➔ one serious one and like some other shit have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ idk issa secret boo have you ever been asked out on a date ➔ yesss have you ever been kissed ➔ yeah the hoes love it have you ever made out with someone ➔ i haveeee have you ever been cheated on ➔ kinda. he got me on a technicality and that shit fucked me UP have you ever been proposed to ➔ no i hope so one day!! do you want to get married ➔ WIFE ME do you want kids ➔ one seems like enough but what if they get only child syndrome? you have to have 2 for their sanity lmao

country where were you born ➔ ugh where do you live right now ➔ UGH have you ever been out of the country ➔ canada lmao do you prefer country or city ➔ city me please do you like sightseeing ➔ sure! is one or more of your parents from another country ➔ yeth what places would you like to visit  ➔ antiguaaaaa are you fluent in more than one language ➔ black what languages can you speak ➔ colored and white if we being real LMFAOOO i be code switching like a mf

health do you have any allergies ➔ naw cuh are you lactose intolerant ➔ man hell yeah that shit is a serious barrier  have you had surgery ➔ noooo hopefully never have you had stitches ➔ no & never have you broken a bone ➔ no & never! bitch i be chilling has someone close to you died of a disease ➔ not to my knowledge.. wait yes im an asshole for forgetting do you exercise a lot  ➔ this is a joke

experiences have you ever had a near death experiene ➔ a few :/ have you ever been on a plane ➔ a couple times! have you ever had an allnighter ➔ freshman year lmao have you ever been to school/work after a sleepless night ➔ FRESHMAN YEAR have you ever been in a physical fight ➔ kinda lmao have you ever been to a wedding ➔ yesss i wanna go to one again so bad I LOVE LOVE have you ever been to a funeral ➔ :(  have you ever lived in a different country ➔ no have you ever been drunk ➔ i be fucked up have you ever been trick or treating ➔ yes free candy is weird but its cool lmao have you ever been in a school play ➔ i was in crew in HS lol have you ever been to a camp ➔ no actually why didnt i have that summer camp lifestyle in middle school have you ever driven a car ➔  barely bitch

skills how many languages are you fluent in ➔ i told you have you ever read a book in another language ➔ no can you roll your tongue ➔ not really? can you braid hair ➔ nope lmao can you do a handstand ➔ eye can

habits do you crack your knuckles ➔ not as much as i used to? if i do i really dont even notice it lmao do you bite your nails ➔ noooo do you bite your lips ➔ noooo

favourites what’s your favourite movie ➔ it’s different all the time today we’ll say bring it on lmao what’s your favourite tv show ➔ greys anatomy s1-8.. gotta clarify this new shit wack what’s your favourite book ➔ the mothers x britt bennett  what’s your favourite song ➔ idk... lets say my boy builds coffins Florence & the machine what’s your favourite colour ➔ blk what’s your favourite animal ➔ zebra. owl.  what’s your favourite season ➔ fall or spring!!

this or that summer or winter ➔ ugh honestly neither  day or night ➔ night me pls cats or dogs ➔ dog rain or shine ➔ rainnnn if im inside watching tv, sun if i have shit to do lol coffee or tea ➔ coffeeeee i don’t like tea that much tbh lol reading or writing ➔ writing probs humorous or serious ➔ humor me brown or blue eyes ➔ brwn single or group dates ➔ single i have too much anxiety for that lol texts or calls ➔ i think i like talking otp more but i genuinely hate both unless i love you driving or walking ➔ i walk everywhere if i can but cars are more efficient lol

last last phone call ➔ an apartment complex lol last text ➔ “her family pimpin her out smh” somebody said this about an old lady!!  last song you listened to ➔ savage x meg  last thing you ate ➔ some wack ass chips lmao last thing you drank ➔ raspberry lemonade last purchase ➔ the wack ass chips and the lemonade lol last time you cleaned your room ➔ technically a few weeks ago when i moved out lol last time you’ve been on a date ➔ january? yeah january

[billpott-s]

thoughts on the xmas special - DOCTOR WHO SPOILERS

before I read everyone else’s reactions I just want to get my “untainted” reaction down

first of all the MUSIC, goddamn every time they played the bad wolf/rose theme I was about to DIE (especially because I’ve just been rewatching s1/2 so) oh my god, how perfect and emotional though especially because I think I read somewhere that murray gold is also leaving which ????? how do they expect me to cope

not sure how I feel about the whole bill not being bill but still being bill thing? I mean, I accept it and it still was emotional but… still no closure for bill. also it doesn’t make sense but what else do I expect from a Moffat finale lol (like she would have to be dead to be in the system thing buuuuut she remembers heather rescuing her soooo her restoration isn’t from that death? idk (edit: just realised that im not confused by this any more because she doesn’t age because she’s made of water. obviously. so she could have died after living a long life and still look 20 something ok im good now lets move on)

although idk how this death technology thing really is supposed to work within this universe lol because how many characters have died and come back to life… like just take rory for one example. but it was cool plus the reference to new earth and the year 5 billion was pretty cool since I just rewatched new earth

but obviously I loved seeing her again and it is in a way, her, emotionally and I love her so much and she should have had so much more TIME

bill and the 9th doctor live together in my “I’m emotional about these characters not having more time on the show” headspace

speaking of which CLARA oh my god. I was sort of expecting it but then I forgot that I was expecting it and I was SHOOK ok, and I guess that means she does die in the end after her one second of eternity (I need to rewatch s9) which is ok I guess

but idk does it sort of ruin the emotional impact of hell bent now that the doctor does remember her? like didn’t they have the whole forgetting thing for a reason.. or is it ok because he’s not 12 anymore so they won’t have the hybrid but then again, the doctor would still love clara just as much

idk my sort of unrealistic prediction would be that clara would show up just as a cameo/side character within the story (like I thought maybe as a nurse because ww1 setting (and the obvious play on doctor/nurse) ), and the doctor wouldn’t recognise her but she would say goodbye to him and it would be super emotional for the audience without taking away the impact of s9 idk I feel a little conflicted about it

obviously I should be writing for this show

and nardole! remember before series 10 I was so eeeehh about his character but I teared up honestly, I did not expect to see him again. guess he’s also confirmed dead

can’t really remember the ending of s10 but does that mean the cybermen just destroyed the whole ship. honestly that episode had such potential its criminal that it was left unwrapped like that

ok thoughts on stuff thats not my babies coming back

the opening with the 60s footage was SO COOL even though we’ve already seen it it’s just SO COOL

shout out to rachel talalay for being a directing GENIUS how do we deserve her… @chibnall if you do anything right you won’t let her go

I haven’t seen any first doctor because I’m a fake fan who’s only seen like… 15ish classic doctor who stories - so I didn’t really have that much emotional attachment to him apart from what he means as a symbol to the show, and ofc an adventure in space and time which I do adore

I enjoyed him, for the most part… I mean it was interesting to have the thematic parallel between them

I was worried about the whole “sexist jokes” we’d been hearing about before the episode and yeah they were kind of cringeworthy but also not as bad as I’d expected… could have been a lot worse but still totally unnecessary and unfunny in my opinion

at least Bill put him in his place what an icon

I liked that the episode was more character focused than plot… obviously it needed to be and the themes worked with the “plot” but I can’t help but be annoyed at plot holes

like if there was a giant database of every human ever in the year 5 billion then why does the doctor not know about it

hmmm

but a lot better than moffat’s other regeneration episode tbh like I never need to see the time of the doctor again in my entire life

the christmas armistice scene? I HAD CHILLS OH MY GOD it was so powerful and I had tears in my eyes

just beautiful and heartbreaking and touching. wow.

also shout out to mark gatiss for not being as terrible as I thought he would be because I was not excited to hear he would be a main in this episode but he played it really well

then for some reason out of alllll the threads of 12 and moffat era who the one they decided to bring back was rusty the dalek??? ok maybe not what I would have done

although in some way I guess if you remember that episode from three years ago and how it sort of foreshadowed the 12th doctor’s characterisation, “you would make a good dalek” and all that jazz it does fit thematically???

idk I thought… a weird choice but ok

low key wanted amy and rory to show up via the glass people of death (like not a realistic expectation at all since they never knew twelve but it is the end of the moffat era we’re celebrating here so maybe??? sadly not)

overall a beautiful farewell to the twelfth doctor. a perfect fit for a character based episode to end his story on this show. I’m going to miss him so much but he had a wonderful last episode that he deserved

probably the best regeneration story since parting of the ways? maybe even the best regeneration story from new who (i just have a very special emotional connection to 9) (and I haven’t seen any classic who regeneration stories please don’t hate me)

can’t believe its been four years since i was bawling my eyes out at matt smith’s regeneration. I did expect to cry a lot more but maybe I’m just better at my emotions now??? also even though I’ve probably come to love 12 more, 11 was my first doctor so there’s that

(wait til I rewatch doomsday though because the tears will be FLOODING. I’m up to army of ghosts/doomsday on my new who rewatch but wasn’t going to do that to myself today lol I don’t hate myself that much)

JODIE!

wait I forgot twelve’s last speech

IT WAS SO GOOD OMG

the bits from the other doctors… so beautiful

tbh I can’t really remember it because I am the worst but I’ll probably have more coherent thoughts when I rewatch this (WITH SUBTITLES) tomorrow

strong accents can ruin the emotional moments a little unfortunately

JODIE OMG

rachel talalay is a blessing ok THAT SCENE WAS FILMED SO WELL. the ring falling off her hand

their hand??? how do we refer to the doctor now idk i guess they both work

JODIE IS SO TINY IN PETER CAPALDI’S GIANT ASS COAT

i hope she is swamped in it for the whole first episode of s11 omg comedy gold

when she looks into the reflection and says “brilliant” IS THAT GONNA BE HER CATCHPHRASE

I feel like 10 said that a lot??? hmmm

I LOVE HER SO MUCH ALREADY SHE’S ONLY SAID ONE WORD

HOW CAN I WAIT UNTIL WHENEVER S11 STARTS

she FELL OUT of the TARDIS???? is she ok

commentary from my family - dad: why is the tardis rejecting her? brother: because she’s a woman now

IM SO EXCITED FOR SEASON 11 OK

overall? I really enjoyed it, I had a few quibbles (mostly my usual but that doesn’t make sense which maybe you have to leave aside when you’re watching this show), the character stuff was almost perfect and just, such a good story. will miss 12 greatly but out of all the new who doctors he’s probably had the most solid run from start to finish in terms of consistent quality and this was the perfect ending for him.

p.s. pls let chibnall be the type that likes nostalgic cameos because I don’t know if I can handle a clean cut between eras, this is my first time because I only started watching in 2012. but I’m so keen for season 11.