Soooo... Gooseworx came out and confirmed transfem Jax along with the VAs... any thoughts?
Mmm I'm glad that it's official now, maybe this will help other people understand what it is like being trans?? Idk I don't have a strong opinion on this xp
⚠️ This post contains: spoilers from TADC movie + gender dysphoria and trans related topics ⚠️
English is not my first language so sorry if there are any mistakes!!
Just to clarify, I am not saying that my opinion is the one that's correct and that every other is wrong, I am just trying to explain my point of view!!
Ok so the other day I watched the TADC movie with some friends and we were all confused about Jax and his identity issues
At first I firmly believed that Jax was transmasc because of his ¨masculine¨ personality but after a while I realized that he is probably transfem, but first..
What does transfem and transmasc mean?
A person who is transfem is someone who was AMAB but identifies with a femenine identity and / or gender expression. This might include trans women, genderfluid and non binary people who feel more connected with femininity
A person who is transmasc is basically the same but the other way around, someone who was AFAB but feels more comfortable and connected with masculinity. This means trans men, genderfluid and non binary people can also be transmasc.
Does that mean that every trans woman is also trans feminine and every trans man is also trans masculine? Well, not really.
Gender expression does not equal gender, there's some trans women that like "masculine things" more than the feminine ones (same goes for trans men) and that doesn't mean they are less valid than those who don't.
After that being said...
What makes Jax trans?
When Pomni and Jax are arguing in chapter 6, he says " I'm just a misunderstood little chicken fetus in an egg that needs to be cracked open" to mock her for trying to know his true self.
But, the same expression egg is used to describe a person who is trans but hasn't realized it yet, while cracking or hatching means that they finally realized or accepted it.
In the movie, when he is alone with Ribbit, he confesses her that his last memory from the real world is a fight with her mom and that it had started because he told her something really personal, something embarrasing and that she only mocked him for that.
At the end of "The Last Act", Caine says that Mateo (real life Jax) goes frequently to Riley's (real life Zooble) bar, a place that is judgment free and safe for queer people.
Even though the two last things could also be about his sexual orientation (it would make no sense to me but xd), so feel free to think whatever you want!! :D
Why is he transfem and not transmasc?
Well, the clearest hint is the scene where Ribbit gives Jax her red bow to conform him after hearing what happened with his mom.
This moment has abstraction-like pictures in between, so we can't see the full conversation, but is probably that before this he confessed her that personal thing he told his mom.
Ribbit doesn't say it with words, but her actions show that she doesn't judge him, and that his feelings are valid
Bows and ribbons are often associated with femeninity and girls, and Jax seems to like wearing it.
As we know, Jax was born a man so it is impossible for him to be transmasc (transmasc cannot be AMAB), but as a "man" who likes to be more femenine than masculine, it is correct to considerate him as a transfem person.
It is unlikely that he is a cisgender man who likes to crossdress, because most male crossdressers openly admit their gender and don't feel insecure because of people judging their masculinity. Basically, they don't experience gender dysphoria.
If he's a crossdresser, then why does he feel so insecure about being seen as femenine? all his backstory and development would crumble completely, turning him into a plain character that makes no sense.
little detail -> goosework is a transgender woman and has multiple said multiple times that Jax is a representation of herself !!
here are some posts of gooseworx talking about jax
Then if he's transfem... why is he still so masculine?
After Mateo's dad left, he was forced to take the "male role" of the house, and compared to him, he felt like he was "not man enough" (his own words btw). At that time, he most likely had already noticed his interest in femininity, something that caused a biggest contrast between this two sides.
When he finally gathered up the courage to tell his mom about this feeling, she took it as a joke, something ridiculous and ironic, she didn't support him, her reaction only increased his embarrasement and self esteem issues.
She loved him, but did not accept him.
Being femenine is his vulnerable side, and because of what happened to her mother he feels ashamed and guilty, like that feeling is wrong.
He often bullies Gangle for being too girly, weak, and a crybaby, because that's what life has taught him, that as a man you cannot be a crybaby, cannot be weak, cannot be like a girl.
But when he is alone and comfortable, he stops worrying about being seen like that. For example when Ribbit gives him her bow, he still is blushed, meaning that he is embarrased, but doesn't take it off, he lets himself enjoy it a little, until Kaufmo knocks the door. He inmediately takes it off, and starts to panic, trying to find an excuse for him to not enter the room, and after that he starts avoiding Ribbit, afraid that she might tell everyone or even judge him, so he tries to make it pass as a "joke".
Something similar happens with Pomni, when they are alone and COMFORTABLE he makes the comment "my ears and tails are the pinnacle of masculinity" something that backfires him because he doesn't have his tail at the moment, so he isn't completely masculine.
We haven't seen his room that many times, but as far as we can see, it looks quite pink and girlish. Everytime we see it he's the only one inside, and no one else has entered. A safe place he doesn't let anyone get in.
Bedrooms were made based on the mental scan archives of the characters, so this means that femininity makes Jax feel comfortable.
After all this, Jax is...?
It is correct to say that Jax is a transfem person with severe gender dysphoria and self steem issues. He has a lot of mental issues and trauma that has clearly not dealed with and presents deep internalized misogyny and non-healthy gender stereotipes.
This means that there's not an actually answer to what's Jax gender identity, but denying that he has dysphoria and gender-related issues is simply incorrect.
Thanks for reading all this, hope you really liked it and feel free to share your opinion but please be respectful!!
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