I just want to say this because I’ve seen a lot of artists and writers genuinely worried about it.
Goose intentionally left things subtle, Jax never got the chance to openly talk about it, so people are naturally going to connect with the story in different ways. What makes me sad is seeing artists, writers, and fans become scared to post because they’re worried they’ll get attacked for using he/him, she/her, or for having a particular interpretation of Jax.
I’ve literally seen people talk about dropping projects or becoming scared to share their work because of it. This show means a lot to many people. Some see Jax as trans, some still interpret Jax as male, and some use both interpretations. None of that automatically comes from a place of hate, denial, or bad intentions.
You shouldn’t have to justify every drawing, fanfic, comic, or headcanon just to avoid getting dogpiled online. If someone uses he/him because that’s how they’ve always viewed Jax, that’s okay. If someone uses she/her because that’s what resonates with them, that’s okay too. People connect with stories in different ways, and that’s normal.
The real issue isn’t pronouns. The real issue is people attacking each other over interpretations that were clearly meant to be personal and meaningful. Please don’t make people afraid to create. We’re all here because we love the character, and nobody should feel unwelcome for expressing that love through their art, writing, or personal interpretation.
At the end of the day, I think there’s room for different interpretations as long as people are respectful. Just remember that Jax being trans isn’t something that should be dismissed, and nobody should be attacked over how they connect with the character.
The type of comments and posts I have seen from people online using the gender of a cartoon character to label people as “Transphobic” is legitimately insane to me. Do y'all not realize that this is the exact type of witch-hunt behavior that Gooseworx was trying to avoid when she made that initial comment about not seeing any issue with using masculine or feminine pronouns for Jax? People online really have a very bad habit of attempting to psychologically analyze people over the most innocuous things, I swear.
I have a friend who is nonbinary and works at a comic store and for the past several months I have talked with them about TADC every time I went in to pick up comics. They watched episode 9 and their interpretation was that Jax was a Cis man who was incredibly insecure and deeply struggled with masculinity and femininity as it relates to him personally. That’s how they personally envision Jax as a character. All that being said, they also said that they would never take Transfem Jax away from anyone because they know how meaningful and important that sort of representation is for people. All that being said, I can’t help but get the feeling that people online would still try and label them as transphobic despite everything I just said.
The point is that nobody should be attacking, harassing, or passing moral judgements on anyone over this sort of thing. It’s childish and absolutely pathetic and shows that some people online desperately need to touch grass.
Jax as a straight cis man with deep insecurities about his own masculinity which stems from the toxic masculine nature of his upbringing? Sure!
Jax as a deeply closeted gay or bisexual man in an alternate AU where Ribbit was a gay man? Sounds good!
Jax actually does struggle with gender identity, but feels like the gender they identify with fluctuates? Have at it!
All I ask is that people treat each other with more respect and care than I tend to see online. People should really take the words of Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch to heart. Just replace ‘twitter’ with ‘fandom’
