I've seen critiques of them essentially killing off a closeted trans character, and while I see where they're coming from, it's important to also look at the wider context regarding Jax and Leeroy
I feel like everyone should be directed to this post by Gooseworx herself. It's been said better by many others before me but Jax's entire arc is very clearly modeled after a lot of self-hatred from Gooseworx's part, and the way it ended, it also feels like a cautionary tale on the way some transfems don't have the luxury of having a safe social space to comfortably come out, and lashing out at the whole world in the process. Not every transfem journey is lucky enough to have a smooth road, and unfortunately a lot of the times when that happens they end up the same way Jax did -- with a fuckton of internalized misogyny/transphobia, a mask so firmly ingrained that you're disassociating 80% of the time, and a lot of anger towards anybody who even tries to get to know you, even if it's well-intentioned.
But the finale also makes it a point to show that it's not over yet for Leeroy. She has a steady gig, she's not homeless, and she's a frequent patron at Riley's queer bar, which might help her safely come out in the future, this time under better terms. The way I see it, Leeroy's journey has had two branching paths starting from when she got on the circus -- the one in the circus where she's Jax, self-destructing so hard she kills herself, and the one outside, where she mostly has her shit together, and all she needs is a healthy community to give her the right push
yousharknotpass
gummygunk
