While criticisms about a character like Abby’s threat to a plot really aren’t that founded, concerns regarding new character Lev are. Now, there is a trans character in the game. Abby is also the daughter of. She is a former member of the Fireflies, who leads a small faction of the militant Washington Liberation Front. Abigail 'Abby' Anderson is the false deuteragonist of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us: Part II, serving as the main antagonist of Ellie’s storyline and as the playable character of her own storyline upon switching from Ellie's perspective in the story.
I myself am a (yet to transition) trans woman and while our experiences are not one and the same, there’s the familiarity every trans person experiences. This is par for the course of a trans person, really. Players have been trying to avoid gameplay trailers so as not to spoil their experience and the developers have done their best to keep many of. Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us 2 is a game that is mired in secrecy.
There were many leaks for the game, but here I’d like to focus on two in particular. Perhaps it would be clearer to say that the discussions around The Last Of Us are allegorical to the transgender bathroom debate. As such, her being transgender cannot be relevant to the story - it isn’t a thing.There are genuine, rather sad parallels. She has a high musculature, broad shoulders and a very small chest, but she’s not transgender. Of course, then, he’s gonna flee for his life.Answer (1 of 11): That would be impossible - Abby isn’t transgender.
It’s refreshing to see time made for a real trans story in a game all about the apocalypse. That’s not to say this is bad, in fact, it’s the opposite. Early leaks also suggested that the new hero was, in fact, transgender.If you’re a trans person, Lev’s slow revealing of being an individual who is trans is a story you’ve seen before. A lot of people mistake the new Last of Us Part II protagonist as a transgender woman because of her over-the-top masculine physique.
So, hearing it becomes a harsh reminder of a person they no longer are – and don’t identify as.As a trans person, it bears weight hearing a name that doesn’t match you. It’s the name that many a trans person is stuck with until they realise that they’re in fact trans and change it. For those playing at home, a deadname is the (often) birthname of a trans person. A group of Scars spots Abby and Lev and engages them, yelling out Lev’s deadname. It’s a less obvious, sweet little breadcrumb trail for those not all that0 familiar with trans experiences, and a nod to those that are.The first moment that confirms for everyone Lev is undeniably a trans character happens during combat. The most we get out of him is that he’s (along with his sister) fled the Scars because he wasn’t accepted for shaving his head.
On the other hand, with Lev (rightly) fleeing so quickly for his safety, it could be that the group simply does not know his new name. Yes, the Scars could be doing it deliberately to oppress Lev further. Messy progress is still progressAdmittedly, I gripe with this too. Still, I can understand and empathise with the frustration and outcry that came from this moment and others in the game, as well as recognise parallels to my own life. I’m a trans woman, they’re a trans boy. I’m not going to pretend to be entirely knowledgeable.
She yelled at him, pleaded with him to conform to what he was expected to be, and was angry with him for a long time. She confesses guilt to Abby about how she treated him in the past when she learnt of his identity. Though she willingly left the Scars with her brother, their relationship was far from smooth sailing. This is explored in an exchange between Abby and Lev’s sister Yara. It’s a dangerous, miserable and violent world in The Last of Us Part II, and no one comes out unscathed, Lev included.Lev’s history with his family, like many trans people, is messy.
Hopefully the start of something new for trans narratives in AAA gamesThe Last of Us Part II had me writhing with emotion many times. How involved was Lev’s actor Ian Alexander, a trans individual himself, in the process? How does he feel about telling this story now that it’s out? Were organisations like GLAAD consulted in the development of the game? Many questions still linger. While I firmly believe Lev is a good character, his treatment reflects the writings of a team of cis people. Accountability for Yara is important here but credit is also due, it’s one of the most real and emotional moments in the game.With all of this being said, it’ll be interesting to learn more details about The Last of Us Part II’s trans narrative in the future. It’s a very real and complicated moment that trans people themselves have seen before.
Yes, indie games have been exploring and doing stories about trans people for literal years, and undoubtedly better. Really, if you want to be someone that listens to trans voices, you should too. I firmly accept both sides of the coin in criticism of the trans narrative in the game.
The Last of Us Part II is no exception to that rule. Some of the most loved games of all time bear discussion. It’s messy progress that doesn’t always hit the mark, but it’s still progress.The Last of Us II reviewed as a 10/10 game on Checkpoint, but it’s worth bearing that 10/10 does not equal perfect, as there is no such thing as a perfect game.
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