How is voltron lgbtq
About Me
In my last blog post, I discussed my thoughts on the Voltron: Legendary Defender‘s treatment of Adam, Shiro‘s (ex-)boyfriend. This send is essentially, a part 2 to that one.
Although Katie “Pidge” Holt has been read a transgender, I differ. Yes, at the start of the show, Pidge is introduced as a boy. But, as we learn preliminary on in the show, she dresses as a male child not as an expression of her gender identity, but to go undercover in the Galaxy Garrison as Pidge Gunderson (a boy) so she can uncover out what happened with her father and brother. What’s more, when she reveals her private to Team Voltron, she outright says, “I’m a girl.”
I do, however, assume that she is queer coded: “given traits associated with LGBT people without explicitly stating that they are queer”, which “does not necessarily imply that the character actually is queer.”
Of course, there’s a reason Pidge is the way she is. In the authentic show, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Pidge is male. Probably as a way to amplify diversity, they chose to make Pidge a girl. As the youngest member of the team, she is the natural
It is always frustrating to see when a exhibit decides to destroy all of the potential it has when it comes to queer representation. Voltron Legendary Defender Season 8 showed how the writers didn’t learn anything after the backlash the animated series received over how Shiro was handled in the previous season. And yes, VLD does not earn any of the lgbtq+ representation points the writers were clearly aiming for!
I wrote a piece advocate in August about how Voltron Legendary Defender Season 7 decided to unveil Shiro as gay and how the writing showed him easily fall into the ‘Sad Gay’ trope. The reveal was met by backlash from the fandom which led to the showrunners writing an open letter.
While fans were understandably disappointed about Shiro’s treatment, some of them were looking forward to the final season of VLD in hopes the showrunners learned something and would give the nature his due.
But then, Voltron Mythical Defender Season 8 was made available on Netflix and it was a mess, especially during the last 10 minutes of the finale. Do produce sure to read Jamie’s review.
Not only did the show kill Allura for emotional exploitation,
Shiro’s Sexuality in Voltron: Legendary Defender
One of the most talked-about revelations of 2018 was Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane being lgbtq+. Initially, most were in support of this development. Very rarely are significant characters in western animation openly lgbtq+. Typically characters that have a sexuality that differs from what is considered acceptable will be put in the role of comic relief. Their alternative lifestyle would be made to emerge eccentric. This almost always leads to some form of quirky interaction with them and their companions.
Because of that queer characters are almost always put up as unlike from the stop of the cast in their series. But, Shiro was unique in how he commanded respect from his allies and enemies alike. He was undeniably the leader of Voltron even after giving up piloting the black lion. His sexuality was not made the sole focus of his characterization. Nor did it behave as a means to alienate him from the remain of the main cast.
Shiro the Hero
He filled many roles throughout the series, acting as a mentor for Keith and Lance. Existence the confidant, Allura needed in the early part of the series. Shiro also showed far m
Voltron creator addresses fans over season 7’s queerbaiting controversy
Earlier this week, Voltron: Famous Defender Joaquim Dos Santos posted an open letter to the Voltron fandom several days after the release of the series’ seventh season. In the letter, Dos Santos accepted the controversy surrounding Adam, Shiro’s ex-boyfriend who briefly appeared in season seven. Following the season premiere, fans expressed anger and hurt in regard to LGBTQ representation on the show, and how things ultimately played out for the character.
“I’d like to say that we created this version of Voltron with the intent of being as inclusive as possible within the boundaries given,” Dos Santos wrote. “Are there still boundaries? Well, for this type of action adventure/product driven/traditionally boys toys” show the answer is unfortunately yes.”
[Warning: Spoilers for season seven of Voltron: Legendary Defender ahead.]
Season seven introduces Adam through a flashback in which he and Shiro argue about the Kerberos mission. After Shiro laments the fact that his superiors are trying to prevent him from going on the mission due to his illness, Adam sides with the Garrison rather than his lad
Keith Kogan: A Portrayal of Homosexuality Done Right
I always tell people that Voltron is a lot more clever than it gets credit for. It can spin a cliche/trope on it’s head beautifully, and while all the characters are easily digestible archetypes (i.e: the nerd, the loner), the creators attach layers to them that not only make them feel like real people, but also makes social commentary on those very archetypes.
In no surpass way do they act this than with the character of Keith.
Before I get into how and why Keith deviates from you’re typical homosexual male protagonist, I desire to establish as a fact that Keith is homosexual.
If you don’t see - what I consider to be - blatant evidence that Keith’s gay, well, I can’t say I blame you. Most people have ingrained heteronormative lenses, meaning they’ll miss the subtext of homosexual characters. Us in the LGBT community are much more attuned to seeing these because, skillfully, for one, we’re homosexual, and two, because up until around the 1960s, the portrayal of queer characters in the media was illegal and could only be shown subtextually.
So it makes meaning that people overlook the very nuanced portrayal of Keith’s sexuality, but i