RWBY - The Importance of May Marigold and what her Semblance Represents

[@milkdrinkerer669]

I wish the world could just accept the way people want to live.

[@FelineFlame-dj1xl]

UnknownGhost244 true. I just don’t get why people go on and on about that “no homo” stuff when they’re no different from the people they’re discriminating.

[@milkdrinkerer669]

NightWolfFlame YT we’re all the same species i guess.

[@LumeanTV]

@@FelineFlame-dj1xl They say "no homo", or something similar, because they don't think or want to acknowledge that they are, in fact, being the same. Dancing around their words and the topic doesn't do them any good.

[@Furebel]

Because people treat it like it's something unhuman. And both sides of extreme do it. Hardly anyone actually treats them as normal human beings.

[@kamoki6711]

I loved how they decided to create a character that is transgender in the RWBY series. I'm glad that they didnt make it blunt or have any impact on the story itself because it didnt have to and it didnt matter if she was transgender or not. She is a person, and a cool character!!!! and she looks pretty badass ngl...

[@zionnemakoma1398]

Though, I personally would have preferred it to be stated in the show, like how the pilot who got weiss out of atlas was originally going to have a casual line about his boyfriend back in atlas, and the reason they scrapped the line is because he was going to die.

[@whoknows4780]

@@zionnemakoma1398 if you’ve seen the new season, she had a little monologue in direct reference to being trans and that being the reason she’s in the Happy Huntresses

[@zionnemakoma1398]

@@whoknows4780 Yeah, ik

[@dustinelias7840]

by the way after ep 9 is robin technically on the council when it was discovered she won not Weiss' dad

[@jonathonsirlord8251]

Mis switch with Robin and Is

[@Zack_Zander]

Dustin Elias Well, because Jacque-ass was the council but was arrested... that would mean second place would get the spot. Which is Robyn.

[@emanuelrousseau9097]

Dustin Elias that’s not how that works. There would have to be another election. Robyn wouldn’t just automatically get the job because Jacque cheated.

[@dustinelias7840]

@@emanuelrousseau9097 you never know what could happen

[@blademaster2390]

Emanuel Rousseau Precisely. We don’t know everything about Atlas’s government

[@clarakupsch5309]

Its nice they do this wile avoiding making her a stereotype. They made her just like everyone else.

[@dakotagordon8756]

...With a 🔥🔥🔥 and sultry Black Woman-sounding voice.

[@qwmx]

She's already a stereotype. Looks masculine with a high pitched masculine voice.

[@FaeChangeling]

Hey man, I really appreciate that you think her being trans is cool and used the right pronouns the entire video. There's a lot of people out there who would think and act very differently.

[@FaeChangeling]

May is trans? I had no idea, but as a transgender RWBY fan, I think that's pretty neat.

[@unicornburger16]

Her VA, who is also Trans, announced it on Twitter last month after episode seven I think.

[@theScarletFame]

AtrophyBelladonna same Here glad to see we’re being represented correctly

[@joaovictordioud7242]

It is

[@Rino204]

Yuck

[@archangel7139]

Honestly I’m starting like Robin more and more, especially towards the end of episode 9

[@ThisIsWhoWeAreToday]

I’m so happy I feel so represented by rwby now ❤️

[@ryancarson6962]

CJ Daly How so? I mean the show itself never confirmed this, it was only stated by a voice actor and not the actual creators and the character May hasn’t really done anything that’s notable really, she easily could be taken out of the script and not much would change. Overall I would probably consider this lackluster representation at best to be honest.

[@kill4oj]

Ryan Carson yikes just gotta rain on the parade huh

[@blakemartin8334]

@@ryancarson6962 hope you've seen the new episodes

[@AllHailTheAnimeLover]

Some people want "on screen" rep and I understand that but the fact that CRWBY got a transgender woman to play a trans character I awesome. They could have half assed it and gotten a cis woman and be like "oh yeah she's trans" but to have her voice actress announce it is pretty rad.

[@Wolf_Appledore]

Her VA is a Trans as well? Didn't know that.

[@InfamousAtom]

Ok, what I don’t get though is if trans people are supposed to be indistinguishable from people who aren’t, why does it matter to hire a trans voice actress to portray a trans character. Another thing, I think trans people should be treated with the same respect as any other person, have same rights as others, etc., but sometimes it seems like people (not all, I know there are assholes out there who treat them like shit, and fuck those people) treat them as irreproachable and almost idolize them for being trans. Like, why was this video needed? It presents a very minor character who happens to be trans, and spends the majority of the video dwelling on that fact and more or less cheering that on. Like, why can’t it just be a quick comment in an unrelated video, “Oh, and btw this is cool, this character turns out to be trans”. I actually laughed when he suggested her semblance was invisibility due to her being trans, like that is a really big leap in logic based on the very little back story we have for her, and the fact that it would be hilariously cliché. My point is, by making such a big deal out of someone being trans, while also claiming they should be treated equally, your actions do not match your words. I’m not saying it should be completely ignored, it’s still a part of them and is fine to acknowledge, but making a whole video where the majority of it is spent on one character trait seems absurd. If I were trans, I think I’d be very annoyed if all people ever focused on was me being trans and not other things about me, even if they were praising me for it. Edit: I know he briefly talked about her being cousins with that rich dude, but the majority was not spent on that, and that one little thing does not merit an entire video.

[@janpfg2822]

@@arnowisp6244 assuming from you want answers to your questions, try to respect other people and their "made-up" language, which it is not. Then you probably will get a respectful response to your questions instead of some dude lecturing you about this 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@AllHailTheAnimeLover]

@@InfamousAtom that was really long dude. I'm praising them because simply put a lot of companies make big grand announcements I've LGBT rep and then it turns out the character I nameless and shows up once. CRWBY didn't do that May I just casually thrown in. The significance of her voice actress being trans and being the one to announce is simply because it's great to have that connection with your character. May didn't have to be voiced by a trans woman (who btw is named Kdin and she's been with RT for ages) but the fact that she is just kinda special. I actually hope Kdin gets to do more voice acting ^_^ Also fun fact! The original Meowth dub voice was a trans woman so yeah trans people don't always have to voice trans characters it's just a bit special if they do

[@ryancarson6962]

Blorp I don’t exactly see how that’s really “better” or even worth praising. Oh they got a trans person to voice a trans character? How is that worthy of praise? People do things like this all the time to get social brownie points for doing the bare minimum and honestly things like that give off the impression that they hired her specifically for the fact that she was trans rather than her skill, and in terms of voice acting them getting a trans person doesn’t actually matter at all as voice acting only requires your voice, I mean for lord’s sake Samurai Jackie is played by a black man and Darth Vader is voiced by a black man, someone can play whatever role they want, regardless of who the character is, and honestly allowing trans people to voice characters that aren’t trans seems more progressive than only looking in their direction when a trans character is involved.

[@chrisbeynon8700]

I really hope that we still see the happy huntresses towards the end of Volume 7 and in volumes 8 and 9

[@wanderingshade8383]

Last time I was this early, Pyyrha was still alive! Alright, I'll head out

[@neofulcrum5013]

I’ll close the door behind you

[@kamirostorino9416]

@@neofulcrum5013 You mean the Airlock of Amity satellite?

[@irahcole1008]

Lonely Shade I don’t know if I should laugh or cry

[@LumeanTV]

I was hoping you'd do a video on this ! Thank you. Bless. I love May. And I'm glad to have her as my community representative.

[@chaossin7425]

She is adorable and deserves love and respect.

[@monarchberry1107]

Ad Victoriam to that. Can I do that?

[@Salemwaaa]

A poem I made for May: The Invisible Shield You hide where no one can see yet you see it all The words spoken by your pompous peers seem to burn like heat waves their arrogant eyes don’t see the real you Eventually you escape but not really no one can whisper or speak the spiteful words but you see them but they don’t phase you only serve as a motivator to push farther, reach higher even. Joining a bird who shares the same goal of wanting to make your kingdom a better place for all you manifest a shield covering all behind you including yourself sparing them from harm...taking it full force not only for them but yourself. The bird shares tales of a peace not yet obtained and in the moment you vow to shield her and your city from harm until that peace becomes real Happy Huntress- May Marigold

[@monarchberry1107]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Trans and Queer.... We got the poetry to match V. But anyway, what I like about this is just how... *postmodern* it is.

[@zionnemakoma1398]

BEEP BEEP I DETECT SOMEONE WHO DESERVES LOVE!

[@monarchberry1107]

@@zionnemakoma1398 LOVE PROTOCOLS ENGAGED!

[@sidous471]

Character: *is revealed to be a member of LGBT community* Certain people: WhAt DoEs ThIs AdD tO tHe ChArAcTeR oR sToRy No OnE cArEs

[@daysand123]

Also take into account that May's semblance as shown isnt just ma and ing herself invisible. Its s radius bubble that can mask the world around her to appear as if nothing is there. Though it seems as if someone with a heightened sense of hearing or even infrared like Penny or Grimm tracking based on negativity would still be susceptible to see through this as shown in episode five. It's still a very good tactical semblance for dealing with normal humans and basic machines as shown in episode seven where she makes a whole street intersection look as if it's completely empty. That's already pretty handy on its own.

[@shadow-faye]

apparently rt isnt afraid to give two characters the same name.......thats cool

[@johnsmith5922]

That is a very cool connection for you to make. I love hearing you talk about semblances like this now. It may be presumptuous of me. But I feel like some of the insight you take into semblances now comes from the short talk we had and it makes me happy. I would say absolutely that fits perfectly for who May is. Also I wonder if you are aware that May's VA is also transgender?

[@PhoenixNight]

It's not presumptuous at all of you to think that as discussing with you did give me a new outlook on semblances and how each person develops them 😊 Yup I knew that May's VA was transgender and I love how they have a trans woman voicing a transgender character

[@iAngelicVampire]

I think its great that there is a character in rwby who is trans.I feel trans people don't get enough representation in animations.

[@ejithegiraffe3516]

I like the hand motions in the episode Like if you agree

[@catnevermore4749]

I love all your videos best rwby channel of all that ive seen

[@daysand123]

The importance of May Marigold being the best and hottest design of the Huntresses but everyone throws her away over the furry bait.

[@Shiloh_has_a_bird]

I think it’s really cool that May and Henry are cousins. It proves that your family doesn’t define you

[@PartTimesPlums]

I'm super happy about May being transgender and how it was announced. I'm really sad about how some people reacted to it being announced tho. I can see how much time went into making May as a character even if she hasn't had much screentime from her semblance to her being related to Henry. It all comes together, and I love that.

[@joaovictordioud7242]

im very happy about that, there is not much to say it is simply amazing and makes me pround.

[@kingraplhmativo5178]

What if Robyn becomes Winter Maiden?

[@MinisterEvil]

I don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said. I'm just commenting because I understand it helps you with the whole KZbin algorithm thing.

[@werr3222werrr]

I had no idea until the episode war when it was hinted at

[@xacolmah]

I didnt even know about May being a transgender until this vid. Always thought it was Joanna because of the way she looks. May personally looks hot even as a trans.

[@snowlondon8642]

definitely not trying to be rude here, but it’s kind of iffy to call someone “a transgender”, it’s a little dehumanizing. “transgender person” or even just “trans person” is better since it’s a description, not a noun. Also it’s somewhat stereotypical to assume a masculine woman is trans, since it enforces the idea that trans women are just men in dresses and can’t be feminine. Again, really trying not to be rude!! just wanted to shed some light

[@DylanoRevs]

Joanna is basically female Sage

[@Hamzakhan-dt3gv]

May marigold is one of my favourite characters

[@gracerlampi7605]

Omg she is soo cute!! 😻

[@unicorn1655]

I just wish they would have brought up that May was trans. When Penny had her "I don't know whether I'm a real girl or not" thing and Ruby reassures her that she is indeed,they could have had May be there and say a few lines about being trans. That was a HUGE missed opportunity and it makes it seems as if they don't really care enough about trans people to even mention their transgender identity for 10 seconds.

[@Naestrith]

I find it more respectuous to trans people. They present May as a girl and not as the trans character. It's a trivial info we have on her that she has a XY chromosome and not doing a fuss about it is the way of making it part of the norm.

[@unicorn1655]

@@Naestrith I don't think so, because a lot of causal fans don't know she's trans. They only watch the show and that's it,so I'd rather have them say something to make it clear to everyone.

[@Sara-sh3ge]

Penny and Ruby had that conversation all the way back in volume 2 when they were still in Vale. May was presumably in Atlas and she wasn't in the show at the time. I just don't see why you'd expect May to just randomly be there. As a trans woman myself, I'm totally happy with the way May's representation is being handled and I think this complaint is a little ridiculous.

[@Naestrith]

I didn't expect May to be the trans in the Happy Huntresses, my bet was on Joana (she's tall, bulky and have a very masculine figure and facial features). But why not?

[@BlueAngel7]

Not meaning to be rude or offensive if I am (don't fully understand transgender norms), but if May is transgender female that means she was male at birth right? If so it's really cool Robyn accepted a transgender female into her Happy Huntresses!

[@PhoenixNight]

I think you are correct that she was born male and transitioned to female

[@cora-illus]

Yep! Just like her voice actress, she is MtF (Male to Female) :)

[@joshthomas-moore2656]

I like May and i tend to like the female characters with the shorter hair design personally and i don't mind her being Trans i think its nice and was handled nicely though now i really want a Happy Huntress spin off book showing all the characters back stories now. I think May's and Fiona's could be quite interesting.

[@Scoonertuna]

I am sorry, but I respectfully disagree. Also, to anyone reading this, I am going to be stating some opinions some would call "unpopular opinions", so if you do not wish to hear it I recommend you stop reading this comment now, you have been warned. In saying that, I hope we can all have a spirited discussion about what I am going to be talking about. Firstly, I am all for diversity in my stories. I also want fair and equal representation, but Pheonix/Night I feel you give this show far too much credit. If you wanna keep looking at RWBY through Rose colored glasses (pun intended) that is fine, but you cannot say you are a fan of a show without acknowledging its problems. there are problems with RWBY V7. So far this season we know nothing about The Happy Huntresses or Robyn Hill. The only tidbits we get are from behind the scenes from the producer and actors. Everyone says one thing, while the actions of the characters in the show suggest another. A lot about what your saying about May and her semblance stem from either because of her identity or grasping at tidbits that have no merit. You would have us believe that her entire semblance awakened solely because of her transgenderism? Absurd! Anything could have happened to trigger it. Her semblance to turn things invisible has nothing to do with her "identity" no matter what is said after the fact and what "evidence" to suggest it. To do so would be a disservice to this character. According to RWBY guides a semblance is an extension of ones Aura. Not ones identity but of ones soul. The RWBY wiki even goes on to say, "The specific abilities and their strengths differ from individual to individual and are dependent on a number of factors, such as experience, training and innate skill. Aura is an ability that all those with a soul can use, at least with enough practice. Because Aura is the manifestation of the soul, it can appear very differently depending on who is using it" (Rwby wiki). Therefore, I feel it would be an insult that the character of May be defined by her identity when a person's semblance is clearly based on the content if their skills, talents, etc. This brings me to the next topic of discussion: Representation being mishandeled in RWBY. I agree with you Pheonix/Night, "We would not have known it if it wasn't announced". In fact, I agree with this statement far more than you imagine. The best misdirection is the one in plain sight. Technically speaking couldn't RT staff say that all characters in the show could be transgender? Could they not also say that every single character is LGBTQ? Could they not even say that all characters identify as something else entirely? I feel this has more to do with the ceators "gaming the system" rather than giving fair representation. After all, why couldn't they work it into the show? Maybe develop a whole story Arc surrounding the character, even have May's family mention their uncomfortablness/acceptance of her Transgenderism? It's not so much that RT could not do it, rather than they didn't want to do it. For any number of excuses, obviously. I feel that RT, and many within the entertainment business as a whole, believe that by adding just enough women, LGBTQ+, POC, etc. representation they can check their box's while continuing to deny substantial support for diversity outside of formulaic plots. Coincidentally, this creates more problems instead of solving them. This could easily be another fig leaf for the entertainment industry, who could just say a few lines of dialogue, add just the right amount POC, LGBTQ+, or just have an actress/producer mention it behind the scenes, to pass off as: "Feminist safe", "LGBTQ+ Appropriate" and/or "Progressive". This has always been my problem with RT, and they have done nothing to help their case. RT has been Ship baiting, race baiting, and Queer baiting for a while and all for the sake of getting more viewership for profit. Honestly, I would be fine with that if they said that up front. After all, it's a business at the end of the day. Unfortunately, this is masquerading as something "deep and important" If a trans character wants to be seen as equal to everyone else, then why mention it in the first place if not solely for them to stand out amongst others? RT does this to bring in more viewership and avoid the underlying problem of the lack of well-drawn out LGBTQ+, POC, etc. characters. After all, the amount ofLGBTQ+, POC, etc. does not ensure if a series is good or bad. In closing, let me know what you might think. Whether you agree with me or not is fine. After all, this is just my opinion.

[@stickthelanding4785]

YES FINALLY! I feel like so many RWBY fans are blinded by their love for the show that they are reading way to much into some things. And let’s be honest here the only reason why he is talking about may is because they are trans.

[@Scoonertuna]

@@stickthelanding4785 I also think a lot of problems with the show is that it plays fast and loose with its continuity… that even tweets need to be considered canon...

[@stickthelanding4785]

Yeah they are even retconning some things like Grimm now being attracted to aura instead of negativity and Ruby’s semblance

[@Scoonertuna]

@@stickthelanding4785 Exactly! Another thing I noticed, in the RWBY panel this year they said that Ironwood's semblance is "super concentration" hence why he was able to pull his arm out of the trap... But wasnt his aura broken when Watts got him in it? And If his aura was broken then that means he couldn't have activated his semblance, right? Or am I missing something.

[@stickthelanding4785]

Yeah RT has no Idea what they are doing.

[@dragonraiderknight4625]

May related to Henry from the Rich party. Woah, mind blown. Small world. Semblance probably came about my Henry bullying May about her choices/personality.

[@anakinskywalker1671]

May is one of my favorite characters in rwby

[@sahara.5208]

this is so fucking sweet i- sir, im not about to cry 😳. thank you for talking about this and being well educated on trans people and our representation. btw yes, the canadian accent is still going strong 🤭

[@tabithamartin4092]

I never wanted to be "invisible". It never entered my mind. I just wanted to have my body and my soul, my sex and my gender, align, like they do for most people. Figuring out that May was Trans, took all of 3 seconds. Not when here character was introduced, but rather when she was talking to Weiss and she said: "Mantle needed me, and to the Marigolds, that meant I wasn't their son anymore. And I made sure that everyone knew that I wasn't their daughter. So forget 'em. They've got Henry, yours have Whitley. You get what I'm saying." I paused it immediately and was like "wait, what?" Then I looked up her information on line to confirm it. It was pretty exciting for me. May was a positive character and not portrayed as the typical stereotype or comic relief that most Transpeople are portrayed as.

[@mangahell8177]

Honestly I think that the happy huntresses work for Salem.

[@theguyof360]

yep

[@snowlondon8642]

why? there’s pretty much no evidence that they would be. and this late in the volume i feel like there would be some obvious tell or implication. I kind of feel like whenever theres some kind of representation (Ace Ops with 4 POC and a gay man, or the HH, who are all women, one of whom is POC and one who’s trans) people suddenly think they’re gonna be the new plot twist villain

[@theguyof360]

@@snowlondon8642 wat

[@snowlondon8642]

cheater 59 im saying that i’ve noticed a spike of theories that X character is a traitor/spy/henchman of salem and it’s usually one of the Ace Ops or the Happy Huntresses, and it just seems like whenever we get semi-decent minority representation people make these off the wall theories thar they’re gonna end up being evil despite literally no evidence pointing to that

[@mangahell8177]

@@snowlondon8642 To be fair the writters did say that there will be someone betraying the main characters and both groups have the clishey villains traitor ability also Rwby lost the right to represents meanin anything to me since they had faunes in the show.

[@angeldude101]

It's one thing about making a character and have them as an obvious and out-of-place minority. It's another a character to be said to be a minority but have it shoehorned in so that nothing would be different. May is neither. Her being transgender wouldn't be revealed just from what we see, but when looking back at what her being transgender implies, it _makes sense_ given what we have already seen. The upper-class she'd be a part of as Henry's cousin (I think it would have been interesting if they were actually identical twins, but oh well) is often very conservative, and this seems to be the case in Remnant. So while she might not have been openly discriminated against, she would likely have anxiety over revealing herself for how her family would react. This would not only lead into her semblance of invisibility, but also towards the Happy Huntresses and their vision for equality. It's not just a label, but also ties into what we already see.

[@alaveii]

I want more LBGTQ+ characters. That’s it.

[@JJLCarter]

Before I make my comment, I just wanna say that I don't care about whether May is trans or not. I think this video is inherently flawed due to your belief that just because it was confirmed, its representation. If this was the case then JK Rowling wouldn't have got as much backlash for saying Dumbledore was gay without ever showing it. Now there are certainly aspects I agree with here. The fact that it isn't treated as anything unique is great, and should be the step shows are taking with representational characters, and i really do like that her semblance ties into how a lot of Trans people feel. However, I feel you point out a key issue with how its told, yet say it as a positive; and that is that if you didn't read that tweet, you would never know. A character cannot be representative if what they are representing is never represented in the show itself. The fact that we would never be able to tell that she is Trans without that tweet hurts that more than it does help that. Now I'm not saying it should have been said to us directly, as that would be bad too and make her all about being Trans, but there are ways in which it could have been done. If one of Team RWBY was trying to trust Robyn, and May talked to them about how Robyn helped her through a really tough time in her life while the camera shows her looking down at her body, this would have been a great context clue while keeping the conversation feeling natural and fitting to the shows ongoing plot. Then this tweet confirming it would have worked fine. But that isn't what happened. I won't compare what Kdin tweeted to what JK did with Dumbledore, as I know Kdin actually cares about the representation, but the fact that, without this tweet, there is almost zero way to learn that from the show and therefore it can't be considered representation. But hey, those are just my thoughts on the situation.

[@thedarkestnightmare616]

I'll say this, I'm all for progressivism as much as the next guy, but at the same time..May has had like only one line of dialogue come out of her mouth, and hasn't had much impact on the story. She seems more like a background character than an actual character, and this revealing of May being transgender, doesn't really do much for me. But hey, one of my favorite characters now is a non-binary shapeshifting alien, so who knows what'll happen. If they decide to have the happy huntresses appear more, flesh them out, maybe I'll get invested enough for the she-bang of being trans to actually leave an effect on me.

[@unknown-iy2we]

The only moment when she ever talked was to marrow. Going "why work with atlas or why aren't you more offended by....whatever" and he literally says "because you dont speak for me."

[@zoekipp2953]

may is so cool

[@scottsheaves9102]

It is looking Very Unlikely But I would love an episode That Fleshes Out The Huntresses History Also Like To See Them Fight Grimm So I Can Get a better Grasp of Thier maximum Capability

[@Art-zp1qg]

I wonder if Joanna has a semblance?

[@PhoenixNight]

I would bet that she does and once it is revealed I might make a video focused on Joanna as well

[@Art-zp1qg]

Phoenix/Night the amity arena mobile game revealed Sienna’s, it’s similar to Tyrian’s from what I understood

[@jakupharrison8051]

i heard this before but forgot I totally love this video it is such an amazing semblance interpretation, as a trans watcher ive wanted invisability before but not for that reason. but still i get it. I also just noticed there's no chest definition on May, presuming she hasn't had any surgery, if they're even available in the world of remnant they put that into her design in a way knowone noticed.

[@williamharmon4039]

I personally don't care that much simply because I don't have much of a connection to the topic, but I respect that it means a lot to other people and I would probably be in the same boat if it was a confirmed autistic character. It seems insignificant to me, but it's not for me and I am happy that other people are enjoying this character and the reveal about her so much and what it means to them.

[@nikiarmy6128]

Good Video!

[@scottclayton6709]

You're kidding? I actually thought Joanna was a dude and you're telling me May is the transgender one? Good job Crwby for throwing equality in but also for making it harder to spot the difference 😂

[@2amCryptid]

Hey guys I found the cis

[@scottclayton6709]

@@2amCryptid.... so basically you're saying I'm normal. I'm a bit of a nerd sure but I'm normal. As oppssed to someone who wishes to change gender? So I am just a regular person who stayed the same gender like 90% of the rest of the world? You actually have a word for that? I'm not sure if you were trying to insult me or just telling me I'm a human who is happy the way I was born and grew up. I totally support people who want to be either male or female, regardless of the gender they were born. But the fact you have something you can call me just because I haven't made that decision is absolutely disgusting. Go take a look at yourself and think about what you've done. Of course if you're joking then I will laugh with you. But I didn't know this word existed until today

[@ramble4395]

Okay at first. I was really pissed when I found out about Mary because no one told me she had actual scenes in the show!! All the react vids I watched cut her out so I thought she was just a token background trans. I’m actually really happy now, I thought they just shoved her in and called it a day

[@praetorianrex5571]

Did May undergo gene therapy? Is that a thing in Remnant?

[@Vibrantly_Monochromatic]

Ironwood has metal body parts do I don't think it's too far off

[@blueblade6174]

So would Joanna be racial representation? (the skin colour kind not with the faunas)

[@PhoenixNight]

Yup I would think that is the case

[@blueblade6174]

@@Sephajinami well we also haven't seen LGBT discrimination in Remnant so far either (unless I'm mistaken).

[@DitzyPoman]

Bro you actually look like my old English teacher from middle school

[@stickthelanding4785]

Wouldn’t it have been better if may actually had a roll in the series so that way LGBTQ could have better representation. I mean I’m ok that their trans but I also barely noticed them since they were mostly in the background. And isn’t it weird how RT confirmed that one of their random side characters is trans in a Twitter post instead of having it confirmed in their bio? This just seems a bit forced just to get some more views, they should have done what she-ra did and have may actively interact with the other characters more along with Robyn hill (even though I hate her).

[@niathebrave7729]

Has anyone felt that some of new seblence are getting boring, like their only their for the plot like for exampl: Maria,robin,fiona,blue hair chic,and never used again, with that they were more creative with them, like i thought that their semblance is suppose to represent their personality like with yang and her anger, blake with her shadow feeling useless, ruby because she is a fast leaner, wiees with her being elegant, nora with lightning because she is always full of energy, ren having to mask his emtion, it like their not even being creative anymore.

[@mrkury_soldier5198]

When I heard About May being trans I told my trans friend and Jesus Did I need a Hearing test at the doctors Afterwards But seriously Why do people judge someone based on their orientation

[@skyrogue1977]

Does it really matter? Is Johnna going to get an episode dedicated to her backstory and life? I doubt it immensely. There are already so many new characters introduced this volume, not to mention reintroduction, like for Weiss. There should be focus on what’s been established.

[@keavinmurcia7026]

??? Uh yeah that's what there still doing. The VA giving us a fact about the character isn't losing focus from what's already been established in the show.

[@kill4oj]

Skyrogue19 there’s literally nothing about this that takes focus away from what’s going on in the show?

[@evangregory14]

While yes it doesn't really matter and the representation is nice but it needs to be explicitly stated in the shows cannon and not just by the VA in a tweet. Until then it's not cannon. Just like we have yet to get explicit statements in show cannon that we've had a gay character. And yes I know Scarlett from team SSSN is supposed to be gay but again it's never been explicitly stated in cannon.

[@theguyof360]

Eh, I guess it's just show don't tell in the show, while they could just state it in a reference book or something, like Star Wars does. Either way it doesn't have any plot significance but at least it's some representation.

[@evangregory14]

@@Sephajinami I'm not saying it's relevant to the plot or needs to be, Ren and Nora's relationship isn't relevant to the plot but we've gotten that confirmed, literally all it would take is an I love you, or a kiss from a character to explicitly confirm a gay character.

[@noxactis8011]

I love Robyn and her Huntresses.

[@caninelover8660]

Your theory is good but maybe she's not his cusion but his sister......

[@unicornburger16]

Her VA literally said she’s his cousin though...

[@yindy7762]

Rwby is always rwby, if a character is sexy or if she is a lesbian, the show isn't make jokes or using it as a fan service

[@dustinelias7840]

the upper people of atlas will loss there power to the other classes and all will be equal wether human or fanous

[@zodfanza]

Firstly, as a trans person I teared up hearing you talk like this and be so supportive, especially as I recently was feeling very depressed over another creator's video relating to RWBY where they misgendered Little as "he" saying it didn't matter because Little is "just a mouse" when they're clearly a sentient character (and Roosterteeth explicitly confirmed they are "they"). So this really helped because that experience REALLY hurt and I was feeling pretty depressed because it felt like even the places I go for escapism which I hope are just going to be fun fantasy aren't immune to toxicity. Also, side note on the nonbinary thing in that case, especially as nonbinary people's pronouns are treated as a joke and unimportant which has a devastating impact on their safety and ability to navigate the world day to day. As a nonbinary person, we tend to often only get representation through characters which aren't human or are intersex or clearly androgynous due to how much opposition so many people often show towards using gender neutral pronouns in general and make a show of being "offended" at having to gender someone as "they" or even having to "learn" someone's pronouns so finding those opportunities for representation where there isn't pushback is hard. So, it sounds like you missed this (but for me and I bet trans people in general it REALLY leaped out) but when Jenzen says onscreen she really DOES mean onscreen, as in May does actually come out as trans ON SCREEN - when asked if she needs to protect anyone, she talks about how her parents said she "wasn't their son anymore, and I made damn sure everyone knew I wasn't their daughter". This hit hard for so many of us who have been rejected by our parents for being trans, which is incredibly common. That's also why the notion of Chosen Family is so important to many LGBTQIA+ people, which is why the thing she says after that in speaking to Weiss is also significant: "They have Henry, yours have Whitley, so forget them." The mention of her male cousin is likely a response she's had to think of herself of as one way of emotional manipulation that our parents can use on us is the notion of "losing" their son/daughter - my parents used that one on me - or the notion that we've died or become a stranger instead of finding our true selves. It shows having to wrestle with the pressure to live as male and ultimately realising it was a BS argument (as so many of these are) that she's had to de-internalise because hey if they REALLY want a male family member so badly they have one. I've often heard these kind of arguments used in proxy of the actual argument of "just respect me" - it's kind of a trauma response to focus on the actual bad faith argument instead of just writing it off as BS bigotry - many of us have tried to live as someone else for so long we start off really bad at personal boundaries when we first come out and have to start building those up. Like, many trans people have to learn that they don't have to justify themselves and their existence and actually deserve to just be themselves because of the emotional manipulation we've been subjected to whenever we tried to present in the way that felt right to us. So that rationalisation was a subtlety that many trans people will likely relate to. Another example is when people tell us that we shouldn't get "hung up" on correcting people's pronoun usage, but then will correct someone who uses the wrong pronoun for someone's dog or their baby's assigned gender - many of us have to see those concrete examples of hypocrisy because we've learned to accept the rules and bad-faith arguments imposed on us. More generally regarding chosen family, many of us, myself included have had to learn that the bonds society tells us will always persist through biological family aren't what make people true family, and that is something that comes up a lot in trans support groups and at trans networking events - generally some people - or more likely most people there - are dealing with family members who refuse to gender them correctly and are actively hostile and need emotional support and a reminder that they don't need those people in their lives and are supported by their chosen family and are still valid. This is also the reason around the end of the year when so many family holidays like Christmas are happening I message a bunch of my queer friends to check if they're doing ok being (often forced to be) surrounded by so many relatives including the likely bigoted relative(s) whom everyone else in their family is trying to accommodate to "keep the peace" as being violently misgendered and targeted can very quickly make a trans person feel suicidal, (which is the reason I do not even speak to my parents and blocked them on all media so I don't have to get gaslit about my "lifestyle choices" and asked why we can't get along although they "don't fly my flag" - their words - but that I'm being "very rude" for not calling to check how they're doing - because boundaries and good faith explanations don't work with some people lol.) There's other crucial things about May's representation here: The fact that she's in an all-women group is also really significant to so many trans women because of how transphobic society has actively worked to exclude trans women from women's spaces, so it specifically emphasises that her team and Roosterteeth do recognise her as a woman, not just in name but in actuality, and they stand by her. So there are a lot of things that will very personally resonate with trans people. And that only comes from TRUE representation in the creative process... which is apparent because: The voice actress herself is trans! And this is something the trans community have been campaigning for - to have the movie industry allow trans actors to play trans characters because we NEED authentic representation of our experiences and the movie industry has a really bad history of getting cis men to play trans women, which ends up really awful and damaging for trans people on multiple levels. So, yes, it is REAL representation - authentic, on-screen, played by a trans woman who clearly was actually involved in the creative process of how May would be represented - to trans people that was OBVIOUS from just how it resonates with our experiences. It meant so much to me and I know to so SO many trans people because they actually really did it right. OH the invisibility thing could also be because in society trans women are often made to be hyper visible and targeted so I get the wanting to be invisible. Trans men on the other hand are often invisible in that people forget they exist or call them "lesbians" or "tomboys". So many trans people have too much visibility in places that endanger us and not enough visibility in terms of representation and recognition (eg social and legal protections and systems that don't protect us from oppression). Aaaand now I'm gonna go bawl my eyes out in a good way because of how much this representation means to me, and your video means to me too in foregrounding this and being an ally because life as a trans person can be REALLY hard a lot of the time and now I can barely see through my tears so I'm thankfully going to finally end this tome of feelings here for all our sakes. Thank you! 😭😭😭😭😭💜

[@JohnCena-ew1mf]

She's barely a character and she still plays 2nd fiddle to a bunch of cis gender ones. Simply ahowing that transpeople exist is not enough.

[@emanuelrousseau9097]

I’m sorry but unless something like this is actually stated or shown within the show proper, CRWBY shouldn’t be getting any points for representation. The only reason we know this background character is trans is because of a post that exist outside of the show. If they hadn’t told us out right that the character was trans, we all would never have known. Also how does simply making a character trans make it good representation for trans people. We literal know nothing about this character’s personality, backstory, or history with inequality. She hasn’t done anything of relevance since she was introduced to us. I fail to see how her inclusion has made RWBY as a show better in any way.

[@kill4oj]

That’s how it is in real life for the most part. If someone is lgbt, you won’t always know right away. And seeing a character that has a trait you identify strongly with, to the point where it’s integral to your personal identity can actually do wonders for the minorities that are being represented.

[@Nelson_Win]

Semblance of Transgender.. 😂😂

[@Undina405]

So, she is biologicaly female, but feels herself male? I just don't get it...

[@marigoldmarlowe]

She is biologically male but identifies as a woman!

[@Undina405]

@@marigoldmarlowe but her chest...

[@sooniedoongiedori_4901]

@@Undina405 she probably takes hormones shots or whatever the equivalent is in rwby. If you don’t know what hormone shots are here’s a copy and paste of th definition “Feminizing hormone therapy is used to induce physical changes in your body caused by female hormones during puberty (secondary sex characteristics) to promote the matching of your gender identity and your body (gender congruence).” there is a bit more to it but if you want to learn i suggest googling it.

[@joeldelgado338]

Know wan cares if a show has trans or gays it's a show and it's not best to saporta the byproduct of somwhans pain it's not natural.

[@cora-illus]

ok boomer

[@theguyof360]

lol

[@snowlondon8642]

do you know english??? sorry i don’t speak idiot

[@kill4oj]

Joel Delgado grammar exists. Reread your comment and edit it so people can actually read your coded message, and then maybe you can get your bigoted point across easier :)

[@theguyof360]

"No one cares if a show has trans or gays. It's a show, and it's not best to support the byproduct of someone's pain. It's not natural." I disagree, because representation is important if you want to appeal to a wider range of viewers. Also, I don't believe that they are supporting people's pain, firstly because being transgender does not necessarily entail pain, and is kind of a mental state of mind or condition, and secondly, by making this small detail canon (which just because the voice actor stated it doesn't mean that it's actually canon), all it does is appeal to the fans that are transgender, it doesn't have any plot significance, and it honestly shouldn't matter to those who disagree with them. I don't know exactly where you are coming from with your comment, because the grammar is honestly quite atrocious, but you are indeed entitled to your own opinion and that is my take on it.

[@Cairo40000]

May: *is trans* Trap hentai artists: Write that down, write that down!

[@samuelhartley-smith7731]

Hehe I'm early for once

[@erickleiberg1944]

First

[@beary523]

I still don't like this character, theres nothing about her to like, we know nothing about her, i dont even think she's spoken all season

[@DylanoRevs]

Agree She's a trans and that's that It will be cool if she met her cousin, Henry Marigold. Have a little conflict with both of them and then we can know more about her

[@stickthelanding4785]

RT only said that they are trans to get some views

[@DylanoRevs]

Joanna looks more accurate for a trans person than May.