Genderbending and Raceswaping In Media

[BBally81]

The whole racebending/genderbending established characters thing has been a hot topic for the last few years on social media.

I admit, I'm not a big fan of this practice cooperations do for "woke" points but it's a practice that's been done for decades. Hollywood and other forms of mediums have used this practice for several different reasons whether it was for representation, studio heads checking boxes or because the person adaptating the source material had a particular vision that called for it.

I decided to do some research into the amount of media that did some gender or race swaps and WOW! Some of my favorite works of media throughout the years did both.

Here are some examples:

I just found out the character of Bubba from Forrest Gump was white in the book but was raceswapped because the filmmakers wanted to remove the book's more "problematic" aspects and help make Forrest more likable than his book counterpart.

Howard Hawks’ iconic 1940 screwball comedy His Girl Friday was a loose adaptation of the play The Front Page about two male reporters Hildebrand 'Hildy' Johnson and Walter Burns. The film version changed Hildy to a woman reporter played by Rosalind Russell.

Wee Willie Winkie, a Rudyard Kipling short story named after the nursery rhyme of the same name in which the protagonist was a little boy. When the story was adapted for the screen, it became a Shirley Temple vehicle, and the main character became a girl.


One of the many film adaptations of Donald E. Westlake's iconic ruthless criminal anti-hero Parker that had the character under different names had African American Football legend and Blaxploitation star Jim Brown in the Parker role in The Split based on the 7th Parker novel.

Dizzy Flores in Starship Troopers was a man in the original Robert A. Heinlein novel. In the movie, he was switched to a female soldier, given a much bigger role, and played by Dina Meyers.

Several people treat 1997's Jackie Brown as a tribute to Blaxploitation, well the book the film was based on Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard, Jackie Brown is a blonde flight attendant. Tarantino saw the character as black and specifically wanted Pam Grier in the role.

Remember Men In Black? The original comic series the film was based on portrayed Agent J as a white character.

In the 2004-2009 Battlestar Galactica remake, Starbuck and Boomer were gender flipped (with Boomer also being raceswapped). While original Starbuck Dirk Benedict was less than happy about it, referring to his heir as "Stardoe", the remake was pretty popular.

In Shawshank Redemption, Stephen King describes Red as white and Irish. The line “Maybe It’s because I’m Irish” was left in the movie as a nod to the book. Stage versions of the book now cast Red as Black, thanks to Freeman's iconic performance.

Speaking of which, the stage has provided examples of characters being raceswapped whether it was the writer's vision or based on the actor's/actress' qualifications. We got obvious examples such as The Wiz, the all black R&B musical version of the Wizard of Oz and the recently successful Hamilton, the musical that took real life historical figures who were Caucasian and had a number of them played by actors from different ethnic backgrounds. In 2000, David Oyelowo was the first Black actor to play the English king Henry VI for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Sir Patrick Stewart once played Othello, in fact the entire cast of the play was reverse colour casted, he was white and every other character and actor was black.

Legendary Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada played 'The Fool' in the Shakespeare play King Lear for theRoyal Shakespeare Company 1999-2000. He was only the second Japanese person to perform for the esteemed company.

Speaking of which, even Japan has done this a number of times, two of them were a modern day loose adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, Miss Sherlock and Case File nº221: Kabukicho. Miss Sherlock both genderswapped and raceswapped both Holmes and Watson for this well regarded modern day adaptation of Conan Doyle's stories. The Case File nº221: Kabukicho anime re-imagined Holmes' elderly housekeeper Mrs. Hudson as a drag queen, who operates an underground club where the detectives meet to accept the cases that interest them.

The 2003 Astro Boy anime, takes a minor character from one of the manga's chapters, a male robot named Photar and reimagines the character as a female robot named Epsilon who has a bigger role in the 2003 series.

In The Getter Robo OVA Armageddon, Genki the boy sidekick from the original series is reimagined as a girl and given the new name Kei Kuruma (as she was adopted by Benkei Kuruma after losing her father and older sister). She's also a pilot and one of the main characters thanks to a Time Skip. Kei's name and appearance is a nod to Kei Minamikaze, a character from the Getter Robo Go manga.

In the 1987 anime adaptation of Little Women, Hannah Mullet, the family maid, is changed from Irish to African-American and looks how you'd expect her to look for this type of works, though the anime avoids making her a "blackface" stereotype.

Even Gundam isn't immune from this, in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Amuro Ray who was Japanese-Canadian. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin changes his birthplace from Canada to California, with him now being half-Hispanic instead of half-white.

Remi, Nobody's Girl, the second Anime adaptation of Sans Famille (Nobody's Boy), an 1878 French novel, written by Hector Malot (the first was the 1977 anime), this version made major changes from the book, including changing the gender of the main character from a boy to a girl.

So this practice isn't new. It's been overused lately and plus social media helped create drama around it.

[Draco Dracul]

The increased prevalence is the result of Hollywood's desire for properties with existing name recognition running up against the increasing demand by audiences for diverse casts.

[clearspira]

The increased prevalence is the result of Hollywood's desire for properties with existing name recognition running up against the increasing demand by audiences for diverse casts.

Correction: the perceived demand by audiences for diverse casts.

[Winter]

It all comes down to two points, is the gender/race of the character important to the character and is the actor the right fit for the role. Let's take Red from Shawshank, he was white in the book but black in the film, Red's race is irrelvent to the character and changing it didn't affect anything. Now let's say that a Harry Potter series is being made and in the part of Harry they cast a girl of Chinese descent who was still born and raised in the UK. Now, if done today, this would no doubt spark some rather heated debates given Rowling's, let's be honest, rather stupid comments about the transgender community so casting a girl in the role of Harry Potter would draw attention.

There's no word from the creators of the series on why they cast Harry as a girl but they have made it clear that they do not approve of Rowling's stance of transgenders and are, in fact, pro-transgender if not transgender themselves. However, they promise that this is will be a faithful recreation of the books and it is and manage to get even little details right.

Now from this point a number of factors need to be taken into account and the feelings of the creators must be left at the door. If the series is not that good and is rather dull due to trying to remain to loyal to the books (the books have a LOT of exposition dumps) then it doesn't matter what the creators intended the series isn't as fun and didn't capture what fans loved about the books. Or, the series is a HUGE hit, not only capturing what made the books work but also integrating elements from the films and fixing a few plot holes and character moments (like giving Harry and Ginny a better romance arc) then it again doesn't matter what the motives for changing Harry's gender are because we have a great series to watch.

In both cases the gender and sexuality of Harry Potter is irrelevant as it has no real impact on anything. It is a foot note compared to everything else. Woke does NOT effect the quality a story succeeds for fails for a number of factors, most of which are outside anyone's ability to control.

If this actor who plays Harry is good or bad and fails to capture or perfectly captures what made Harry who he was then the gender doesn't matter because the point is the performance.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power changes the genders, sexuality and race of several characters and it's a great show with deep and engaging characters who you can connect with or at least come to understand and the show being one of the gayest shows of all time has nothing to do with that. Stevenson and their cast and crew they made is what made that show great, their gender, sexuality and race has nothing to do with their talent.

Likewise, my issues with the Star Wars Disney Sequel Trilogy has NOTHING to do with the gender of Rey, the race of Finn and Rose, or Poe's sexuality (yes I still him as Gay move on). I don't like how Rey isn't allowed to suffer or lose a fight, I don't like how underused Finn is, I don't like how abusive Rose was in to Finn in The Last Jedi and I don't like how Poe was turned into an idiot to make Rey and Holdo look better. And none of this has anything to do with the Woke elements, because there are just as many stories that have white male led movies that have the same problems.

Wesley isn't seen as a bad character because he's a white guy, he's seen as a bad character because he's a creators pet who the show won't shut up about how awesome he is. If Wesley was a girl and nothing else changed about her then the problem would still be there.

Red is a great character and Freeman's performance shines through and his race has nothing to do with that, it's all thanks to his acting because he's one Hell of an actor.

Contrary to popular belief while there has been an increase in "Woke" it's still a foot note next to the literally hundreds of stories released in the States and the UK that are about white, cisgender men and the number of stories with either LGBT and or different ethnicity are still in the minority.

The Legend of Korra was a game changer as it was the first step to including more positive LGBT rep and most of the stories that have been Woke in the last 7+ years have been hugely popular. She-Ra, The Owl House, Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Dreadnought, even the recently released The Suicide Squad have all been Woke ALL big hits with critics and audience alike.

Genderbending and Raceswaping has no real impact on anything and the few things it does is ultimately minor and will barely be talked about in years to come.

No one talks about how Woke TOS was when it first game out for the same reason no one is going to talk about how Woke She-Ra is in a few years, because what made these shows work is that it has great characters and a compelling arc that made for a great story.

[clearspira]

It all comes down to two points, is the gender/race of the character important to the character and is the actor the right fit for the role. Let's take Red from Shawshank, he was white in the book but black in the film, Red's race is irrelvent to the character and changing it didn't affect anything. Now let's say that a Harry Potter series is being made and in the part of Harry they cast a girl of Chinese descent who was still born and raised in the UK. Now, if done today, this would no doubt spark some rather heated debates given Rowling's, let's be honest, rather stupid comments about the transgender community so casting a girl in the role of Harry Potter would draw attention.

There's no word from the creators of the series on why they cast Harry as a girl but they have made it clear that they do not approve of Rowling's stance of transgenders and are, in fact, pro-transgender if not transgender themselves. However, they promise that this is will be a faithful recreation of the books and it is and manage to get even little details right.

Now from this point a number of factors need to be taken into account and the feelings of the creators must be left at the door. If the series is not that good and is rather dull due to trying to remain to loyal to the books (the books have a LOT of exposition dumps) then it doesn't matter what the creators intended the series isn't as fun and didn't capture what fans loved about the books. Or, the series is a HUGE hit, not only capturing what made the books work but also integrating elements from the films and fixing a few plot holes and character moments (like giving Harry and Ginny a better romance arc) then it again doesn't matter what the motives for changing Harry's gender are because we have a great series to watch.

In both cases the gender and sexuality of Harry Potter is irrelevant as it has no real impact on anything. It is a foot note compared to everything else. Woke does NOT effect the quality a story succeeds for fails for a number of factors, most of which are outside anyone's ability to control.

If this actor who plays Harry is good or bad and fails to capture or perfectly captures what made Harry who he was then the gender doesn't matter because the point is the performance.

Genderbending and Raceswaping has no real impact on anything and the few things it does is ultimately minor and will barely be talked about in years to come.

A lesbian Chinese possibly trans Harry Potter would sell about as well as a fireguard made of chocolate. It is a product that only lesbian possibly trans people would watch. And that's being generous as that assumes that lesbian possibly trans people would have a problem with straight white Harry and wouldn't have a problem with some pandering shit being marketed towards them.

And btw, you missed out a lot that would have to change with a female Harry Potter. She would live in the same dorm as Hermione which would change numerous scenes completely. Would girl Harry look like Lily instead of James? Because that would be a massive layer of creepy for his relationship with Snape. They would also have to gender swap Dudley and Draco because audiences would not react kindly to a boy physically bullying a girl, audiences probably also wouldnt react well to Vernon and Petunia treating a girl the way they do either. And why would they even adopt a Chinese lesbian possibly trans girl anyway? Do they seem that open minded to you?

It would be a completely different and worse story and would cause yet another fandom civil war with a lot of abuse being sent the way of these young actors. And for what reason? Back patting points and a middle finger to Rowling. Woot!

[Winter]

A lesbian Chinese possibly trans Harry Potter would sell about as well as a fireguard made of chocolate. It is a product that only lesbian possibly trans people would watch. And that's being generous as that assumes that lesbian possibly trans people would have a problem with straight white Harry and wouldn't have a problem with some pandering shit being marketed towards them.

Most people would check the show out just because the name Harry Potter is attached to it. Just like most people check out Star Trek even though most shows don't feature Kirk anymore. Most people check something out either out of curiosity or because it has a name they've heard of at one point.

And btw, you missed out a lot that would have to change with a female Harry Potter. She would live in the same dorm as Hermione which would change numerous scenes completely. Would girl Harry look like Lily instead of James? Because that would be a massive layer of creepy for his relationship with Snape. They would also have to gender swap Dudley and Draco because audiences would not react kindly to a boy physically bullying a girl, audiences probably also wouldnt react well to Vernon and Petunia treating a girl the way they do either. And why would they even adopt a Chinese lesbian possibly trans girl anyway? Do they seem that open minded to you?

1: Most of Harry and Ron's scene could remain simply by changing the locations where they talk like the main room in the common room, or talking in the great hall, somewhere outdoors or in a class room.

2: She could keeps her father's "looks" (my sister actually has a STRIKING resemblance to our father and is still very feminine so the line could still easily work). And Snape hates Harry because he represents the life that James "took" from him.

3: Maybe, or they could keep it that way and not change anything else because a lot of people assume Harry deserves to be hurt by Dudley and Draco so not changing the gender of the two could be justified.

4: Once you include hatred of magic then all other prejudices become irrelevant. Odds are the Dursley's never actually factored in Harry's Gender or look so why would it matter now?

It would be a completely different and worse story and would cause yet another fandom civil war with a lot of abuse being sent the way of these young actors. And for what reason? Back patting points and a middle finger to Rowling. Woot!

We don't know if it would be a completely different story or what quality it would be because it doesn't exist yet and a skilled adapter could easily work around the issues you mentioned. It could be bad, it could be good. Until such a series is made we can only speculate. The point, which I made clear, isn't about someone's gender or race but the skill of the actor. Harry is snarky, short tampered and is quick to judge. These are NOT gender specific traits, trust me anyone or any gender can act like an idiot.

And keep in mind other adaptations have changed the gender of a character and have been well received and praised by fans. Are there ones that did the same thing and were bad, hell yeah. Is that the norm? No. Again, it all depends of the writer and their skills. Unless the characters gender or race is important to said character (which I honestly don't think is the case with Harry) then those two things can be changed without instant.

[BBally81]

A lesbian Chinese possibly trans Harry Potter would sell about as well as a fireguard made of chocolate. It is a product that only lesbian possibly trans people would watch. And that's being generous as that assumes that lesbian possibly trans people would have a problem with straight white Harry and wouldn't have a problem with some pandering shit being marketed towards them.

Most people would check the show out just because the name Harry Potter is attached to it. Just like most people check out Star Trek even though most shows don't feature Kirk anymore. Most people check something out either out of curiosity or because it has a name they've heard of at one point.

And btw, you missed out a lot that would have to change with a female Harry Potter. She would live in the same dorm as Hermione which would change numerous scenes completely. Would girl Harry look like Lily instead of James? Because that would be a massive layer of creepy for his relationship with Snape. They would also have to gender swap Dudley and Draco because audiences would not react kindly to a boy physically bullying a girl, audiences probably also wouldnt react well to Vernon and Petunia treating a girl the way they do either. And why would they even adopt a Chinese lesbian possibly trans girl anyway? Do they seem that open minded to you?

1: Most of Harry and Ron's scene could remain simply by changing the locations where they talk like the main room in the common room, or talking in the great hall, somewhere outdoors or in a class room.

2: She could keeps her father's "looks" (my sister actually has a STRIKING resemblance to our father and is still very feminine so the line could still easily work). And Snape hates Harry because he represents the life that James "took" from him.

3: Maybe, or they could keep it that way and not change anything else because a lot of people assume Harry deserves to be hurt by Dudley and Draco so not changing the gender of the two could be justified.

4: Once you include hatred of magic then all other prejudices become irrelevant. Odds are the Dursley's never actually factored in Harry's Gender or look so why would it matter now?

It would be a completely different and worse story and would cause yet another fandom civil war with a lot of abuse being sent the way of these young actors. And for what reason? Back patting points and a middle finger to Rowling. Woot!

We don't know if it would be a completely different story or what quality it would be because it doesn't exist yet and a skilled adapter could easily work around the issues you mentioned. It could be bad, it could be good. Until such a series is made we can only speculate. The point, which I made clear, isn't about someone's gender or race but the skill of the actor. Harry is snarky, short tampered and is quick to judge. These are NOT gender specific traits, trust me anyone or any gender can act like an idiot.

And keep in mind other adaptations have changed the gender of a character and have been well received and praised by fans. Are there ones that did the same thing and were bad, hell yeah. Is that the norm? No. Again, it all depends of the writer and their skills. Unless the characters gender or race is important to said character (which I honestly don't think is the case with Harry) then those two things can be changed without instant.

Some of it can change the feel of an adaptation as well for example from all accounts the original book version of Jackie Brown, Rum Punch was about a white blonde protagonist but when it was adapted to a film, not only was the main character changed to a black woman but the film is seen by many as a loving tribute to Blaxploitation films.

[Madner Kami]

3: Maybe, or they could keep it that way and not change anything else because a lot of people assume Harry deserves to be hurt by Dudley and Draco so not changing the gender of the two could be justified.

Wait... What?

[clearspira]

3: Maybe, or they could keep it that way and not change anything else because a lot of people assume Harry deserves to be hurt by Dudley and Draco so not changing the gender of the two could be justified.

Wait... What?

Yeah... that got me too. In this scenario we are talking about an eleven-year-old girl. I genuinely mean no offence to Winter, but he seems like someone who doesn't really understand that you can get away with a level of violence towards men and boys in media that you simply cannot with women and girls. And that goes double when we are talking about a boy beating up a girl.

[Winter]

3: Maybe, or they could keep it that way and not change anything else because a lot of people assume Harry deserves to be hurt by Dudley and Draco so not changing the gender of the two could be justified.

Wait... What?

Yeah... that got me too. In this scenario we are talking about an eleven-year-old girl. I genuinely mean no offence to Winter, but he seems like someone who doesn't really understand that you can get away with a level of violence towards men and boys in media that you simply cannot with women and girls. And that goes double when we are talking about a boy beating up a girl.

First please use She/Her Pronouns, second there's a common reaction from some (not all or even most) audience about abusive victims, namely, that the victims deserve their punishment. Either because they view the person as weak or that the abuser is right and they are only trying to help their victim by hurting them it's happens enough times that I've come to expect it by now. Some fans think that the Dursley's are good people and Harry is ungreatful to them and that the bullying from Dudley and later Draco and the emotional abuse from his aunt and uncle is well deserved because he doesn't appreciate their hospitality.

Same thing with Snape's treatment of Harry, many feel that Harry is a villain and Snape is doing nothing wrong and while that is true some of the time most of the time Snape is just being an asshole. Alan Moore actual included this by presenting this sort of POV by making Harry as unlikable as possible and Snape more reasonable then he was in the actual books.

A few years ago there was a video made about Adam Torres from RWBY, this video went on about how Adam was a real hero, painted his gaslighting of Blake as romantic, that Blake was being childish and how Adam deserved to be seen as a hero. And let's you think that this was made as a joke, in his reaction video to Adam's death he got REALLY pissed off and later accursed Blake and Yang as remorseless murders and other stupid things. He has over 1000 followers and his video is loaded with people backing him up.

I've had to help people either out of abusive relationships or have tried to help former abusers turn their lives around so I'm speaking from experience here on the subject of abuse and those who support it. There are people who think Harry deserves to be abused and the gender of the victim doesn't matter. It's wrong and changing Harry's gender while leaving her treatment at the hands of the Dursley's unchanged in a hypothetical TV series wouldn't change that anything.

The gender and race of Harry Potter means nothing in this regards, abuse is abuse and Harry IS an abuse victim and the abuse is mostly verbal from his aunt and uncle and physical from his cousin and between the two Harry receives more of the former instead of the latter.