The Last of Us Part 2 is a kind of games so particular that everyone has an opinion on it. Everyone, it appears, together with those who haven’t even played it.
The inclusion of a transgender character in Lev has predictably upset the review-bombing manbabies just because he exists, however what may need stunned extra individuals is the unfavorable response from some within the trans neighborhood. The game had extra leaks than the Titanic, so that you don’t have to play the game to know some fundamental beats to Lev’s story; we be taught he’s transgender in a short time, he’s deadnamed, and his story is continuous trauma. However, similar to the ending of The Godfather is greater than ‘Michael closes the door’, Lev’s story is way better than these easy bullet factors.
Let’s begin with the apparent one: deadnaming. For context, that is whenever you name a trans particular person by their outdated identify, and whereas each trans particular person can have a special response to theirs, it’s typically disagreeable. He’s deadnamed a few occasions, and whereas it’s by the ‘bad guys’, it’s not snarled out in his face as some hateful reminder that the baddies are transphobic. Instead, with Lev on the run from his earlier residence, one among them spots him and calls out his deadname. Sometimes you hear them discussing him utilizing his deadname as you creep previous patrols. Given that Lev stole away within the night time, we don’t know in the event that they even know his new identify.
We’ll get on to Naughty Dog’s flaws in a second, however I do must credit score them for principally referring to Lev as ‘the apostate’ reasonably than his deadname; it’s a easy change and does the job with out dredging up trans trauma to elicit a response.
Prior to this second, Lev says he ran away as a result of he ‘shaved his head’. Knowing there was a trans character within the game, at this level I twigged that trans character was Lev, however I think others, particularly these non spoiled and non trans, wouldn’t fairly have figured it on the market. You might argue the deadnaming nonetheless isn’t needed and that we didn’t must be instructed he was trans, however then we didn’t must be instructed something, did we? The game would nonetheless play the identical with out all of the background data we get on characters, however for a narrative heavy game like The Last of Us Part 2, stripping away the characters takes away the oxygen. Lev being transgender is a crucial a part of his journey, and we merely have to realize it. I can respect individuals simply not eager to play a game with deadnaming, but it surely does occur in actual life and the game delivers it sparsely, with out cruelty, and makes use of it for a particular function.
Afterwards, Lev asks if Abby desires to know extra, and she or he replies ‘no’. Everything else he tells you is on his personal phrases; you’re on a life or demise journey to save lots of his sister, so he’s clearly going to put some belief in you. Literally each different character, wherever they’re on the ethical spectrum, refers to Lev as ‘he’, ‘the boy’ or with different male-gendered language.
As for the continuous trauma, once more, the leaks have gotten the info proper however fully miss the spirit. Nobody comes out of The Last of Us Part 2 unscathed. Lev isn’t any exception, however he fares considerably higher than most. His mom, some of the religious girls in his village, doesn’t settle for his transition: take out the overzealous cult and the mushroom zombie apocalypse and a mom not accepting her son’s transition due to her religion is a really real looking angle.
While Lev’s story is extra nuanced than the leaks would have you ever imagine, Naughty Dog don’t hit the mark each time. Though Lev being disowned by his mom is real looking, it does feed into the sensation that trans tales solely get instructed after they’re tragedies. The darkish and unrelenting tone of The Last of Us affords some leeway, but it surely gained’t persuade everybody.
The non secular side is fascinating too. ‘The religious cult is bad’ is a lazy story arc nevertheless you slice it, however the game does work onerous to counteract these points. One of probably the most fascinating elements of Lev’s story is in the best way he stays non secular, even after transitioning and leaving his island. He describes the best way the present church leaders are twisting the prophet’s phrases, and the way she solely preached love and forgiveness. I come from a non secular household myself, and with many trans individuals struggling to stability their non secular religion and their transition, it was refreshing to see Lev going by means of the identical struggles, reasonably than simply relegating faith to the evil, faceless antagonist Lev should escape from.
There’s additionally been criticism that this can be a trans story written by cis individuals; I don’t have a defence for that, in fact it makes me barely uncomfortable as effectively. I gained’t deny there’s points with the presentation both, as shaving his head, whereas symbolic, feels extra floor degree, as does his rejection of his assigned function as a spouse. He is no less than voiced and mocapped by a trans male actor, in The OA’s Ian Alexander, so it doesn’t totally really feel like our story is being instructed by outsiders. Nevertheless, there are a couple of moments when the chance to discover Lev with a deeper perception passes by. As a trans particular person it by no means thuds an excessive amount of for me, however a trans man would be capable to supply an much more private studying of Lev; hopefully Alexander had comparable enter throughout improvement too.
There are some nice indie games made by and about trans individuals (If Found… is one among this yr’s greatest indies and does precisely that), and it is best to undoubtedly go and verify them out. But none of them will get the platform of The Last of Us. Being instructed by cis individuals, sometimes leaning away from Lev as an alternative of leaning in, and surrounded by the endless violence and distress of The Last of Us means Lev’s story is way from being good. But it’s a significant step for trans characters in gaming, focuses on a extremely charismatic and central character who’s excess of this transness, addresses faith extra sensibly than most and strips any of the cool/edgy/punk ‘just a phase’ vibe different cis-told trans tales appear to get slowed down in. You don’t want to love him, and also you don’t want to love Naughty Dog. Regardless, Lev has emerged from The Last of Us Part 2 as some of the essential characters in fashionable gaming.
