SheZow The 'Trans' Superhero Here to Destroy Your Straight Brain!

Courtesy of hubnetwork

Hey gang, I've been gone for a while.  Sorry.  But I'm back now and in FULL affect!  Lets proceed gayly forward shall we?  So we have finally done it.  Give yourselves a high five girlfriends, the gays have officially taken over the world because now we have a superhero in drag to confuse the minds of the children!

Nah.  Just kidding.  The first episode of SheZow premiered last night on hubnetwork.  If OneMillionMoms bothered to watch the show they would note that, as far as I can tell, Guy Hamdon is pretty much what his name implies, a ham of a guy.  The show opens with Guy and his bff Max skateboarding and terrorizing his older sister.  He discovers an old ring in the basement and transforms into SheZow, the town superhero.  With the help of his sister, a super computer named Sheila, and Max, Guy saves the world from a slue of cooky villains one lip gloss at a time. Check it out.

The important thing to note is that Guy likes being  a dude and identifies with maleness, and is initially mortified when he transforms into SheZow, until he discovers he has superpowers of course. Which means he is probably a boring cisgendered kid, who happens to wear a skirt and thigh high boots to fight crime on occasion.  What I think is truly radical about this show is its portrayal of a "normal" guy  finding fulfillment and empowerment through his female alter ego (which is probably scarier to some than actual transgender representation).   Even in the first episode, we can see a small evolution in Guy's attitude towards women.  I think, if done right, the show can do a few sheawesome things.

1) Give kids with non-conformist gender identities a character to relate to.  Not every girl wants to be My Little Pony and not every little boy likes Batman.  

2) Show that boys and girls have much more in common than we like to admit.  Yes our consumerist society has a great deal invested in the gendering and separation of the sexes.  Have you tried to shop for gender neutral toys or clothes for kids under 13 lately?  I triple dog dare you.  

3) Cause a little havoc on Elm Street when Billy decides to dress up like his fave superhero on Halloween.  

*Oh and by the way, this isn't the first, nor will it be the last time, that American television has showcased a male cartoon character in female wares.  Two words... Bugs Bunny.  If audiences could handle it in the 50's and 60's, surely we can learn to love one more awesome boy in a dress.