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FX Networks reported how they plan to approach trans characters in Y: The Last Man. The 2021 television series is adapted from a comic book series that goes by the same name. The publication of the series went from 2002 to 2008 over the course of sixty issues. Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra created the source material that was originally going to be made into a feature film. However, Y: The Last Man ultimately got acquired by FX Networks to be made into a television series.
Y: The Last Man is set in a world where a mysterious apocalyptic event leads to the death of all mammals with a Y chromosome. They don't know how this occurred, but Yorick Brown (Ben Schnetzer) continues to press on with a monkey by his side. With the world now primarily being made up of women, Yorick begins to work with them to put some sense of a society back together. Eliza Clark (Animal Kingdom) is the showrunner working on the series, with a premiere date of September 13 on FX on Hulu.
As reported by THR, Clark and FX chairman John Landgraf talked about how they plan on approaching a fuller sense of the gender spectrum. Landgraf explained how society's understanding of gender has changed since the source material was released. A lot of work went into ensuring that the show was approaching the subject matter in a way that is nuanced and well-informed. Clark emphasized that the show made a conscious effort to ensure that trans men, trans women, and nonbinary characters are explored in a way that is rich and complex. Read on below for Landgraf and Clark's statements:
Landgraf: “A lot has changed since the graphic novel. One of the things the show will make clear is that there are women with two X chromosomes and men with an X and Y chromosome — but there are also women with two Y chromosomes and men with two X chromosomes. So what happened was all the mammals with a Y chromosome — with the exception of this one man and this one monkey — died in one event. But there are numerous men in the show that had two X chromosomes, and they’re important characters. It’s also made clear that a number of women died that day who had a Y chromosome and probably didn’t even know it. Even the show’s title has to be explained and contextualized in a much different way than it was. We’ve worked really closely with GLAAD and other organizations and taken a lot of input, and we’ve worked really hard to get that right. I’m confident when members of the trans community watch the show you will feel that nuance will be reflected.”
Clark: “What was exciting about the book was it takes this kind of idea that a world filled with mostly women … is not necessarily a paradise. Because women uphold systems of oppression — like patriarchy and white supremacy and capitalism. And that can be explored within that. Because gender is diverse and chromosomes are not equal to gender. So in our world of the show, every living mammal with a Y chromosome dies. Tragically, that includes many women. It includes nonbinary people and includes intersex people. But that’s also true of the survivors. I think every single person who is working on the show — from the writers to the directors to the cast and the crew — are making a show that affirms that trans women are women, trans men are men, nonbinary people are nonbinary, and that is part of the sort of richness of the world we get to play with.”
The original graphic novel approaches gender in a binary fashion. When it comes to chromosomes being the criteria for this apocalyptic event, the conversation becomes much more complex than the more outdated, binary understanding of gender. FX and Clark are both interested in crafting a show that has a more modern perspective of gender. This also allows for them to explore its characters with various gender identities in a way that is more layered.
An apocalyptic event such as this wouldn't be looking at gender in a binary fashion, so why should the show itself? The fact that the creatives behind the show collaborated closely with GLAAD and other organizations to ensure that their approach to trans characters is respectful and accurate is particularly commendable. This form of representation really matters for those within the community and also makes room for more unique, nuanced storytelling. Hopefully more television shows and movies follow suit. It will be exciting to see how Y: The Last Man turns out when it debuts on September 13.
