After the sophomore-season premiere of Netflix’s wildly well-liked thriller sequence “Squid Game,” many viewers are criticizing the South Korean present for casting a straight, cisgender male actor as a transgender girl contestant within the lethal video games.
The new season, which debuted Thursday, options actor Park Sung-hoon, recognized for taking part in villains within the tv sequence “The Glory” and “Queen of Tears,” as Hyun-ju, a contestant who enters the high-stakes recreation in hopes of utilizing her winnings to pay for her gender-affirming surgical procedure.
While some viewers speculated that the storyline might assist convey consideration to the trans group — which is marginalized in Korean society and underrepresented within the nation’s leisure trade — others mentioned the sequence missed the mark by not having a trans actor within the position.
“Netflix squid video games 2 didn’t hit the identical bc they employed a straight man to play this character,” one viewer posted on X. “Felt compelled as a substitute of natural.”
Neither “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk nor Park responded to NBC News’ request for remark. Netflix confirmed that the present did work with trans and LGBTQ consultants whereas creating the second season, however in an interview with TV Guide, Hwang mentioned it was “close to unattainable” to discover a trans actor for the position.
“When we researched in Korea, there are near no actors which are brazenly trans, not to mention brazenly homosexual,” he instructed the outlet. “Unfortunately within the Korean society at present the LGBTQ group is fairly nonetheless marginalized and extra uncared for, which is heartbreaking.”
The second season as soon as once more revolves round Player 456, whose actual identify is Gi-hun, as he re-enters the sport three years after his preliminary victory. This time, he’s include the only objective of placing an finish to it and defending his fellow gamers from violence and dying.
Among the contestants is Hyun-ju, a former Special Forces soldier who turns into more and more helpful to her fellow gamers as each an emotional rock and a aggressive drive. In one scene, Hyun-ju explains why she needs to stay with the sport fairly than choose out, revealing to the others that after she began her gender transition, “every part modified.”
“My mother cried quite a bit. And my father stopped speaking to me. I acquired fired from my job, and misplaced all my mates,” Hyun-ju says, explaining that, with the winnings, she’ll transfer to Thailand, end her transition and begin a brand new life. “I wasn’t carried out with the therapy and the procedures. however I wasn’t incomes any cash so my debt stored piling up. Although I felt liberated, my life turned a lot tougher.”
Park described Hyun-ju as a personality who, despite the bias and problem she’s needed to face, continues to indicate “unbelievable energy, decisiveness and pure management.”
“Through her resilience, she breaks down stereotypes and shines as an inspiring character,” Park mentioned.
While Hwang mentioned he had “full belief” in Park to painting the character nicely, critics argued that correct illustration entails extra than simply expertise — it’s additionally about trans visibility.
“The truth {that a} man is performing because the trans girl in squid recreation doesn’t sit proper with me,” one other X person posted. “I get they’re making an attempt to be inclusive however simply rent an actual trans girl or a girl.”
John Cho, an assistant professor of anthropology on the University of British Columbia, who focuses on gender and sexuality and queer research, defined that for a lot of racial and sexual minorities, the casting of a cisgender man in one of many uncommon transgender roles in Korea may be considered as a “slap within the face.” He additionally mentioned it uncovered a obtrusive disparity.
“It’s not like you’ve gotten a whole bunch of trans actors or actresses representing cisgender characters,” Cho mentioned. “There are these traditionally embedded structural inequalities by way of entry to illustration.”
While highlighting a trans storyline might be a optimistic step ahead, he added, “trans folks and queer folks generally have traditionally and nonetheless proceed to be denied visibility as residents.”
Cho mentioned the problem can’t be examined with out wanting into the actual disparities which have existed for the queer group in Korea. In a ballot of South Korean LGBTQ youth that was included in a 2021 Human Rights Watch report, 96% of respondents mentioned they skilled discrimination or bullying at school. The report additionally referenced a 2014 ballot by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea which confirmed 80% of LGBTQ youth reported receiving discriminatory feedback from lecturers.
One potential motive for this, Cho mentioned, is that through the years, the nation has tried to ascertain itself as a nation state with its army and the reinforcement of conventional masculinity requirements. In 2021, a trans soldier, Staff Sgt. Byun Hui-su, died by suicide after being dismissed from the army. She had wished to switch to the army’s feminine corps after present process gender-affirming surgical procedure however was deemed “disabled” and unfit for service as a result of surgical procedure. Months after her dying, the Daejeon District Court ordered the military to acknowledge her as a girl and annul her dismissal in a posthumus win.
“This controversy is necessary as a result of it’s beginning conversations,” Cho mentioned. “But these conversations have to be way more expanded and complex so we’re not caught.”