Sex and Gender Fluidity (Gaming)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Friday, April 17, 2020, 22:34 (1469 days ago) @ Cody Miller

I'm rather pleased with the way the remake not only treats sexuality, but also how it celebrates queer culture.

One of the most well known sequences in the game is where you cross dress in order to sneak into a thug's mansion. In the original, it was not handled the best it could have been, with the whole thing as a joke and subject for ridicule. The incongruous nature of a tough guy dressing in a girlie dress was played for laughs. The Honeybee Inn, were you can gather a few of the items like sexy underwear and makeup to look the part, was in the original pretty much a brothel for deviants. Its patrons were largely stereotypical gay men, and once again many of the scenes and interactions were played for laughs as a group strips Cloud and goads him into the hot tub with them.

In contrast in the Remake, the Honeybee in is more of a Queer Cabaret. Rather than be the butt of a joke, Cloud is quite comfortable and gets up and does a dance off with the program director. Everything from the dance to the overt flirting by the director is never really treated as unwelcome to Cloud. As he's made over on stage, the crowd cheers on, welcoming the transition. Not a single boo or ridiculing sneer. Just support. And then the final line:

“True beauty is an expression of the heart. A thing without shame to which notions of gender don’t apply. Don’t ever be afraid, Cloud.”

And while in the original Cloud was deathly embarrassed, in the remake he owns it. Tifa recognizes him, and in stead of laughing like in the original, Cloud just replies [regarding the dress] “Nailed it, yes, I know, thank you."

It's a straight up celebration and not played for shame or ridicule. Fucking. Awesome. So often queer characters are either villains, or jokes. Here they are neither. The gender fluidity extends into other areas as well, such as the androgynous personal trainer in the gym. In the original, it was more explicitly ridiculed with the big buff men who like to wear wigs, but in the remake it just IS, and nobody comments much on it.

Likewise the nature of the Thug's mansion is itself explored more, with henchmen sympathetic and worried, knowing how women are exploited. Cloud is catcalled as he strolls down the street as a women. The whole sad nature of the scenario is given a much more thoughtful treatment.

Likewise I feel like sexual desire drives many of the characters in ways that refreshingly reflect how much it drives real people. In games you generally either see characters just overtly sexual for the benefit of the (presumably male) player, or else completely uninterested or driven by it. Like, nearly every old hollywood movie was largely driven by sex. It's a giant piece of everyone's life. It feels really grounded in the characters, and never obscene. There's already a bazillion memes about Cloud and Jessie, but the sexual tension creates a very real and meaningful set of exchanges between Cloud and Tifa / Aerith. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised given the uncomfortable nature of the heterosexual interactions versus the supremely confident queer cloud, that Cloud might not be completely straight.

Like, it's not perfect but it's all super liberating in what it does well.

I love that this game exists.