Across The Spider-Verse: Why Trans Fans Believe Gwen Stacy Isn't Just An Ally
Superheroes have long been allegories for social issues, and with the release of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," one of the film's main characters again embodies the ideals of social justice which have informed characters from Superman to the X-Men. After seeing the character's arc and noticing some other clues throughout the film, many "Across the Spider-Verse" fans agree that the film's version of Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) is clearly coded as transgender, and they couldn't be more thrilled.
In a time of rising hate against trans people and other members of the queer community, with a deluge of anti-gay and anti-trans laws sweeping the nation, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" not only declares its support for trans rights but imbues its narrative with a trans allegory, potentially delivering the first trans superhero in a major motion picture. That interpretation has left many trans fans and allies choked with emotion.
In fact, many trans fans of the film see a plethora of evidence that the version of Gwen Stacy portrayed in "Across the Spider-Verse" is, in fact, not merely an ally of the trans community but is herself trans, and they've wholeheartedly embraced her as such. From the animation styles used to render her universe to a variety of trans pride symbols appearing around her, and even to the way her narrative arc unfolds, many feel the film provides plenty of evidence that Gwen is an example of trans representation done well.
Style and subtext reveal Gwen's trans narrative
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" doesn't explicitly label Gwen Stacy as transgender, but there are strong hints to that effect. Trans art, often created under oppressive conditions, has a long history of explicating its ideas through thinly veiled subtext. For example, although "The Matrix" stars Keanu Reeves as a cisgender, heterosexual man, it was created by two trans women who have loudly confirmed what film theorists long suspected; that the movie is an allegory for the trans experience (via NPR).
But "Across the Spider-Verse" is much clearer in its depiction of Gwen's trans identity than the Wachowski sisters could afford to be in 1999. Not only does Gwen have a trans pride flag embossed with the words "PROTECT TRANS KIDS" hanging over her bedroom door, but her universe of origin is consistently rendered in shades of white, blue, and pink, reflective of the trans pride flag colors.
As Gwen re-enters her universe of origin and finally has a heart-to-heart with her dad, the character herself is entirely rendered in those colors, with even her hair taking on hues of the trans pride flag. In that same scene, her father can be seen wearing a trans pride patch above his police badge. And it should be noted that, as Gwen pours her heart out to her estranged dad, she tells him that she's struggled with hiding a part of herself from him. As @Blankzilla wrote on Twitter, "Being draped in the trans colors while giving a speech about having to hide half of yourself from the people you love is as subtle as a brick."
Gwen's story is empowering for trans fans
Trans fans of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" have taken to the internet, broadcasting their love for Gwen Stacy's depiction in the film. Some shared their own stories, which they saw reflected in Gwen's experience, while others simply enjoyed feeling affirmed by a beloved franchise.
On Twitter, @GwenLovesMovies shared in a series of tweets how the first "Spider-Verse" movie helped encourage her to come out to her parents as trans. "And that went so badly that I hid away again," she wrote. "So for Gwen's 'coming out' to go similarly?"
She continued, "[It] really hit me again in ways that were so strangely real ..... It kind of opened up that trauma I bottled away." Ultimately, she noted, "Across the Spider-Verse" taught her that taking a leap of faith can sometimes lead to pain, but that, "It's also about accepting that pain and allowing yourself and the people you care about to grow/heal from that."
Meanwhile, others used Gwen's potential trans identity as the basis for some quick quips, such as Tumblr user @pantstovoid, who joked, "I would just like to thank across the spiderverse [sic] for further confirming my belief that one cannot be Spider-Man without being at least a little gay or trans."
But as many scholars have long asserted, all readings of a text are valid, especially when the subtext to back up that reading is so glaringly obvious. On Tumblr, @captainkashup summed the entire debate up best by noting that art is always open to interpretation, so for those who see Gwen as trans, that reading is valid. "Trans, Cis, Lesbian, Straight, Bi, Pan, Ace .. Gwen is Gwen," they wrote. "She's whatever you want her to be. And no one can take that away from you."