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Tricky, the issue here is two-fold. I agree that Luka is always ever "male" or "female" and actually does not switch sex but *is* a different sex in a different universe.
This is in so far coherent with the multiple string theory and would not suggest that the actual character actually switches sex or that genderfluidity exists.
However Luka design and the themes surrounding the character, especially the date you are speaking of certainly creates an issue that could be interpreted as LGBTQ for the Protagonist, namely for him, both sexed lukas exist.
There is a certain awkwardness in the way Luka is portrayed as a very feminine boy (femboy) and it clearly has Homosexual undertones that are explored: Eg. this boy looks so much like a girl that he is actually attractive as a girl.
In so far I think it is still very much in line with the information this community is providing, even though on a personal level I do not think it's supposed to be that but used to create a interesting abstract thought about the issue in context of a story revolving around multiple realities.
Again, I'm not arguing that this has a connection to LGBT+themes. Yes, it has. But it's not pro-LGBT (emphasis on *pro*) messaging, as the game's curator note claims. The way the game is described there (and the "not recommended" label based on that description) is hugely misleading.
The desire to "become a girl" is indicative of "gender-fluidity." The idea that a person can switch between male and female is not biologically possible for human beings. There is no male and female version of one person. Even assuming the autosomes are identical, due to having different sex chromosomes (and thus different gene expression), they would be entirely different people.
Luka's story revolves around the idea that he can be both male and female while remaining the same person (there is a male and female version of him). As far as I am aware, this concept is commonly referred to as "gender-bending". How is that not "gender-fluidity"?
Luka's character traits and backstory are also indicative of LGBTQ+ tropes in Japanese writing.
The "male raised as female" trope due to arbitrary "reasons":
The "female referring to herself using male pronouns" trope:
"Gender fluidity", as all the other transgenderism BS, is based on the idea that you can be whatever you identify as, specifically what gender you identify. For woke ideology gender is just something made up by society (social construct) and thus a person may change his/her gender at will.
In reality, of course, gender is a social component of sex, so your gender is determined by whether you are male or female. Which absolutely doesn't mean you can't have a desire to be different sex (and therefore gender). The desire to be the opposite sex is no different than the desire to be of a different race or species or have some fantastical superpower that one doesn't have (and couldn't have) in real life.
In ohter words, a man having desire to be a woman is no different from desire to be a bird to be able to fly or someone wishing to have Spider-man's abilities - those are obviously unrealistic, and unhealthy if someone is too obsessed with such desires, but ultimately have nothing to do with wokeness. Pretending to be someone of a different sex (which is what transgender people essentially do) or encourage such pretense - that's what should be considered woke ideology.
Out of all you shown only crossdressing can be considered LGBT+stuff.
Actually, for more than a decade young girls in Japan have used "boku" pronoun. Sure, it's not very common but it does happen and has nothing to do with LGBT+stuff. I can provide more links on that if you want proof.
I think this game is absolutely "encouraging that pretense", as you put it. Why else write a story like this?
Luka not only has this desire, but acts on it, causing him to be "born as a female." Again, that concept in and of itself is what I point to as being most representative of the LGBTQ+ themes in this story.
And, as already mentioned, that desire was born out of his romantic attraction toward Okabe (another male) essentially making this a gay romance story.
By your own admission this practice is not very common.
No, I said trangenderism is about *giving into your fantasies* about being a different gender. Because, again, wokeness is based (partially) on postmodernism and thinks that identifying as something already makes you something. That's the opposite of what's happening in the game when Luka is a girl, she is biologically female, when Luka is a man, he is biologically male. In both cases Luka behaves according to own gender/sex (minus crossdressing) and doesn't pretend to be the other gender then he/she is in the current timeline.
Why write a fantastical story about changing the past even if it's not possible?
Yes, it represents LGBT+themes. But does it represent it in positive light?
How?! Luka literally understands that gay romance between him and Okabe is unacceptable, so desires for the world to be changed in a way where Luka is female and their romace be normal as result. How you consider this to be promotion of gay romance is beyond me.
And also having nothing to do with LGBT+stuff. Something simply being uncommon =/= being woke.
As I already said, there is no way for Luka to have a male and female form. They would be entirely different people. Perhaps the solution here is for me to remove the "gender-fluidity" part of the review and instead replace it with "Transgenderism."
Edit: I've gone ahead and done so for all Steins;Gate reviews.
You're missing the point. There's nothing inherently political about a "changing the past" storyline. But there is an inherently political aspect to a story about "changing the past" for the purposes of "changing one's sex," that being LGBTQ+ advocacy.
I see where you're coming from. I assume you think the fact that Luka chooses to become a female shows he knows it would be socially unacceptable to act on those feelings as a male (thus portraying gay romance negatively).
But two things can be true at the same time. The very fact that he developed a romantic attraction toward another male in the first place makes this a story about gay romance. Furthermore, him going so far as to "turn himself into a female" makes this a story about Transgenderism as well.
I never said "this is a promotion of gay romance" I said it "is essentially a gay romance story". I don't see how it's not. These events all start with Luka (a male) developing romantic feelings for Okabe (another male). So much so that Luka wants to change the reality of his existence (his sex) to make that relationship more "socially acceptable". Just because Luka "turns himself into a female" doesn't mean his original feelings stop being associated with his male self.
Sort of going off on a tangent here but minority pandering is absolutely part of Woke ideology. However, I agree this particular point has more to do with DEI than LGBTQ+ themes.
I don't really see, how this is better. You can at least put a link to this thread, so people can check things out to understand what is actually going on in the game.
Yes, about gay romance being unacceptable. I don't see how that counts as pro-LGBT+messaging.
The only problem is that transgenderism ideology is about men pretending to be women (and vice versa), not men actually becoming women (and vice versa).
Yes, male Luka has feelings for Okabe. But they don't get together because both understand that gay romance is unacceptable. If there was something in the game that would imply after learning about male Luka's feelings Okabe became more intimate with him, I would understand your point. But they literally don't have any romance - Okabe instead gets together with Kurisu.
Not every minority. They don't pander to gingers, for example.
Sure, I can do that.
That's a point you originally brought up, not me. The review simply says, "homosexual romance." Like I said, I consider the male->female change to be the bigger issue.
There are many "trans" people that undergo hormonal treatments and surgeries in an attempt to become more biologically similar to their desired sex. If they could genuinely change sex, they most likely would.
In the anime, yes. In the visual novel, not necessarily. In the visual novel, there is a Luka ending in which Okabe chooses not to reverse the change that "made Luka female" because he doesn't want to sacrifice Luka's happiness. They are shown having a child together.
Good point. Though in the case of females trying to be more male by using male pronouns, I'd say that is a minority they pander to.
Since in that timeline, Luka is an actual female, who can bear children, I don't see how it's gay romance either.
We seem to be at an impasse then. I've linked the game's review here so hopefully other people will wade in with their opinion on this.
Okay. At least now there is a way for people to check all the nuance.
Topic 1: Luka's desire to become a woman.
Okay so about Luka's femininity. Taking into account it's one of those "raised as a girl" tropes, I do not believe his femininity is being portrayed in a good light, but rather as a consequence of deviant upbringing, I would argue that Luka being raised as a woman his whole life conditioned him to just act like one. And look like one. It was beyond his control (for the most part). And if he acted like a woman his whole life, did not develop masculine physical traits (thanks anime magic), what difference would it have made to have been born a woman? Virtually none. This is why I, although I do agree that a "man version" and "female version" of someone would not look the same or act the same, it makes sense in this context because Luka was never given the chance to grow up masculine. This would make what's between his legs of little matter, seeing as his parents decide how he gets to live his childhood. This explains why the female Luka in the other timeline looks the same and acts the same. 'Cause there was no difference in his early life.
This is not a transgender story at all. It's about enforced family expectations.
Topic 2: Luka's feelings towards Okabe.
I don't quite remember when he developed these feelings, but if what I've read here is true and it was in the timeline where he's a guy, that's definitely gay. But I would point to his upbringing as a great factor into these feelings ever even developing in the first place. If he were manlier as he should be, this would've never have happened IMO. But this is just a what-if. As it stands, there is definitely a scenario where a man develops feelings for another man (although I was under the impression it was a scenario of admiration rather than romance, might be misremembering), but I would argue that this is not portrayed in a positive light, and is not pro-gay.
Also as a slight Steins;Gate 0 spoiler about Luka for those interested In a near-future timeline where the world descends into World War, Luka developed into his manhood and grows to be a strong soldier.
This is all, however, quite the convoluted topic, and I do not blame you for seeing this as a transgender story or whatever. But the devil's in the details.
tl;dr - I would not deem this VN as pro-LGBT because Luka's character is about the consequences of flawed upbringing, and critical of that imo. There is a real gay aspect to him but I would not say it is portrayed as positive.
If that holds water (my knowledge about it is hazy as well) the that would constitute pro-transhumanist messaging, specifically the blank slate theory and that social factors are the things that define ones sex. (they call that gender but it is essentially identical)
You say it's Anime-magic, fine it's a trope but I don't think we should overlook what it means just because of it's place of origin.
I stated that he was raised to look and act feminine, but he's definitely still a guy in the original timeline. It's a nature vs nurture scenario. He's definitely still cock and balls but every other aspect of him has been led astray to be feminine. His sex is undeniable, nor does he himself deny it. It's just of very minimal impact.
It really is nonsensical anime magic that he does not develop masculine features at all, kinda pisses me off tbh. He's an adult isn't he? Can't excuse that in any way.