Nintendo’s “Birdo” is NOT a Trans Icon
<p>The character “Birdo” premiered in the Mario-verse in 1988 in the Nintendo game <em>Super Mario Bros. 2</em>. She is a pink dinosaur-like creature of the same species as Yoshi, steed sidekick to protagonist Mario. Sources such as <a href="https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2018/2/02/25-lgbt-video-game-characters" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">The Advocate</a> have described her as one of the first trans characters in the video game industry, but there’s an obvious problem with this characterization.</p>
<p>While many fans identify with her, the Nintendo company has yet to fully embrace Birdo as trans. The company instead has waffled on how to treat her character — sometimes depicted using “she”; other times “it”; always unaccepted — her depiction underlines a contentious issue in both fandoms and media consumption alike:</p>
<p>What types of representation are valid?</p>
<p>Do you call out Nintendo’s transphobic characterization for what it is, or do you accept the interpretation of her fans?</p>
<p>And how does this rewriting of history shape the video game community’s collective understanding of queer history?</p>
<p><a href="https://alexhasopinions.medium.com/nintendos-birdo-is-not-a-trans-icon-326dd4c08f2c"><strong>Click Here</strong></a></p>