D&D: Critical Role Says Trans Rights – Matt Mercer Confirms Exandrian Trans Characters
Yesterday was the Trans Day of Visibility, and in honor of that, Critical Role DM Matt Mercer confirmed many trans characters exist in Critical Role.
Tras rights are human rights, and yesterday in support of that statement, Critical Role DM Matt Mercer made a post on Twitter outlining a plethora of characters in and around Exandria who identify as trans (as well as non-binary), confirming that folks of all identities exist on the show.
In subsequent tweets, Mercer named a number of “Exandrian trans figures”, Yussa Errenis, the elven mage and owner of the Tidepeak tower in the Open Quay district in Nicodranas, where the Mighty Nein discovered their first teleportation circle; Khemdal Dust, a dwarven smith; Kotho the Bounty Hunter, a firbolg who used to be a famous bounty hunter before losing her memories and living life as a master hunter; as well as Master Duasad Keed of the Golden Grin, and Olesya Lapidus, Marquis of Port Damali.
The reaction from fans of the show has been almost universal acclaim, with people from all over the gender spectrum celebrating the newfound visibility.
Of course one day of visibility and a list of characters who have appeared “on-screen” is a small step forward, but for one of the biggest Dungeons & Dragons livestreams out there (and the reason that many people have been drawn to explore the game), it’s a highly visible one. Mercer points out that this is only the beginning of the work–it hasn’t come up in the game yet that these characters were transgender, as was pointed out in a tweet:
But as others have pointed out, not emphasizing a given identity and just having it be true without spelling it out every time is one of the end goals of the struggle for better representation. And until you have trans creators (or whatever other marginalized identity) in positions of authority, such as guests on the show or members of the cast, Critical Role won’t be telling ‘trans stories’ but then that’s a whole other can of intersectional worms.
Of course Critical Role has had issues with LGBTQ+ representation and harassment within their community before. Last year the company conducted an investigation after allegations of unpaid labor and harassment came from a fan of the show who had reached out to the company with concerns about curtailing abuse and harassment within the community.
Even so, Critical Role continues to make space for diversity at their table and in their community. And with a highly visible post like this, here’s hoping that the community in general continues to grow and be more accepting of all identities.
Happy Adventuring!
