Discussing a common negative trope in non-binary representation and how Netflix's Dead End: Paranormal Park combated it
Courtney (Bottom Left) in Dead End: Paranormal Park is not non-binary, but she is the best representation on this list---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking at my list of every series and film I have seen so far with non-binary representation, 50% of the characters are not human. Whether its angels, demons, aliens, AI, gods, or otherwise, this often-seen trope becomes inconvenient for people wanting good representation (not that the human characters are necessarily the best either). On the one hand, the characters (for the most part) publicly identify within the non-binary spectrum, and sometimes face relatable issues. An example is the genderless AI assistant Janet (D'Arcy Carden) from The Good Place having to constantly reiterate that she is “not a girl” as that is how she appears (although she does exclusively use she/her pronouns too). However, more often than not, this identity serves as a trivia piece to explain away the differences in society non-humans have to humans. There is no reason the alien family from Solar Opposites need to be genderless, except for the fact it can ease the perceived homosexuality of the alien adults to an average audience (although sexuality in non-binary identities is far more complex). The only notable reason why the angles and demons in Good Omens are non-binary is to show they are different from the mortal humans they interact with. When viewing a character who is not the same species and is portrayed as different and outcasted in so many ways, it becomes difficult to relate or feel represented, even if being outcasted is in itself a relatable aspect.
However, one positive of this is gender-blind casting, where characters who are outside the gender binary can be portrayed by whatever actor the casting director chooses, rather than fitting a set physical appearance. A notable example of this, and the example that made me consider this, is Courtney from Dead End: Paranormal Park. This is an animated show on Netflix about theme park employees battling demons and angels. Courtney is portrayed as a demon. However, Courtney is not non-binary. Courtney instead uses she/her pronouns. Despite this, Courtney was cast using the gender-blind method. This is due to the fact that in DeadEndia (the graphic novel series the show is based on) Courtney is non-binary. Although as Hamish Steele (the creator of the graphic novel and the series) stated on Twitter: “Netflix was aware of backlash to the trope of other NB characters always being monsters/aliens/robots and persuaded us to do all gender casting and use the pronouns of whoever we cast”. Therefore, as their casting choice, Emily Osment, uses she/her pronouns, the character does too. Although I was disappointed that the character was not non-binary (expecting it to be a plot point as Wikipedia listed her as a non-binary character), the fact the creators instead avoided this trope was so much better. Plus, the series does not lack trans representation. One of the other main characters, Barney (Zach Barack), is a trans man, and that is a plot point used really effectively and emotionally throughout the series. Honestly, highly recommended series regardless.
Although, back to the non-binary characters in hand. Overall, despite each of these non-human examples varying in their effectiveness, they are still all low-tier representations as it’s a stereotypical trope, used sparingly throughout, with no major bearing on the plot. In this case, no representation is probably better than representation (as long as gender-blind casting is used).
Although, back to the non-binary characters in hand. Overall, despite each of these non-human examples varying in their effectiveness, they are still all low-tier representations as it’s a stereotypical trope, used sparingly throughout, with no major bearing on the plot. In this case, no representation is probably better than representation (as long as gender-blind casting is used).
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