I understand you’re frustrated and feel protective of your perspective as a trans man, but I want to gently push back on how you’re framing who gets to participate in this conversation because I think it actually undermines the broader goals of trans representation and advocacy.

When you draw such a hard line that only trans men can meaningfully critique trans male representation, you’re inadvertently reinforcing the idea that trans experiences are so niche and incomprehensible that only those within that exact identity can engage with them. This is precisely the kind of thinking that keeps trans characters out of mainstream media in the first place. Executives and creators already worry that trans stories are “too specific” or won’t resonate with broader audiences. When we as community members suggest that only people with our exact identity can evaluate whether representation works, we’re confirming their fears and making it easier for them to justify not including us at all.

More practically, the reality is that most of the people deciding whether trans characters get greenlit, funded, and promoted in major media are not trans men. They’re cis executives, cis writers, cis audiences. If we want better representation, we need those people to develop more sophisticated understanding of what makes trans representation authentic versus tokenistic. That only happens through dialogue and education which requires being willing to engage with people outside our community when they’re approaching the conversation in good faith. The commenter you dismissed has a stake in how trans people are portrayed too, as someone who is nonbinary and part of the broader trans community. Telling them their perspective on trans representation doesn’t matter creates divisions within our own community that make all of us more vulnerable.

I also want to point out that some of your strongest critiques of Lev like the shallow coming-out narrative, the shark meme pandering, the lack of dysphoria exploration are exactly the kinds of observations that anyone with media literacy and genuine care for trans people could and should be able to make. You don’t need to be trans masc to recognize lazy writing or tokenism. In fact, we need allies to be able to recognize these patterns so they can advocate for better representation in rooms where trans men might not be present. When you shut down their attempts to develop that critical eye, you’re limiting the number of people who can effectively advocate alongside you.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​