Talk:Luka Urushibara/@comment-76.218.36.245-20151203152512/@comment-27274518-20151203181739

Regardless of the deviation from the article, we're still talking about the character. Sure its a debate of the gender identity of the character, but we're still having a discussion about her regardless, ergo, it should be allowed as a discussion in the comments. This is the central point of the character (the writer's intent imho) and its being missed by people who can't even read between the lines.

This is the ignorance I was talking about in my previous message. Its just too much for me to NOT respond to this. I will tackle each of your points one by one.

First: The clothes are not forced one bit. Her father is VERY kind and accepting and it would be out of his character to do that. Ruka even dresses female outside of her job at the shrine and does not resent it nor does she feel repressed by it. You don't see Ruka saying that she wishes she was more masculine to fit in with the guys, nor does she express that in any way. She embraces the femininity depsite having OBVIOUS signs of gender dysphoria. Not toward wanting to be more masculine, but toward going so far as to say "I think I was meant to be a girl.....I want to be a girl". THAT is transgender proof my friend. Besides that, there was no conflict at all when she was female. Even Okabe notes that Ruka was happier that way.

Second: I'm going to say this again. Biological sex is independent of being transgender. In fact, biological sex ( in this case, Ruka being biologically male) has absolutely nothing to do with being transgender or gender identity. Just because the authors say he is male, doesn't mean Ruka isn't trans. Its just a matter of generically classifying the character based on what is in her pants.

Third: Tell me this other evidence. Inquiring minds really want to know. Before you start... The pronoun thing is an awful and groundless argument. Like I said before, Ruka could be simply too shy and respectful to not correct others. I still go by male pronouns. I am biologically male...but does that mean I am not a Trans girl? No. It doesn't. Furthermore, Ruka is an honest character and correcting others on sex could attribute to that. Its obvious she is uncomfortable with correcting others in her current state as well.. In other words, telling others that she is in fact a dude. Again... Gender dysphoria. We know Ruka is very conscious about how others view her, as seen by her denial of her obvious attraction to Okabe after turning back into a biological male and the fact that she actually cries when called a guy while a girl. Plus this is Japan we are talking about. Japan is a conservative place by nature and she doesn't want to draw any more attention to herself than she already does by looking female and dressing female. This goes for both correcting the pronoun usage (being honest about sex) and her feelings for Okabe (and why she sees homosexuality as wrong). These don't adhere to the cultural stereotypes of the country. That brings me to my next point. The whole argument about Ruka being a repressed homosexual boy. The issue for Ruka's feelings for Okabe are very obviously stemmed from Japan's cultural views on the sketchy topic and NOT wanting to be a girl. Sexual orientation has nothing to do with gender identity!! If Ruka was being a girl just to satiate the fact that she is in love with Okabe, there would be a slew of other identity issues. This is not the case. She is obviously much happier as female and is able to act on the feelings as an added bonus because man + woman is culturally acceptable and not taboo. Its clear she is afraid to act on it when she is male. This mentality is very common amongst the LGBT community and people who live in areas that culturally challenge their views/orientation/identity. Anyone who tries to make this argument doesn't know what being gay or trans is even remotely like. What are these other points of "corroborating evidence" you have? I want to know. Did the creators explicitly say that Ruka was not a transgender individual? No. They did not. So that doesn't count either.

Don't even go there with the "But he is a dude" quote. The entire story is told from Okabe's perspective and he can't get over the fact that Ruka is biologically male, which is why he says that. It doesn't represent the author's views in the slightest. Just Okabe's perspective on Ruka and his inner conflict on finding her pretty.

In my honest opinion, the fact that not only is Ruka transgender but the fact that she has feelings for Okabe in a place where its culturally unacceptable are the points of the character and the writer's intent behind her. Okabe resolves this issue by accepting Ruka as Ruka. Not by gender nor by orientation. Heck... Ruka even tells Okabe to remember the time when she was female so he can have the memories of the time they spent together in that way... As Ruka out in the open. Gender and feelings and all. That is significant in itself! There is SO much evidence to this point. This anime/VN ultimately is trying to say that no matter who you identify as and no matter your orientation, first and foremost you are you and that is what is important. If you look at the Ruka's perspective and the cultural circumstances of the setting, it becomes clear. I think these here are "corroborating evidence". Whether you agree or not is your choice. I don't aim to force feed my opinion, I am just smashing misunderstandings and showing you evidence to my claim and counter evidence to your's. I still have yet to see solid counter evidence to this argument. If you dislike trans people or if you dislike the interpretation, then that's perfectly fine (because your hostile attitude toward it really shows). But please, for all the love that is holy (or unholy if you swing that way) don't reject this societal issue as it seems to be the central point behind the character. This is a good place for something like this because people need to know what Transgender really is and when a character clearly exhibits countess signs of being so.