listen up chumps here’s one of the last big things I have to say on this issue: authorial intent doesn’t mean shit the second it leaves the creators’ hands. I mean, sure, it lends a lot to the way the work is executed. It leaves its marks in the deliberate choices made in every aspect of the work. But does that mean that the way the author meant for it to be interpreted is the only way it can be interpreted?
No. Fuck no. That’s why we have English classes - to pick apart and analyse things for hidden meanings or meanings that the author didn’t even intend. I’m fairly certain all the yuppos who are shitting on the trans theory have made it past high school level at the very least and have had one class where they analysed literature - well, children’s cartoons aren’t invalid as pieces of literature just because they’re “for kids” or animated. It’s a piece of media and therefore open to critique - and interpretation.
If something isn’t explicitly stated in the canon of the show, it’s up for interpretation. The races of certain characters aren’t always made clear - for example, it’s never made clear what skin color Harry or Hermione have in Harry Potter, but there’s plenty of people who headcanon them as Indian and black or anything else.besides white because it adds another layer of meaning into the narrative. There’s lots of metaphors for modern-day issues in the disdain for mudbloods in the wizarding world or the Dursley’s hatred for magic, but a black Hermione isn’t just about magical purity, it’s about racial purity in the context of the world we’re living in today. Harry being biracial lends more weight to the absolutely disgusting way the Dursley’s treat the Potter family. We in the real world don’t deal with magical purity but we do deal with racism, and through these analogies we feel the weight of the issues.
Works are dated, there’s no way around it. Everything’s a period piece because it’s influenced by how the world was when it was made. Obviously the issues presented in them aren’t going to be the same as years later, when people are still enjoying them. So - no. Butch Hartman did not create Danny to be trans. He’s a Christian and he’s rooted in archaic ways. The show came out in 2004, when LGBTQIIA+ issues were not being addressed in media as much as they are starting to be now. But is there a lot of evidence that lend itself to trans Danny? Hell yes. Look at what you have here - a kid who is different from his classmates, who is afraid to be himself around them, around parents who won’t understand, who might react with violence if they find out. This is how some young trans kids grow up. Some kids never get to a point in their lives where they can be out - some kids have parents who won’t understand, who will hurt them in order to “fix” them. Kids whose peers would mock and berate them for not fitting in. The synopsis for Danny Phantom already has every aspect of a trans narrative, just swapping “being trans” for “being ghost”.
Stop trying to tell people that they can’t believe in something because it’s “not canon” because hey, guess what - it’s not not canon. Butch Hartman saying it doesn’t do anything to combat the way his work can be interpreted. If someone finds the evidence in the show to suggest that Danny is trans, then guess what - he’s trans. Deal with it.
