Chelsea Beyer

                  “Sons of Anarchy” may come across at first as an inflation of the epitome of white, male stereotype, and so of course, to someone who has never viewed it or interpreted it on their own, it might be laughable to suggest that the show actually presents quite complex characters and relationships, and even in a positive light for the queer and trans communities. The show, which aired on FX from September of 2008 to December of 2014, follows the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club, with common themes of brotherhood, loyalty and redemption. Even with these tropes being such a heavy focal point of the entire series, the introduction and development of a trans character is used in a very positive light, and scores the show’s producers some major brownie points.
                  Venus Van Dam, played by Walton Goggins, is introduced as a trans prostitute and dominatrix, as well as a sort of drug dealer, who is not a stranger to the outlaw circuit, and is willing to do various things to earn money. She is first introduced as a sort of comic relief, when the Sons hire her to film a fake sex tape to use as blackmail against one of their enemies. This type of comic relief may seem offensive at first, in the way that alleged sexual relations with a trans woman would be enough to get what they want from their enemy. However, Tig Trager, one of the Sons with a penchant for sexual curiosity and experimentation, almost immediately takes an interest in Venus. Even though the other Sons poke slight fun at him for it at first, they seem to just shrug it off and laugh about it. It turns out that Venus will become a friend and strong ally of the Sons, and also Tig’s main romantic interest.
                  In order to analyze the relationship that develops between Tig and Venus, we must first try to understand how that relationship is even accepted and allowed within the Sons of Anarchy, understanding that outlaw motorcycle clubs all have very strict rules and guidelines that their members must follow. One major rule and expectation is that club members maintain straight relationships in which the club member is the dominant partner. With this in mind, how is it possible that Tig is not even chastised, questioned, or slapped on the wrist with a cease and desist for maintaining a relationship with a trans woman who hasn’t even fully transitioned surgically? ThinkProgress explains how the show “portrayed hypermasculine bikers as socially and sexually comfortable with a trans woman, without treating her like a freak or an exotic creature, expanding that trans woman’s role in the show from sexual instrument of the Sons’ blackmail plan to a real member of their community.”
                  The relationship between Tig and Venus, no matter how nontraditional it may be for an outlaw motorcycle club to acknowledge and accept, still follows a majority of the guidelines and expectations of a relationship with patriarchal feminine and masculine role norms. Price (2016) tells us that role norms are understood as culturally constructed expectations about behavior, and therefore, the fact that Venus follows many traditional feminine stereotypes makes her less threatening, as opposed to if Tig was sleeping with another masculine character. Venus is feminine and sexualized for it, she dresses like a woman, and while she is strong and powerful most times, especially in her dominatrix role, she is also impulsive at times and very emotional. Husserl (1963) also says that our experiences with things are shaped only through particular concepts, thoughts, ideas, images, et cetera, making up the meaning of a given experience, and are distinct from the things they present or mean. This further verifies that the fact that Venus falls into the traditional female roles of the patriarchy allows Jax and the Sons’ experiences with her and toward her to shy away from negativity. As explained in an article on Bustle.com, at first “Jax treated Venus like a curiosity, and Tig’s interest in her as part of the other man’s general pattern of sexual adventurousness. Then, Venus’ immaculate manners brought out some courtliness in Jax, when he comments, “’Hey, I guess I’m just a sucker for a pretty face.’”
                  Nagoshi’s Transgender and Trans-identity Theory (2010) explains the theoretical orientation on the nature of gender and gender identity in understanding the lived experiences of transgender & transsexual individuals, which directly correlates with the idea that the events and lived experiences of Venus’ life added to her overall journey of self-discovery and transition. As a young boy, Venus was known as Vincent, and he was very confused about exploring his sexual identity. His mother raped him repeatedly, attempting a corrective rape to “straighten him out,” and eventually forced him into being a child prostitute and being in child pornography. Nagoshi’s theory also emphasizes the importance of physical embodiment in gender and sexual identity, further verifying that in Venus’ childhood, where she was forced to be a little boy known as Vincent even though she knew she was different and living in the wrong body, contributes to her sense of freedom, enlightenment, and power in her adult life, where she is able to learn to overcome adversity and constraint and live out her life in the body she was always meant to have. Further expanding upon Venus’ childhood abuse, we recall the moment where Venus actually confided her experiences in the Sons. “I was ten years old when my inclinations began to dominate my gender direction. And my mother, Alice, she would get me drunk and lovingly try to straighten me out.” As explained by the ThinkProgress, this story is one that positions Venus as a survivor, and her mother’s actions, not her gender identity, as the thing that’s done harm to her. All of these things in mind, Venus Van Dam is a character that gives hope to the future of all trans character representations in the media.
 
References

Stahler, Kelsea. "'SOA' Treated Walton Goggins' Transgender Character Well, But The Show Could Have Done Better." Bustle. Bustle, 30 Sept. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2017. <https://www.bustle.com/articles/42168-soa-treated-walton-goggins-transgender-character-well-but-the-show-could-have-done-better>.

ThinkProgress. "How 'Sons of Anarchy' Became An Unexpected Advocate For Trans Equality. ThinkProgress. ThinkProgress, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2017. <https://thinkprogress.org/how-sons-of-anarchy-became-an-unexpected-advocate-for-trans-equality-1565b9007f47>.
 
 

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