A quick note, I am a regular poster but I created this new account to post here. My normal account can be traced back to my real world identity, and the real world consequences of being outed would be devistating. I hope the mods understand. Maybe I will just start posting with this account from now on. I wont go into the complexities of my own situation, but for context consider me male to female non-op (my public identity is male but my private identity is female) which is close enough for what I want to communicate.
I like the article overall, but there are a couple points I don't like. In particular, this statement:
"The joke, in the case of VII, was Cloud?s (and, by extension, the player?s) sense of discomfort despite there not being any real reason to be uncomfortable in the first place."
The idea that there was no reason for Cloud to feel discomfort is kind of offensive to me. Breaking societal norms (and breaking down the defense mechanisms a person has built up over a lifetime) is not something everyone can do lightly. My own explorations into female presentation have been intense and extremely difficult, even though up to this point they have been entirely private. I have been reduced to tears more than once. Uncomfortable does not begin to describe the experience. While one of my greatest hopes is to someday be able to publicly and convincingly present as female, the mere idea of actually attempting public female presentation is almost panic inducing. If I was in Clouds position I would be a sobbing, panicking emotional mess, even with the great deal of support he gets from those around him. Even though Clouds situation is not identical to mine, I am glad that the story acknowledges the difficulty this sort of situation presents to some people.
Also, I disagree that the situation being handled as a joke is unfortunate. Dealing with a situation humorously is not necessarily making light of the situation and it can do wonders as a coping mechanism. The only time I have ever been able to bring myself to express my female identity in real life was through a joke about wanting to dress as Princess Peach at a gaming convention. Humor can make a difficult situation, such as confronting inconsistencies in your personal identity, a bearable and ultimately positive experience. Humor can create a safe space in which ideas can be explored.
As a last point, the author of the article points to the part in the group room where Cloud says "I don't feel good. Let me out..." and is told "You'll get used to it. Try counting to ten." He says that is portrays the gay men as "predatory and creepy", but it is just as easily read that they are supportive and helping Cloud to express himself. Remember that as far as these men know Cloud has always wanted to try exploring these sorts of gender questions but is having a lot of difficulty dealing with actually doing it. Cloud expressing his desire to leave could easily be interpreted (especially by the characters in game) as being overwhelmed at the situation and having an anxiety attack. In which case the request to count to ten is more along the lines of "Don't worry, this is a safe space, no one here is judging you. Just give it a few seconds, maybe the anxiety will pass."
It has been a few years since I played through the crossdressing sequence, and it is not perfect. But I can tell you that my most recent experience with it was very positive. It was played for humor which made it safe enough for me to allow myself to actually experience it, it shows a typically confident and strong individual expressing the same feelings of weakness and discomfort I feel when exploring the idea of female presentation, and it depicts a community and above all a close friend showing strong support for Cloud to help him through his discomfort.
