On a small scale, the problems with Lev are clear throughout his entire journey with Abby. Later we learn that they were running away because the SCARS were going to punish Lev for standing strong in his identity as a man and shaving his head.ДЄs a consequence of Lev standing up for himself, he is continuously placed into varying degrees of violence over the course of the game. Lev and his sister, Yara, save Abby while they are also running away from SCARS. When Abby ventures to go find her ex, Owen, she is captured and hanged by a religious group called SCARS. The Last of Us Part II attempts to tell a story that is inclusive of trans identities with the introduction of Lev, a trans man appearing in the second half of the game.

From jokes about gender expression, to sex-based power dynamics between characters, and including representation, the history of understanding trans existence in media sucks. IвЂ™m not even limiting this to representation media has just been historically transphobic. Media has always struggled with the existence of transgender identities. Because after playing The Last of Us Part II, it seems like the only reason trans people are made broadly visible is to make cis voyeurs feel good about themselves. I think people expect to see me celebrating a trans character being prominently featured in a AAA videogame. I think IвЂ™m expected to celebrate that a trans character is prominently featured in a AAA videogame.

Lev the last of us 2