(scroll down if you want to skip to the quotes)
i watched the 1978 tv series as a child because my mum watched it when she was a child and she adored the series and the books. i know i’ve also read at least some of the books but most of my memories come from the tv series
i found these quotes just by ctrl+f-ing 5 of the books for words like “boy” and “master george” (and “henry”). i’m sure there’s a lot more and more interesting stuff to be found when actually reading the books. but there’s also a lot of bad stuff (that i don’t remember at all, so i (and also my mum) must have taken that as normal as a child), in general and in disrespecting and making fun of george for his transness, even from the other 3 children who at least generally accept some things like calling him george
i always liked julian the least because he was a strong and commanding boy who didn’t view george and girls as an equal, but i did like that he would deal with more dangerous things for the others and protect them
dick always felt like a boring default boy with no personality to me, at least in the tv series, i don’t remember him from the books. but also he was less manly and daring than julian, so i thought i had to pick him to relate to
i’ve always liked anne the most because she was careful, soft and didn’t want to do dangerous things, just like me. and she was usually wearing the prettiest clothes. but of course she was a girl and i was not and could obviously never be one, so relating to her was off-limits for me
and then there’s of course george. george being a “girl who would rather have been born a boy”, and that at least to some degree being accepted by the people around him, was very fascinating. but i also kind of agreed with anne – how could a girl want to be a boy instead when being a girl is obviously the better choice?
and george is definitely trans. yes, the word “transgender” was not used to describe him and didn’t exist yet, but other words existed, and the human experience it describes has always existed. george is described exactly as a trans boy would be described, it’s just not named as such. if there were a character who was described like “brian was not attracted to people of The Other Gender but to people of the same gender. he loved his fellow man john and wanted to marry him to live gaily ever after”, then he would obviously be gay because that’s what was described, even if the word wasn’t used. so here’s some proof that master george is an unintentional but definite trans icon from 84 years ago who has surely been responsible for putting cracks in countless eggs:
”Do you call her ‘George’?” asked Anne, in surprise. “I thought her name was Georgina.” ”So it is,” said her aunt. “But George hates being a girl, and we have to call her George, as if she was a boy. The naughty girl won’t answer if we call her Georgina.”
”I’m George,” said the girl. “I shall only answer if you call me George. I hate being a girl. I won’t be.“
“You look like a boy.” ”Do I really?” said George, the frown leaving her face for a moment.
“Bad luck, old girl-I mean, old boy!” George managed to smile.
She had had her hair cut even shorter than usual, and it really was difficult to know whether she was a boy or a girl.
The local people all knew how badly she wanted to be a boy, and they knew, too, how plucky and straightforward she was, so they laughed to one another and said: “Well, they reckoned she behaved like a boy, and if she wanted to be called “Master George” instead of “Miss Georgina”, she deserved it!”
“I’m Master George, not Miss Georgina,” said George, in a cold voice.
“Mr. Roland, sir,” he began. “Could you call my cousin by the name she likes - George - she simply hates Georgina.”
‘Why, if it isn’t Master George!’ said the old fellow with a grin. George grinned too. She loved being called Master instead of Miss.
“Oh - Henry!” said Anne, with a laugh. “I should have thought you’d find a lot in common with another girl like yourself, who would rather be a boy, and tries to act like one!”
“After all, you and she are very alike, George. You both think you ought to have been boys”
“Yes, what was it now, Henry,” said Dick. “Nice chap. I’m going to like him.” George stared as if she couldn’t believe her ears. “Henry! Did she meet you?” “No - not she - he”, corrected Julian.
#GeorgeKirrin #George #FamousFive #TheFamousFive #EnidBlyton #trans #transgender #TransBoy
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