The classically cute Netflix Anime, Carole and Tuesday, tells the tale of two seventeen-year-old girls chasing their musical dream. Carole is an Earth-born orphaned refugee, whereas Tuesday is hiding from her pampered life where her politician mother controls her every move. Together, they venture into the music industry, meeting a plethora of quirky characters along the way, as some of the only artists left who don't rely on AI to make music.
Not many shows can boast a cast so full of LGBTQ+ characters, and Carole and Tuesday should be commended for their efforts in multi-cultural representation. Sadly, appears that most of these LGBTQ-inspired personae fall on the villainous side of the moral scale and display offensive seterotypes in their actions.
Marie: The Confused Bisexual
Gus has evidently been in show business for many years and has managed to gather an impressive group of talented contacts, and when Carole and Tuesday need some help with hair and make-up, Gus knew just who to call. Marie would be perfect for the job, but first, the politics must be put to rest! Once upon a time, Gus and Marie were married, but is it unclear what caused their break up. Viewers assume that Gus is to blame, wtih his non-chalant attitude coupled with a musician's lifestyle, however, Marie admits to struggling with internal conflict, suspected to revolve around her sexuality.
Marie finds love again in the form of a costume designer named Annie, and the couple plan to get hitched. It is, however, heart-warming to see that, despite everything, Gus and Marie still share a beautiful connection with no resentment, and Marie even goes out of her way to assist her ex-husband's prodigies with their make-up and wardrobe, free of charge!
Desmond: Suffering in Solitude
Although not many details are given surrounding this phenomenon, apparently Mars' atmosphere has an effect on certain people, prompting a re-distribution of hormone levels within the body. As a result, some people's genders were permanently altered, Desmond being one of them.
Desmond appeared to have no issues with their new non-binary status; even though it was not a voluntary decision, Desmond accepted themselves completely. If they could change anything in life, Desmond would likely not revert back to their cis-male form, because all they desire is to be reconnected with the one they love, who no longer blesses the world with his presence. Despair leads Desmond to a life of solitude, one surrounded by AI, plants, music, and not much else, other than the occasional visitor who appreciates Desmon's incredible talents.
Desmond's character is inspirational because, despite being wheelchair-bound and heartbroken, they can still find beauty in the little things in life. Regardless of their situation, Desmond seems to appreciate everything so deeply, showing absolutely no Diva complex even with their highly elevated celebrity status. Desmond's down-to-Earth energy perfectly matches Carole and Tuesday, who also do not possess an egotistical bone in their bodies.
Cybelle: The Crazy Lesbian Stalker
Besides Gus' jealous bartender friend, Cybelle is the first villainous LGBTQ+ side character introduced to the storyline. In the English dub, an emphasis is made on Cybelle being a female character in terms of voice and pronoun choices, however, in the Japanese edition, Cybelle is confirmed to be non-binary, but has feminine pronouns forced onto them.
Cybelle finds themselves infatuated with Tuesday, going so far as to enter Mars' Brightest just to get closer to their idol. Incapable of respecting boundaries, Cybelle stalks Tuesday and tries to manipulate her into a partnership - both professionally and romantically. Cybelle starts to get aggressive with the naive girl, and when Tuesday rejects their musical collaboration idea, Cybelle gets their revenge by burning Tuesday's hand, leaving her unable to play her Gibson for the competition that day.
The Mermaid Sisters Make a Scene
This group of transgender singers provided much entertainment value to the show, however, they were not painted in the best of light. With their beautiful voices and creatively colorful style, the group performed an Accapella song with an incredibly catchy tune. However, the Mermaid Sisters show the utmost disrespect for the competition and all the contestants by singing the nonsensical vulgarities of "Galactic Mermaid", the lyrics of which are made up of nothing but cuss words. An infuriated Catherine disqualifies the group from advancing in the event, and a poor representation of stereotypical transgender rage ensues. The resentful Mermaid Sisters proceed to vandalize the stage, destroying everything they can get their hands on, and once again antagonizing the LGBTQ+ community in the process.
Dahlia: The Deceptive
Dahlia's character arguable does the most damage to the reputation of the LGBTQ+ community, as she is one of the main characters, and potentially the most manipulative. It is unclear as to whether Dahlia's transition was voluntary or due to Mars' atmosphere, but nevertheless, it is lovely to see that absolutely everyone accepts her as the woman she is. Dahlia and her daughter, Angela, have a close bond, but the toxicity of their relationship is undeniable. Angela survived an abusive childhood, where she was not only used as a pawn in show business but was also physically harmed at Dahlia's hands. To make matters worse, Dahlia blames her hormone imbalance (strongly suggested to be from the transition) for her outbursts, and never actually takes responsibility for her own actions.
Even when the hormone issue is no longer around to blame, Dahlia shows her potential for violence when she loses her temper. She also insists that Angela continue to work with Toa even though her daughter is clearly not happy, and demands no less than perfection from her daughter. Dahlia's parenting skills caused significant emotional damage to her adoptive daughter - a fact that was angrily thrown in Angela's face to ensure she felt isolated, and therefore incapable of leaving.
The transgender community has been dealt enough damage from accusations of roid-rage and the likes, and it is unnecessary to add more fuel to the unfortunate stigma. As more people become comfortable in their own skin, and as society slowly welcomes the LGBTQ+ community into its folds, there will undoubtedly be more cases popping up concerning adoption processes. Nobody needs to automatically associate a transgender parent with an abusive household, and this element of Carole and Tuesday's storyline could have been handled with a lot more delicacy and consideration for the overall LGBTQ+ image.