'The L Word: Gen Q' Continues To Make It Right With The Trans Community By Bringing Back A Pioneering OG Character

Spoilers Ahead for Season 3 of 'The L Word: Generation Q'

If you've been watching The L Word: Generation Q, you have no doubt been enjoying the throwbacks to the past the show has given us (so far). Between OG regulars Bette, Alice, and Shane returning as regular characters, we've also seen on and off cameos from Tina, Cherie Jaffe, and the overwhelming spirit of the late Dana Fairbanks. And to some surprise, this past week's episode brought back a former show regular who was both pioneering and controversial in their own right.

You know who I'm talking about! Gen Q brought back the original show's trans male character, Max Sweeney.

Max appeared on the original show from 2006-2009 and his very presence caused a lot of conversations back in the day. Being the show's only actively transitioning trans character, there was a lot of confusion and misrepresentation that took place with Max. As we reflect on the OG show and how often Max was dead named and criticized, it's become a pretty common consensus that he was grossly mishandled. Not only that, but his storylines did nothing to help the trans community. He actually enforced harmful stereotypes regarding both trans people and the behavior lesbians and cis-women can exhibit towards trans men.

Along with the character's return, we have the return of his original actor, Daniel Sea - who is also trans, like Gen Q actors Leo Sheng and Jamie Clayton. Sea has spoken on the subject of The L Word many times and basically has made it clear that the treatment and perception of Max was a reflection of the climate in which trans people were living (and working) at the time.

Sea recently told the Los Angeles Times:

"It wasn’t easy for me as a trans actor back then... The gender binary in wider society was still very rigid in 2006. The industry has evolved in its understanding of the diverse experiences of queer and trans identities."

Fast-forwarding to Gen Q, the narrative around trans characters is a lot different than it was in the 2000s. Not only is Hollywood more open, but the perception and acceptance within queer communities is more open. A character like Micah is embraced by the community around him, including his lesbian friends. He has a career and is shown having accepting, romantic relationships. Meanwhile in The L Word, Max was pressured out of a career for being trans and couldn't get his job as a female. He also was in and out of abusive situations, as well as being constantly criticized by his lesbian and hetero-female acquaintances. I know we all remember the rough conversation Max had with Kit when he was trying to raise money for top surgery. You know, when Kit openly shamed him for "giving up womanhood" and conforming to the patriarchy.

This shift towards acceptance is important to remember when it comes to Max being brought back for Gen Q because we left him in a pretty rough spot. When The L Word ended, Max was in a relationship with a cis-gay man, wound up pregnant, and then was essentially abandoned by everyone. But fast-forward to today and Max is in a loving relationship, has children, and is seemingly successful career-wise. He is even the person giving an example of what trans parenting and relationships can be for Micah and Maribel. That is huge!

Max is showing us that despite the rocky beginnings, the times have changed and continue to change for the better. In addition to the excitement and encouragement Max gives Micah about the future, we see a reunion between Max and Shane. I feel like with that brief moment, Shane spoke for the show as a whole when she apologized to Max for basically everything. There is still a lot of work to do regarding the relationship lesbians have with trans men, but this was a step in the right direction of recognizing those mistakes and trying to make up for them.

I'm excited to see more from Max in future episodes, or just to see Gen Q take this conversation further with characters like Micah. With the current political climate in the United States towards the transgender community, we need to support them more than ever and give them representation that is not harmful. Bringing Max back is a step in that direction.

How do you feel about Max's return?