Batgirl Snags “First Trans Actor in a DC Comics Film” Participation Trophy

HBO Max’s Batgirl has cast, Ivory Aquino to play Alysia Yeoh, Barbara Gordon’s best friend and roommate. While word of Aquino’s casting had leaked earlier this month due to a set photo, the news has finally been confirmed.  Because both Aquino and her character Yeoh are both transgender, Warner Bros. was very proud to announce that this makes Batgirl the “first live-action film based on a DC Comics character to include an openly trans character”.

Alysia first appeared on the printed page in DC Comics’ Batgirl in 2011, created by writer Gail Simone and penciler Ardian Syaf. How long before Simone virtue signals with a humble bragging pat herself on the back for this character?

As Breitbart points out, this is a thin nuance because they already had a trans actor in their Supergirl TV series on The CW, trans actor Nicole Maines was the comic book giant’s first onscreen trans character Dreamer back in 2018. So this really feels like an effort to tick an “inclusion” checkbox. 

Is that gonna sell more HBO Max subs? Or is the marketing department out of ideas at this point?