I was wondering what actual transgenders/transvestites thought of the character Grell Sutcliff from Black Butler as he is trans.
I'll admit that Grell was sometimes funny in the anime, and I think Grell was way cooler in the manga. I think, Grells's gender, is for readers, to decide for themselves. I actually have some Japanese guide book and it says Grell's secret wish is a sex change. I obviously dunno if I should use male or female pronouns to refer to Grell. Personally, I think Grell is insane, and I lean on the side of saying that character is a trans woman. A good example? Possibly, if one remembers that fictional characters tend to have exaggerated behaviour. I'm a trans guy, so I can't really talk for trans women.
Okay: I see Grell as a transgender woman. When I first started reading/watching Black Butler, I was like instantly "Oh! Grell's a transgender woman!". I admit that when I'm talking with others about Grell I use he/him/his more often than she/her. Sometimes I just do Grell/Grell's... I tend to do that more often. Lets face it: No matter what gender Grell is, Grell is one if the best fucking characters in Black Butler. (If you wanna know my favorite its a toss-up between Grell and the Undertaker... andItotallyshipGrellandtheUndertaker)
I love Grell so much (as you can see in ny signature, shipped with William T. Spears. Watch one of the bonus episodes and you'll know why). He was great in the manga, but when I saw him in the anime (Japanese version), he came to life for me with his funny voice and great animations and sassy movements. The anime brought his character to a whole new level. He's too vibrant to be stuck in a still frame. I usually refer to him as a *very* effeminate gay man because I don't remember him voicing disconfort with his body in the manga or anime, but it's equally likely that I could have missed it. But I could easily see him as a trans woman as well.
He was the most interesting character in the series for me, I wish he was more prominent however it seemed like he unfortunately became more of a comic relief character as the series went on, though I only watched the anime so I can only judge him based off that. I never interpreted his femininity as him literally being transgender since since there's no mention of him experiencing dysphoria as Tai said. It doesn't seem to be an aspect of his character that was meant to be taken too seriously however it could have been interesting if they explored it more.
Well most places I've seen refer to Grell as male, but the way he talks to sebastian ('Often employed by trangender or gay characters') and that he refered himself to as 'The Queen of London' means that... And... I just don't know...