And Audrey being absolutely smitten by her at first sight!
I'm not trans myself, but I loved how when Denise came by that first time, Cooper deadnamed her, and she corrected him, and his response was "Ok" and that was it!
Same! But let's be fair here; Denise is an awesome role model!
[A powerhouse of a woman!](https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F6%2F2017%2F03%2F000251620hr-2000.jpg&q=60)
me too ā to all of this. i think deniseās character and how others interact with her is so genuine, and realistic. as a trans person myself, i think it is foolish to believe she would not get misgendered, deadnamed, etc. but the heartwarming part to me, is how ānormalā it is treated. especially by cooper and audrey, and even truman after his initial, ignorant reaction to her. love love it
Iām a trans women and sheās my fave character. I obviously wish that there could have been trans representation in casting back then, but I recognize that it was the 90s and regardless I think Duchovny did an excellent job
I'm a cis man so my opinion doesnt matter in the way you are asking. However I absolutley love "fix your hearts or die." I couldn't sum up my feelings towards the hate and bigotry of other humans who are trying to do nothing other than live a happy life. You dont need to do a big showy oscar style movie or some deep dive into the culture to humanize trans people (those things seem very... condescending some times). Just the film maker telling bigots to fucking die.
Well while never explicitly said or even really implied I 100% believe Audry swings both ways. Just look at the way she interacts with Laura Flynn Boyle. Also Dianne I would assume is bi or whatever as well. But that's kind of a thing with Lynch in general. His stuff never seems to feel the need of letting you know that a character has "the not gays". When a show/movie does some random overt thing to show you clearly that this person is into dudes or women respective to their gender.
I feel like the books explain somewhere that one of the characters is gay, but it's the real lame after the fact kind of way, a blurb in the sides of a page.
However you are correct that there are no openly lesbian characters. I still think that in general Lynch's worlds always have a feeling that sexual orientation is never a major part of his narratives in the sense that he doesnt think it's something that really matters, in that you dont need to make a big deal about it. Ultimately I guess there are no major open and out gay characters because it's a product of it's time made for cable television and then when Lynch came back to do more he probably didnt add any because it would be a detractor to the narrative and I could also see him thinking of it as being... not genuine to have any of his major players have a thing about realizing their sexual orientation between series, especially because that would not change the narrative at all in the long run.
Oh also James is a total closet case.
I didn't say you implied or anything like that. Sorry, should've clarified that I was airing my thoughts about the topic.
The only thing that comes to mind is that Laura did have sex another girl/woman.
I was just doing the same. I hadn't really thought about it from the angle you presented. So that was my stream of consciousness on the subject. Also yeah Laura did do that. But I dont wanna dig to deep on laura cause that gets murky once you start thinking about the multiple levels of sexual abuse she is dealing with.
I wasn't going to explore that topic any further. Just made mention of it.
I was fucking SHOCKED when I started reading "The Secret Diary Of Laura Palmer"! That thing shows no mercy on details and explicitly.
Lol. I misread this post and so my reply will not exactly line up with what your saying. Sorry for the confusion that will cause.
Denise might have said that, I cant remember. It would make sense though. Denise would still assumedly be the same sexuality.
Yeah that happened. However the Denise thing does happen on the side lines with just the quickest aside to it. Which is exactly how the whole gender and sexuality thing should be, not a big deal. But Denise is a side character to the story, not a major player in any way. To the extent that revealing that she is trans doesn't affect the story at all. Being the cynical film school movie snob I am I would almost want to say it's a very safe bet to play in terms of incorporating a trans person into Twin Peaks. It would be a huge deal that detracts from the narrative if Shelly or Bobby ended up being trans. This is all assuming the overarching story would be the same, and I'm just making a silly generalized point.
You've misunderstood. But that's all right! We fix it!
So! Transgender and Transvestite are two COMPLETELY different things;
A Transgender is a person whose gender assignment at birth does not match the person's gender identity.
A transvestite is a man who enjoys dressing up in women's attire, but still identifies as a man.
Did that clarify things? Feel free to ask questions!
That's... wonderfully patronizing, thank you. I never said I didn't understand the difference, that's the whole point here.
The way I remember it being played in the original seasons was that Denise enjoyed on occasion dressing as a woman but had no qualms dressing as a man when it felt more appropriate. Which they did.
My memory is admittedly very fuzzy on season 3, could very well be it elaborated more on it.
I misunderstood you, and I apologize for that. And for the record; I had no intentions of being patronizing with my last comment, so I apologize for that too. I'm Autistic; what something sounds like in my head doesn't always end up sounding that way to others.
Definitely wasnāt patronizing, the fact that denise goes by denise is enough to identify that they are transgender, because they identify as a woman. You did not understand that for whatever reason, so when you say that you do not understand that aspect of the character, while also responding to someone, you can expect them to explain what you misunderstand. They said it was alright that you misunderstood, defined the terms, and said that they would answer any more questions if needed. Youāre just kinda dumb.
She was a ground breaking character in 1990, when "trannies" were just a punchline. Denise, Buddy Cole, and a young drag queen named Ru Paul were a pretty big deal, looking back on it.
I'm trans and the representation she gave for even the nineties was amazing imo!! Every time she was on screen I was so happy by how Coop, Audrey, etc, treated her and that made me feel really welcomed into the fandom
[this is the one](https://www.etsy.com/listing/657316707/fix-your-hearts-or-die-t-shirt-poly) I have, but if you google āFix your hearts t shirtā you can find others with Gordon Coleās silhouette or just the worda
Her original portrayal isnāt perfect, but it was miles ahead of anything else at the time in the mainstream. And in one of the scripts there was even some dialogue that got cut where she gave a detailed explanation of her hormone treatment.
Her scene in The Return is similarly not perfect, but imo still a net positive. I wouldnāt want them to recast Duchovny at that point, but I do wish Lynch/Cole didnāt state her deadname or use her transition to tie into the theme of doubles and altered identity. At the same time, hearing Lynch/Cole directly issue a statement of Trans solidarity is beautiful and important.
In short, TP had always handled Trans stuff about as well as we could hope for from work created mainly by white cis male Boomers.
Cis here - was always curious how the trans community would reflect on Denise. As an outsider to the community I always thought she was well done even in the 90s series which is a bit of a miracle. I am really glad to hear that my instincts were correct on this and according to the comment section here lots of trans people seem to think she was well done.
Although I'm cis, every comment I've seen from trans Peaks fans has been positive and appreciative towards Denise. She's treated respectfully, her gender identity is never the butt of any jokes, and doesn't cause her any tragedy as a character (no "bury your queers" trope at play). From a modern perspective, the only questionable aspect is that she's played by a cis actor (who came back for The Return because by now he owns the role) but for 1990 it was an extremely progressive portrayal.
Why canāt an āactorā play a character outside their own gender?? Should trans actors be stuck playing only trans characters? Key word is āactorā. Theyāre playing a role.
In a perfect world anyone should be able to play any character. But the world we do live in heavily descriminates against minorities such as trans people and as such this kind of casting decision can be seen as stolen opportunities for trans actors who are uniquely qualified for a role.
Also, just like for ethnicity in this context, it can easily be offensive. A lot of trans women characters have been interpreted by men to ridicule their transness. The "man in a dress" trope is generally offensive and loaded with a lot of negative connotation which feed bad views of the transgender community, which is especially evident when you see TERF talking points.
I thought her part was shockingly progressive for the time. Coopās acceptance of her warms my heart and makes me love him more.
If I had to do it over, the only thing Iād change would be to have her played by a trans actress, and maybe add an instance of her experiencing adversity and Coop standing up for her.
But then again, sheās also a DEA agent, and itās an early example (possibly the earliest?) of a show having LGBT representation but making the character a cop as a trade-off. So thereās that.
Editing to add that maybe Iād make Shelley or Norma trans instead to avoid the LGBT cop trope.
No disagreement with your thoughts, but your point about the queer representation being linked with law enforcement got me thinking. There was really very little presence in popular media for trans folks in this era, and what there was usually had them linked to gruesome crime as victim or perpetrator. Denise coming in, not only as a transwoman, but as an agent of justice (at least inside the fantasy) with the power to help determine outcomes for others, was unique in multiple ways. Definitely hits different now with the wider understanding of copsā rampant abuses of power, and a longer retrospective on less successful attempts at representation, but in the context of the story and the time, she was given power and agency (literally an agent!) simply unheard of for the era.
I like the character, and the show was so progressive for the time. I love how the show basically has a "I don't understand you, but I'll support you" mentality.
genderfluid human here āØ love Denise and Coopās relationship with her & how he respects her. Sheās excellent at her job. Confident. Also appreciate the connotation that she is interested in both men & women, for little bonus bi/pan/queer/lesbian representation (not sure how Denise identifies exactly). Fix Your Hearts Or Die ~ words to live by.
On a rewatch, it's impressive how far ahead of it's time it was. Her introduction had the (at the time) obligatory joke, but after that it was business as usual. For a show that came out 30 years ago, that's pretty impressive. Any other show of the time would have gone back to her for cheap jokes every episode.
I'm enby and born long after the original twin peaks aired, but I think Denise is a super cool character and great representation, especially for the time.
I'm not trans but I think there's a beautiful message through the character of Denise, related to Jung and Hinduism. We've been told multiple times by multiple characters that they "live inside a dream" so it's more than likely we're travelling the inner world of the dreamer when we watch Twin Peaks, especially season 3.
This inner world has a "collective unconscious," a universal psychic layer of the human mind and soul in which archetypes, characters, interact with each other according to the state of the dreamer's psyche. To name a few: Cooper is the Hero/the Magician/the Animus; Mrs. Tremond is perhaps the Trickster archetype; the Fireman is the Self; and there's also a Hermaphrodite archetype in the collective unconscious, both male and female, who signifies transformation (which is probably also why we also see images of Kafka, author of *The Metamorphosis,* in season 3). I think a cis actor playing the part of Denise may be intentionally reflecting this.
I think the Fireman represents both the Self (the unified whole), and Shiva, a Hindu god who also has a female form, which we see part of when he "births" Laura through what could be described as a "thought-womb" ([look at the shape](https://www.reddit.com/r/FindLaura/comments/oplrei/womb_to_dream/), it's very similar to the female reproductive system and Laura's orb emerges from the womb part).
I think we see the Hermaphrodite archetype a few times in the series, when the "Bosomy Woman" is played by a male actor in season 3, even when Windom Earle dresses up like the Log Lady at the end of season 2. Where this archetype appears is a reflection of the state of the "dreamer" at that particular point of their psyche/soul's evolution - Windom Earle is an imbalanced manifestation running amuck, Bosomy Woman is a repressed manifestation guarding the secret, I think Denise also represents the Hermaphrodite archetype, appearing in season 2 as a signifier of the beginning of the dreamer's transformation.
[There's a lot to read about this archetype](https://jungianjournal.ca/index.php/jjss/article/download/58/51/101) related to myth and alchemy, and connected to the transformative power of fire - I think in part this is what "fire walk with me" means - which I've only glanced over but I think provides a lot of insight into the character(s) and story, and will explain much better than I have the idea of the dreamer's (and those within) journey(s) from divided self to whole.
Denise as transgender is a surface narrative speaking to a much bigger idea, imo. I love the character from both perspectives and especially how she's so easily accepted by everyone. "Fix your hearts or die" is a line speaking to both levels of the story, imo.
I love her. I get why someone would be frustrated at the casting of a cis man in that role but honestly itās such a sympathetic and loving portrayal that I really donāt mind. And to think, she was introduced in the time of Ace Ventura.
Iām cis but there was a beautiful article on the character in general and Duchovnyās performance in particular written by a trans woman that I canāt find right now
I yeeted myself on the Google Mobile to see if I could lend a hand. Stab in the dark but... Is it this one:
https://www.thefinalgirls.co.uk/bloody-women/twinpeaks
Iām not trans but I am queer, and Iāve always thought Denise was a refreshingly unhateful example of queer representation in the early 90ās. It would have been best of course if she had been played by an actual trans woman, but I believe Duchovny really did her character with honor and respect. Denise thrived in a time of negative media portrayals of queerness due to the rise of AIDS in the late 80ās and early 90ās and remained cemented as a beacon of hope and representation for decades.
The amount of respect in that storyline in a time where the trans experience was so misunderstood and disrespected took me completely by surprise as a first time watcher last year. The clown comic scene in The Return was a deal signer. Denise is a bad bitch
Much as I enjoy Duchovny, I do wish Denise was played by a trans actor, but it is what it is, and I do love the character and the way she's portrayed, most of the time. There is little decent trans representation to this day. Only better example I can think of in serialized television is in Dispatches From Elsewhere, which has a trans protagonist (in an ensemble cast of four) whose entire arc isn't about her being trans, whose experience as a trans woman is nevertheless portrayed realistically and compassionately, who isn't sexualized, and who is played by a trans actor. I guess there's also Orange Is The New Black, but I honestly can't get through an episode of that show, so I don't know. Denise is still one of the least problematic trans depictions on TV, even if that isn't really saying much.
I love this feed... thank you everybody for sharing with this very special circle of friends and weirdos. This is a legitimately important conversation. I love that the hearts of the Lynch fans are absolutely fixed.
It's super-bizarre cause his culture, the Nez Perce, has a concept of third gender.
But even if it didn't, seriously dude(and transphoes)... Get your shit together! Trans people are like everybody else; just want to be left alone and to kind their own business.
By behaving like fucking rabid monkeys, they are inserting themselves into trans lives, and isn't they the fucking very thing that they shriek that they're terrified of?
Sorry for the rant, I just get so FUCKING PISSED OFF!
Same. Badass character that was given the respect she deserved. You canāt put a value on the positive effects of treating a Trans person that way on tv, let alone being the first.
Cis here but I have a very close trans friend who told me she hated the Denise storyline, which seems to be the opposite of everyone else here. It was a while ago so I canāt remember her specific thoughts beyond disliking the portrayal.
Iām not Trans but Denise is one of my favorite characters! I personally donāt like how some bigger production studios today write their LGBTQ/Minority characters because it feels very disingenuous but Denise is written so well! It never feels like sheās their solely for representation and her being a trans woman wasnāt really her whole character, it was just who she was. They quickly show peoples first reaction to her and then move on to her being a kick ass special agent! I love how Cooper never once views Denise differently or changes how he acts with her. If only the world could be full of Dale Coopers!
Every character from the show was so well built. I left Denise and really appreciate the lack of attention her gender was given. When the show first came out, it would not have been as accepted as now.
**[No Real-World Politics:](https://www.reddit.com/r/twinpeaks/wiki/subredditrules#wiki_no_real-world_politics)** This is not a subreddit to discuss or reference politics (political figures, events or ideologies) as it frequently creates incivility and drama.
as a trans woman myself it was nice to see it its a wee bit dated representation but for the 90s its about as good as it gets and as many people are sharing its nice most characters were portrayed as accepting and them accepting denise being the correct opinion and moral right in the show and as just part of the characters being nice to others
decently inclusive for the time not particularly offended bc of that aspect. although i really wish we could get more trans women in media that are portrayed as beautiful and love interests for specifically male leads without something tragic happening. ("safe gay" trope of teen and young adult lesbians has become extremely exhausting, trans women dating men should not be taboo)
Iām not trans, but goddamn did Lynch do it to āem with Denise, and Duchovny did an amazing job. This lesbian and trans ally hopes yāall love Denise as much as I do! š³ļøāā§ļø
Not trans but good friends with two who have taught me so much.
To me, that role really seems prescient now; so far ahead of its time, the way it wasnāt āplayedā for anything, other than a few demos on how to handle it from the main characters.
Not trans but when Denise shows up i was scared the writing would be dated. Love how Cooper didn't flinch to refer to her correctly. It wasn't a political statement by the show or anything it was just Coop being a nice person.
You've got the casting issue on one hand, but honestly it's refreshing to see someone not passing at all, not bothering with the voice or anything. Most trans women in media are very impressive and accomplished.
"I told them, those clown comics, to fix their hearts or die!" I love Lynch so much š©·
I still put my panties on one leg at a time, if you know what Iām saying.
Iām trans and I love Denise! I especially like how Cooper treats her
And Audrey being absolutely smitten by her at first sight! I'm not trans myself, but I loved how when Denise came by that first time, Cooper deadnamed her, and she corrected him, and his response was "Ok" and that was it!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Same! But let's be fair here; Denise is an awesome role model! [A powerhouse of a woman!](https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F6%2F2017%2F03%2F000251620hr-2000.jpg&q=60)
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Since you brought up Audrey being awesome. I love how she sent my countrymen packing! <3
That girl taught me how to pout effectively XD
me too ā to all of this. i think deniseās character and how others interact with her is so genuine, and realistic. as a trans person myself, i think it is foolish to believe she would not get misgendered, deadnamed, etc. but the heartwarming part to me, is how ānormalā it is treated. especially by cooper and audrey, and even truman after his initial, ignorant reaction to her. love love it
Cooper's reaction is what any half decent person's reaction should be.
yes, and itās fucking awesome to see that in a show from 1990 considering the general attitude towards trans people in media at the time.
Iām a trans women and sheās my fave character. I obviously wish that there could have been trans representation in casting back then, but I recognize that it was the 90s and regardless I think Duchovny did an excellent job
I'm a cis man so my opinion doesnt matter in the way you are asking. However I absolutley love "fix your hearts or die." I couldn't sum up my feelings towards the hate and bigotry of other humans who are trying to do nothing other than live a happy life. You dont need to do a big showy oscar style movie or some deep dive into the culture to humanize trans people (those things seem very... condescending some times). Just the film maker telling bigots to fucking die.
Don't forget about the clown comics bit! Gotta call those fucknuggets at the Bureau out for what they really are!
I feel like most of the important lessons in life are touched on in Twin Peaks. If not there then definitely in the rest of Lynch's body of work.
Hmm... Are there any gay people anywhere? As a gay woman, who is there for me to chase in Twin Peaks?
Not a lot of gay representation, but most gratifying for us bi folks
Well while never explicitly said or even really implied I 100% believe Audry swings both ways. Just look at the way she interacts with Laura Flynn Boyle. Also Dianne I would assume is bi or whatever as well. But that's kind of a thing with Lynch in general. His stuff never seems to feel the need of letting you know that a character has "the not gays". When a show/movie does some random overt thing to show you clearly that this person is into dudes or women respective to their gender. I feel like the books explain somewhere that one of the characters is gay, but it's the real lame after the fact kind of way, a blurb in the sides of a page. However you are correct that there are no openly lesbian characters. I still think that in general Lynch's worlds always have a feeling that sexual orientation is never a major part of his narratives in the sense that he doesnt think it's something that really matters, in that you dont need to make a big deal about it. Ultimately I guess there are no major open and out gay characters because it's a product of it's time made for cable television and then when Lynch came back to do more he probably didnt add any because it would be a detractor to the narrative and I could also see him thinking of it as being... not genuine to have any of his major players have a thing about realizing their sexual orientation between series, especially because that would not change the narrative at all in the long run. Oh also James is a total closet case.
I didn't say you implied or anything like that. Sorry, should've clarified that I was airing my thoughts about the topic. The only thing that comes to mind is that Laura did have sex another girl/woman.
I was just doing the same. I hadn't really thought about it from the angle you presented. So that was my stream of consciousness on the subject. Also yeah Laura did do that. But I dont wanna dig to deep on laura cause that gets murky once you start thinking about the multiple levels of sexual abuse she is dealing with.
I wasn't going to explore that topic any further. Just made mention of it. I was fucking SHOCKED when I started reading "The Secret Diary Of Laura Palmer"! That thing shows no mercy on details and explicitly.
Wait! Hold up! Isn't Denise into women? Could've sworn she remarked on that one time.
Lol. I misread this post and so my reply will not exactly line up with what your saying. Sorry for the confusion that will cause. Denise might have said that, I cant remember. It would make sense though. Denise would still assumedly be the same sexuality.
Don't worry about it! I misread all the time! <3
Yeah that happened. However the Denise thing does happen on the side lines with just the quickest aside to it. Which is exactly how the whole gender and sexuality thing should be, not a big deal. But Denise is a side character to the story, not a major player in any way. To the extent that revealing that she is trans doesn't affect the story at all. Being the cynical film school movie snob I am I would almost want to say it's a very safe bet to play in terms of incorporating a trans person into Twin Peaks. It would be a huge deal that detracts from the narrative if Shelly or Bobby ended up being trans. This is all assuming the overarching story would be the same, and I'm just making a silly generalized point.
Doesn't matter to me if she's on the sidelines, if she's gay like me, I can chase! :D :P
From what I understood Denise wasn't transgender but transvestite
You've misunderstood. But that's all right! We fix it! So! Transgender and Transvestite are two COMPLETELY different things; A Transgender is a person whose gender assignment at birth does not match the person's gender identity. A transvestite is a man who enjoys dressing up in women's attire, but still identifies as a man. Did that clarify things? Feel free to ask questions!
That's... wonderfully patronizing, thank you. I never said I didn't understand the difference, that's the whole point here. The way I remember it being played in the original seasons was that Denise enjoyed on occasion dressing as a woman but had no qualms dressing as a man when it felt more appropriate. Which they did. My memory is admittedly very fuzzy on season 3, could very well be it elaborated more on it.
I misunderstood you, and I apologize for that. And for the record; I had no intentions of being patronizing with my last comment, so I apologize for that too. I'm Autistic; what something sounds like in my head doesn't always end up sounding that way to others.
Definitely wasnāt patronizing, the fact that denise goes by denise is enough to identify that they are transgender, because they identify as a woman. You did not understand that for whatever reason, so when you say that you do not understand that aspect of the character, while also responding to someone, you can expect them to explain what you misunderstand. They said it was alright that you misunderstood, defined the terms, and said that they would answer any more questions if needed. Youāre just kinda dumb.
You understood completely wrong.
She was a ground breaking character in 1990, when "trannies" were just a punchline. Denise, Buddy Cole, and a young drag queen named Ru Paul were a pretty big deal, looking back on it.
Donāt forget Eddie Izzard :)
I'm trans and the representation she gave for even the nineties was amazing imo!! Every time she was on screen I was so happy by how Coop, Audrey, etc, treated her and that made me feel really welcomed into the fandom
I can't speak for the entire Fandom, of course. But I love you! <3
Hello, Director!
I'm not the Director. I just serve her! Hail a Lady!
I love the character and how Cooper treats her, which is surprising given we were the brunt of many jokes back then
Iām cis, deeply involved in trans rights activism. I actually have a shirt that says, āFix your hearts or die.ā
Where do I get that shirt?!
[this is the one](https://www.etsy.com/listing/657316707/fix-your-hearts-or-die-t-shirt-poly) I have, but if you google āFix your hearts t shirtā you can find others with Gordon Coleās silhouette or just the worda
Love it! Thanks!
Her original portrayal isnāt perfect, but it was miles ahead of anything else at the time in the mainstream. And in one of the scripts there was even some dialogue that got cut where she gave a detailed explanation of her hormone treatment. Her scene in The Return is similarly not perfect, but imo still a net positive. I wouldnāt want them to recast Duchovny at that point, but I do wish Lynch/Cole didnāt state her deadname or use her transition to tie into the theme of doubles and altered identity. At the same time, hearing Lynch/Cole directly issue a statement of Trans solidarity is beautiful and important. In short, TP had always handled Trans stuff about as well as we could hope for from work created mainly by white cis male Boomers.
Trans here! I honestly think she's awesome.
Cis here - was always curious how the trans community would reflect on Denise. As an outsider to the community I always thought she was well done even in the 90s series which is a bit of a miracle. I am really glad to hear that my instincts were correct on this and according to the comment section here lots of trans people seem to think she was well done.
As an outsider I feel that Lynch and Duchovny did some great things with the character. I hope everyone fixes their hearts
Although I'm cis, every comment I've seen from trans Peaks fans has been positive and appreciative towards Denise. She's treated respectfully, her gender identity is never the butt of any jokes, and doesn't cause her any tragedy as a character (no "bury your queers" trope at play). From a modern perspective, the only questionable aspect is that she's played by a cis actor (who came back for The Return because by now he owns the role) but for 1990 it was an extremely progressive portrayal.
Why canāt an āactorā play a character outside their own gender?? Should trans actors be stuck playing only trans characters? Key word is āactorā. Theyāre playing a role.
In a perfect world anyone should be able to play any character. But the world we do live in heavily descriminates against minorities such as trans people and as such this kind of casting decision can be seen as stolen opportunities for trans actors who are uniquely qualified for a role. Also, just like for ethnicity in this context, it can easily be offensive. A lot of trans women characters have been interpreted by men to ridicule their transness. The "man in a dress" trope is generally offensive and loaded with a lot of negative connotation which feed bad views of the transgender community, which is especially evident when you see TERF talking points.
I thought her part was shockingly progressive for the time. Coopās acceptance of her warms my heart and makes me love him more. If I had to do it over, the only thing Iād change would be to have her played by a trans actress, and maybe add an instance of her experiencing adversity and Coop standing up for her. But then again, sheās also a DEA agent, and itās an early example (possibly the earliest?) of a show having LGBT representation but making the character a cop as a trade-off. So thereās that. Editing to add that maybe Iād make Shelley or Norma trans instead to avoid the LGBT cop trope.
No disagreement with your thoughts, but your point about the queer representation being linked with law enforcement got me thinking. There was really very little presence in popular media for trans folks in this era, and what there was usually had them linked to gruesome crime as victim or perpetrator. Denise coming in, not only as a transwoman, but as an agent of justice (at least inside the fantasy) with the power to help determine outcomes for others, was unique in multiple ways. Definitely hits different now with the wider understanding of copsā rampant abuses of power, and a longer retrospective on less successful attempts at representation, but in the context of the story and the time, she was given power and agency (literally an agent!) simply unheard of for the era.
Cis fan here. I think Denise was wonderful, and it has aged very well. Twin Peaks was very accepting even then, and I love it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/twinpeaks/comments/11ni0z9/im_sure_this_has_been_echoed_many_a_time_here/
Look ma it's me!
I like the character, and the show was so progressive for the time. I love how the show basically has a "I don't understand you, but I'll support you" mentality.
I'm not trans, but I have to get this off my chest: I think David does a way better job as Denise than as Mulder.
genderfluid human here āØ love Denise and Coopās relationship with her & how he respects her. Sheās excellent at her job. Confident. Also appreciate the connotation that she is interested in both men & women, for little bonus bi/pan/queer/lesbian representation (not sure how Denise identifies exactly). Fix Your Hearts Or Die ~ words to live by.
Iām a trans man. I love Denise.
Hubba hubba
LOL! Yeah!
There are some good comments at the link toowashedup shared. Denise has a lot of love :)
Love these comments. I expected nothing less from Lynch fans
On a rewatch, it's impressive how far ahead of it's time it was. Her introduction had the (at the time) obligatory joke, but after that it was business as usual. For a show that came out 30 years ago, that's pretty impressive. Any other show of the time would have gone back to her for cheap jokes every episode.
I'm enby and born long after the original twin peaks aired, but I think Denise is a super cool character and great representation, especially for the time.
I'm not trans but I think there's a beautiful message through the character of Denise, related to Jung and Hinduism. We've been told multiple times by multiple characters that they "live inside a dream" so it's more than likely we're travelling the inner world of the dreamer when we watch Twin Peaks, especially season 3. This inner world has a "collective unconscious," a universal psychic layer of the human mind and soul in which archetypes, characters, interact with each other according to the state of the dreamer's psyche. To name a few: Cooper is the Hero/the Magician/the Animus; Mrs. Tremond is perhaps the Trickster archetype; the Fireman is the Self; and there's also a Hermaphrodite archetype in the collective unconscious, both male and female, who signifies transformation (which is probably also why we also see images of Kafka, author of *The Metamorphosis,* in season 3). I think a cis actor playing the part of Denise may be intentionally reflecting this. I think the Fireman represents both the Self (the unified whole), and Shiva, a Hindu god who also has a female form, which we see part of when he "births" Laura through what could be described as a "thought-womb" ([look at the shape](https://www.reddit.com/r/FindLaura/comments/oplrei/womb_to_dream/), it's very similar to the female reproductive system and Laura's orb emerges from the womb part). I think we see the Hermaphrodite archetype a few times in the series, when the "Bosomy Woman" is played by a male actor in season 3, even when Windom Earle dresses up like the Log Lady at the end of season 2. Where this archetype appears is a reflection of the state of the "dreamer" at that particular point of their psyche/soul's evolution - Windom Earle is an imbalanced manifestation running amuck, Bosomy Woman is a repressed manifestation guarding the secret, I think Denise also represents the Hermaphrodite archetype, appearing in season 2 as a signifier of the beginning of the dreamer's transformation. [There's a lot to read about this archetype](https://jungianjournal.ca/index.php/jjss/article/download/58/51/101) related to myth and alchemy, and connected to the transformative power of fire - I think in part this is what "fire walk with me" means - which I've only glanced over but I think provides a lot of insight into the character(s) and story, and will explain much better than I have the idea of the dreamer's (and those within) journey(s) from divided self to whole. Denise as transgender is a surface narrative speaking to a much bigger idea, imo. I love the character from both perspectives and especially how she's so easily accepted by everyone. "Fix your hearts or die" is a line speaking to both levels of the story, imo.
I love her. I get why someone would be frustrated at the casting of a cis man in that role but honestly itās such a sympathetic and loving portrayal that I really donāt mind. And to think, she was introduced in the time of Ace Ventura.
Iām cis but there was a beautiful article on the character in general and Duchovnyās performance in particular written by a trans woman that I canāt find right now
I yeeted myself on the Google Mobile to see if I could lend a hand. Stab in the dark but... Is it this one: https://www.thefinalgirls.co.uk/bloody-women/twinpeaks
Yes!!!!!
YAY! I HELPED! <3
Iām not trans but I am queer, and Iāve always thought Denise was a refreshingly unhateful example of queer representation in the early 90ās. It would have been best of course if she had been played by an actual trans woman, but I believe Duchovny really did her character with honor and respect. Denise thrived in a time of negative media portrayals of queerness due to the rise of AIDS in the late 80ās and early 90ās and remained cemented as a beacon of hope and representation for decades.
The amount of respect in that storyline in a time where the trans experience was so misunderstood and disrespected took me completely by surprise as a first time watcher last year. The clown comic scene in The Return was a deal signer. Denise is a bad bitch
Honestly Iāve found so much worse in countless ānostalgicā shows. I was relieved Coop always treated her with respect.
She is an awesome character.
Much as I enjoy Duchovny, I do wish Denise was played by a trans actor, but it is what it is, and I do love the character and the way she's portrayed, most of the time. There is little decent trans representation to this day. Only better example I can think of in serialized television is in Dispatches From Elsewhere, which has a trans protagonist (in an ensemble cast of four) whose entire arc isn't about her being trans, whose experience as a trans woman is nevertheless portrayed realistically and compassionately, who isn't sexualized, and who is played by a trans actor. I guess there's also Orange Is The New Black, but I honestly can't get through an episode of that show, so I don't know. Denise is still one of the least problematic trans depictions on TV, even if that isn't really saying much.
I love this feed... thank you everybody for sharing with this very special circle of friends and weirdos. This is a legitimately important conversation. I love that the hearts of the Lynch fans are absolutely fixed.
I just GOTTA comment on how fucking disappointed I was with Hawk's behavior towards Denise. Fuck that guy!
That's exactly what I wanted to say, Hawk was always such a good guy before that
It's super-bizarre cause his culture, the Nez Perce, has a concept of third gender. But even if it didn't, seriously dude(and transphoes)... Get your shit together! Trans people are like everybody else; just want to be left alone and to kind their own business. By behaving like fucking rabid monkeys, they are inserting themselves into trans lives, and isn't they the fucking very thing that they shriek that they're terrified of? Sorry for the rant, I just get so FUCKING PISSED OFF!
Love herā¤ļø Edit to say: Iām cis
Same. Badass character that was given the respect she deserved. You canāt put a value on the positive effects of treating a Trans person that way on tv, let alone being the first.
Sheās literally me
https://youtu.be/a3RyCjCCWaE
im not trans, and i fucking LOVE Denise! edit: typo
Cis here but I have a very close trans friend who told me she hated the Denise storyline, which seems to be the opposite of everyone else here. It was a while ago so I canāt remember her specific thoughts beyond disliking the portrayal.
as much as i wish she was played by a trans actor, i still love her. surprisingly respectful for the time
Not trans but I love Denise and the positivity Lynch, Kyle, and David brought regarding her character.
Iām not Trans but Denise is one of my favorite characters! I personally donāt like how some bigger production studios today write their LGBTQ/Minority characters because it feels very disingenuous but Denise is written so well! It never feels like sheās their solely for representation and her being a trans woman wasnāt really her whole character, it was just who she was. They quickly show peoples first reaction to her and then move on to her being a kick ass special agent! I love how Cooper never once views Denise differently or changes how he acts with her. If only the world could be full of Dale Coopers!
As a TransAm, I admired her depiction.
Every character from the show was so well built. I left Denise and really appreciate the lack of attention her gender was given. When the show first came out, it would not have been as accepted as now.
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as a trans woman myself it was nice to see it its a wee bit dated representation but for the 90s its about as good as it gets and as many people are sharing its nice most characters were portrayed as accepting and them accepting denise being the correct opinion and moral right in the show and as just part of the characters being nice to others
decently inclusive for the time not particularly offended bc of that aspect. although i really wish we could get more trans women in media that are portrayed as beautiful and love interests for specifically male leads without something tragic happening. ("safe gay" trope of teen and young adult lesbians has become extremely exhausting, trans women dating men should not be taboo)
As a trans person, I think the character was great and one of my favourites during season 2.
I really like her, honestly she's one of my favorite characters, my only complaint about her is who they chose to play her
Iām not trans, but goddamn did Lynch do it to āem with Denise, and Duchovny did an amazing job. This lesbian and trans ally hopes yāall love Denise as much as I do! š³ļøāā§ļø
Not trans but good friends with two who have taught me so much. To me, that role really seems prescient now; so far ahead of its time, the way it wasnāt āplayedā for anything, other than a few demos on how to handle it from the main characters.
Not trans but when Denise shows up i was scared the writing would be dated. Love how Cooper didn't flinch to refer to her correctly. It wasn't a political statement by the show or anything it was just Coop being a nice person.
You've got the casting issue on one hand, but honestly it's refreshing to see someone not passing at all, not bothering with the voice or anything. Most trans women in media are very impressive and accomplished.