The Matrix and Misunderstanding Trans Stories
The Matrix has recently been used as an Alpha Male Chad grindset; however, getting out of the Matrix is actually just being a bigoted, straight, white cis-man (cis - a person who identifies with the gender of which they were assigned at birth). This is an absolutely absurd take because the Matrix was made by two trans women, the Wachowski sisters. These two trans-women not only made one of the greatest movies of all time, but all the while, it is a documentation of the trans experience in the late 90s.
To start off, I want to talk about a very good, very old story: Alice in Wonderland. This Lewis Carol book leads to the first act of the little movie we’re talking about today. You see, the first scene with our main character is that of him sleeping, with technology all around him, and a message on his computer screen saying, “Follow the white rabbit.” I suppose, before diving into this white rabbit, we should learn who our main character is. His name is Neo. At least, that is what the world beyond his computer screen calls him. In the “real” world, he is one Thomas Anderson. This opening shows how many trans people learned about the queer community and transness as a whole. Neo spends his time on message boards, and eventually, he begins looking for a man named Morpheus because he believes he has all the answers to what Neo wants.
Back to Lewis Carol: When the White Rabbit eventually appears, it is, in fact, a tattoo, one that is on a woman. This could be important because it is Neo possibly transitioning into a woman, but it is important because the white rabbit invites Neo to a club. Arriving at this club, it is full of people clad in dark leather and very non-school-appropriate clothing. In our world, this would be a 90s gay bar or queer-friendly club. Neo, when there, meets Trinity, someone who knows Neo by name; she doesn’t know Mr. Anderson; she knows Neo. Neo, hearing this, responds, confused to hear his preferred name but very clearly not disturbed. This is important as when Neo hears somebody call him “Mr. Anderson” later in the film, he shudders, like he doesn’t like the name. Thomas Anderson is his dead name. His real name is Neo.
Now, skipping a good bit, we get to the meeting between Neo and Morpheus. Morpheus being portrayed by a black man is particularly important, as many lgbtq movements have been fronted by POCs. For example, the first brick thrown at Stonewall was done by a black trans person, Marsha P. Johnson. Being a leader of this strange group, Morpheus is definitely being made with somebody like Marsha Johnson in mind. The first thing Morpheus does with Neo is show the red and blue pills. The red one, which is the one that allows you to escape from the Matrix, is the exact same color as estrogen pills in the 90s. And what does Morpheus say happens when you take the red pill? “Let’s see how far this rabbit hole really goes down.” More Alice in Wonderland. First off, this obviously means the trans rabbit hole; the whole rest of the movie links to it. Secondly, when Alice is in the rabbit hole, she consumes food objects that change her body; one makes her big, and one makes her small; perhaps these pills in the Matrix are similar; they change the taker's body, perhaps the body of the opposite sex.
The antagonists of the film are very traditional masculine men, all in expensive-looking three-piece suits. The antagonist itself is a rich man in society. At the same time, the protagonists all wear dark leather, a queer fashion trend in the 90s and arguably still today, and all of the protagonists have outrageous names that no parent would choose, Trinity, Sigma, Switch, Cypher, Apoc, Morpheus, and, of course, Neo. The first thing that the agents (the antagonists) do when they have Neo in custody is make him physically unable to talk. They take away his freedom of speech, which is happening even now with trans people where our problems are being ignored, and there is an attempt to make us illegal to exist.
Now, I want to try to define what the Matrix is. In the movie, the Matrix is a program, but what does the Matrix mean? We get a couple of clues from the movie. For example, it is stated that the Matrix is control. This is… vague, but there are also mentions of the people inside the Matrix, who are the enemy, as much as the program itself, not because they are malicious, but because they don’t know anything about anything outside the Matrix. The Matrix is about patriarchy. People, particularly men, who don’t see the harm in the patriarchy and generally like it have never lived in a country or seen how another country works without it. You are wrong if you think we aren’t in a patriarchy. Count the most popular superheroes in America, see how many are men, look at senators and presidents and anybody in power, see how many are men, check the wealthiest people on the planet, and see how many are men. That is patriarchy. There is no denying it: Men have power.
You can generalize this idea: the Matrix is masculinity. That’s it. When Neo escapes the Matrix, he is escaping Masculinity. This makes the final fight in the movie mean so much more. Agent Smith has Neo pinned down, and he says, “Mr. Anderson.” Smith is trying to pin down Neo as a masculine person in a masculine society, and Neo responds wonderfully, “My name is Neo.” And then Neo wins, of course. He’s gotta’ win. It’s an action movie, but he’s also won because he is now cemented as someone who is not his deadname. You’ve probably already seen The Matrix ninety-nine times, but on your hundredth watch, try to go into it with the idea that it could be about trans people. Just simply imagine.