Shamelessly stolen from J-Brony on deviant art.

I found this kickstarter on the internet last night. It is amazing. Just watch that video and then come back. I’ll wait.

Now, I’m not going to make fun of people for being so invested in cartoon ponies. Why would I? I’m super invested in urban fantasy, which is equally as alien and daft if you think about it. That these people like something so much that they can be this passionate and committed to it does not warrant derision. Perhaps a little good natured ribbing, but that’s neither here nor there.

No, what I want to talk about is the presence of a trans pony.

It’s one of those things you don’t really notice until something points it out to you, but why are we reliant on indie developers to represent the under-represented so? If you pick your way through the hundreds of indie games that lurk on the internet, you won’t have to go far before you stumble across one that contains a transgender or gay character, and — here’s a shocker — doesn’t even make a big deal about it. They’re just characters that happen to be in the game, and they happen to be gay or trans. You know, like actual people or something.

I’ve been trying to think of a AAA game that even comes close, and the best I can manage is Final Fight and its portrayal of Poison, and even that is a stretch. Not that I’m saying we should just stuff our games full of trans and gay characters just for the hell of it, but you’d think there would be some. Somewhere.

Good on you, bronies and pegasisters.