Spoilers ahead for Season 2 of The Squid Game.

One of the things that makes the hit Netflix series The Squid Game so appealing is the wide range of individuals who have decided to sign up for the games. It's a clever way to show that the real villain — rampant late-stage capitalism — affects pretty much everyone who isn't filthy rich. As far-fetched as it may seem, many of us are only one bad decision, accident or illness away from seeing something like The Squid Game as the only way out. It's terrifying, and having characters that represent all different walks of life really drives the point home because the audience can relate. It also helps us empathize with characters who are experiencing something unique to us; I grew up having much love to player 067 from the first season, Kang Sae-byok (Hoyeon Jung) and it's hard to imagine the first season without her.

The third episode of Season 2 introduced another character that will appeal to some audiences while introducing a foreign concept to others: Player 120, Hyun-yu (Park Sung-hoon), a transgender woman. Some (ignorant, bigoted) fans who completely miss the point of The Squid Game may see this as an attempt to force positive portrayals of transgender people down their throats, such as the recent backlash with Star Wars fans over a trans clone trooperbut trans people do exist and deserve to be shown on screen just like the rest of us. There is one issue, however: Park is a cisgender man playing a transgender woman. Let's take a closer look at this character who is almost guaranteed to be as controversial in the show's native South Korea as he is here in the United States.

In promotional video for the second season, Park described Hyun-joo as "a former special forces soldier and a transgender woman" who "joins the game because she has no money for her gender confirmation surgery". She was kicked out of the military when she started transitioning, and unfortunately, her family and friends completely shunned her. While some LGBTQ identities are protected classes in South Korea and there was a monumental Supreme Court case that ruled in favor of allowing a transgender woman with young children to be allowed to legally change her gender in 2022, transgender people still face intense discrimination. So it makes sense to some extent that Hyun-joo would face the horrors of the Squid Game to start a new life, because the life he had in South Korea was no life at all.

Park goes on to describe Hyun-joo very positively, noting her tenacity:

"Although she faces prejudice and difficult situations, she shows incredible strength, determination and natural leadership. Through her resilience, she shatters stereotypes and shines as an inspirational character.

At first, some players, like Player 149, Geum-ja (Kang Ae-sim), are confused about playing alongside a transgender woman, but eventually realize that she is just like any of them. It's great that Geum-ja eventually befriends Hyun-joo and that Hyun-joo becomes somewhat of a hero, but it's still frustrating that she's portrayed by a cisgender man. Netflix has done some great things to help the transgender community this year, such as streaming the vital, the must-see documentary "Will and Harper" and even on wildly frustrating "Emilia Perez" at the very least, it's transgender Carla Sophia Gascon in the lead. So why couldn't they cast a trans actor for The Squid Game in season 2? Well, according to the show's creator, there's a specific reason.

According to Squid Game creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, finding a Korean trans actor for the role proved difficult, if not impossible. Talking to TV guideHwang said it was "almost impossible to find someone we could cast authentically", adding:

"In the beginning, we were doing our research, and I was thinking about authentically casting a trans actor. When we researched in Korea, there are hardly any actors who are openly trans, let alone openly gay, because unfortunately in Korean society right now the LGBTQ community is still marginalized and more neglected, which is heartbreaking."

In very important documentary "Discovery", actress, writer and producer Jen Richards explains why it's vital to have trans women in trans roles:

"I think part of the reason men end up killing trans women out of fear that other men will think they're gay because they've been with trans women is because their friends, the men whose judgment they fear, only know trans women from the media and the people who play trans women are the ones who know see these women off-screen still as women, it completely debunks the idea that they're somehow men in disguise."

Richards is absolutely correct, but the financial security of a trans actress in South Korea should also be considered as this is still a South Korean production despite her international popularity. It is also a sign that there is still much that can be done to have a better, more authentic representation. We need trans stories on our screens now more than ever. If you want to see something on Netflix about a real trans woman that will make you laugh and cry just go watch will and harper. Everyone should.

Season 2 of The Squid Game is now streaming on Netflix.