I Am Glad Neil Gaiman Confirmed That Crowley Was Presenting As Female During The Crucifixion Scene

I am glad Neil Gaiman confirmed that Crowley was presenting as female during the crucifixion scene

Because I have seen people argue that his Nanny outfit was transphobic, and I happen to think that’s a bad take.  It would have been transphobic if the joke had been, “Ha ha, a man in a dress,” but instead the joke was, “Ha ha, demonic Mary Poppins.”  But, you know, even though I think it’s a bad take, I can kind of understand where it’s coming from.  We’ve been so socialized to think the joke is going to be, “Ha ha, a man in a dress,” that it’s difficult to put a man in a dress without the joke sort of popping up, if that makes any sense, whether the creator meant it or not.

But, if Crowley was presenting as female at the crucifixion scene, that’s a different angle.  Because nobody is drawing any attention to his presentation, and the only jokes going on have nothing to do with how he’s presenting himself.  (In fact, that scene is appropriately grim, overall.  The biggest joke is a very dark one about how of course preaching a message of love and peace will get you horrifically murdered by the government.)  Crowley’s presentation is just … there.

And if you ask me, that changes the context of the Mary Poppins bit a little bit, too.  Presenting as female is not something that Crowley did one time, for a disguise.  Presenting as female is just something he does every now and then.

I wish we’d seen a little more of it.  Another historical segment, closer to our own time, when “female presentation” looks a bit more like we’re used to seeing and the issue isn’t confused by everyone wearing robes.  But even so, I’m glad to have it there and even more glad to have it confirmed.

I bet that post-canon Crowley sometimes dresses up in a black dress to go to the opera with Aziraphale.  Probably with high heels that could kill a man and very snake-themed jewelry.