The world was left reeling
last week when the clownfish Marlin, of Finding Nemo fame, revealed that he
transitioned to a female following the tragic death of mating partner Coral, as
is entirely normal and natural for members of the Amphiprion ocellaris species.
Marlin debuted as Marilyn
on the cover of the July edition of Manatee
Fair, propelling the concept of transgender fish into the public eye.
Expressing a desire to be referred to by female fish pronouns and talking about
how she was finally able to “be herself”, she said: “Once Coral died, I needed
to spend some time to really find out who I was. Turns out I was the most aggressive
male left in my group and needed to become female to establish my dominance
over the others to enhance my reproductive success.”
“I suppose I always knew
that to be true,” she added.
Marilyn, who now produces
eggs instead of sperm clouds, has also hit out at the studio behind the film
that shot her into the limelight back in 2003, Finding Nemo, while her possible role in the upcoming Finding Dory sequel hangs in the balance
amid accusations of transphobia.
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| Equality rights campaigner Chris Brown hailed Marilyn as "courageous". |
“Finding Nemo was supposed
to be a documentary about the struggles my family endured following most of my
offspring being eaten, including my sex change,” explains Marilyn. “Instead,
Pixar glossed over my transition entirely and focussed on the search for my son,
which again was presented in a way that the anthronormative audience would be
comfortable viewing.”
“I only wanted to find him
because he was the last viable mate left in my reproductive social hierarchy.”
Marilyn, who still enjoys
curling up on Saturday nights in the comfort of her anemone watching plankton
become stung and ensnared by cnidocytes, is also famous for holding the world record
for longest distance travelled by a lightweight clownfish, earning her gold in
the early 2000s.
However, a controversial
petition has started on Change.org requesting that her gold be rescinded,
stating: “We must ask whether it is proper that Marilyn retains her gold, given
that at the time of competing she was a hermaphroditic fish, putting her in an
unfair playing ocean with her competitors. #givebackthegoldfish”. The Oceanic
Olympic Committee is yet to comment.
In related news, former
athlete Bruce Jenner has transitioned to become the woman Caitlyn Jenner for
reasons seemingly unrelated to social dominance, reproduction or the ingestion
of the Kardashian family by a large barracuda.
Ryan
