The film features Snowflake, a prominent drag queen/transgender character, depicted with both vulnerability and resilience amidst a harsh urban life. While her circumstances are bleak and she embodies a stereotype, the narrative presents her with humanity. The portrayal is observational, neither explicitly affirming nor denigrating her identity, resulting in a neutral net impact.

Heavy Traffic includes Rosa, a transsexual prostitute, among its diverse urban characters. While her life is depicted as challenging, the film portrays her with notable empathy and tenderness in her interactions with the protagonist. Her transsexual identity is present but not central, and the narrative avoids explicit ridicule or degradation, resulting in a neutral overall impact.

The film depicts a decaying urban environment where nominal Christian values are largely absent or hypocritically applied by characters, contributing to the pervasive moral decay and despair. The narrative offers no significant counterbalancing positive portrayal of the faith or its adherents.

Judaism is primarily depicted through the character of Michael's mother, Ida, who is portrayed as an overbearing, neurotic, and manipulative figure, reinforcing problematic ethnic and gender stereotypes. The film's narrative uses her character to highlight dysfunctional family dynamics, intertwining her Jewish identity with these negative traits without offering counterbalancing nuance.