GenderTerror

TW: Transmisogynistic slurs.

I got a newsflash for you. If you are not a trans woman, the word tr*nny is not yours. I can hear the whining now. But, tr*nny has been used against me! It’s a slur against all trans* people! Let me break it down for you. The simple answer is so? Doesn’t matter. Straight people call each other faggot all the time. I guess if a straight person gets called a fag, they can use and reclaim that word, huh? The answer is no, they can’t. The same goes for the word tr*nny.

I used to think the same way. I am a non-binary trans guy. People have called me a tr*nny (especially a trend tr*nny) numerous times. I was put in my place by some rather angry women when I argued for my use of the word. However, I have come to my senses. Just look at how the word is used. The most common and prominent usage is in porn; porn that features trans women. When people think of the word, they do not conjure all forms of trans* people. They conjure images of trans women, especially non-passing trans women. The punch line of most tr*nny jokes? Trans women. Generally how they are really men, dudes in dresses, and not actually women (which we know is a bunch of bull).
Continue reading “Do Not Use”

There is a significant lack of trans* narrative. Where there Is, it is dominated by white trans men/trans masculine people like myself (somewhat). Most trans* narrative is by binary trans* people. The media and society love passable trans* people. Not only passable, but especially stereotypically feminine trans women and stereotypically masculine trans men. They like trans* people to adhere to the binary and perpetuate it. Few non-binary trans narratives exist. Even fewer trans* POC narratives exist. Think about the popular transgender people in media. Look at the transgender people who are given the chance to be the face of the trans* movement and the struggles and problems. It’s not people like CeCe McDonald. It’s people like Chaz Bono. You don’t see trans men like myself who are extremely feminine and prefer high heels and tight jeans to sneakers and slacks. According to the popular media, we do not exist. Now, there is nothing wrong with being a binary trans* person. Absolutely nothing. You are who you are and you like what you like. Binary trans* people are not the problem, the lack of non-binary coverage by the mainstream media, or being a face of the community is the problem. Another issue is that so many trans* narratives (both fiction and non) are not even written by trans* people.
Continue reading “Lacking Narrative”