this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2024
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Showerthoughts
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I transitioned nearly 20 years ago and have been involved in online trans communities since then. This is the first time I've heard that removing the space between transmen and transwomen is a TERF thing.
It’s their way of saying that trans women aren’t women and trans men aren’t men. It’s less of a technicality thing and more of a “I’m going to be skeptical about this person’s intentions until I see more”
That doesn't make any sense. How does a space change the meaning? Especially after the words have been widely used in the trans community for decades?
it changed its meaning because bad actors decided to use that term specificlly, to imply that "trans[gender]" is a third sort of option (that is not part of the "normal" or "real" genders) and also the biggest enemy of "real [gender]" and especially "real women". The same way "transsexual" became a slur, the same way "retarded" or "special needs" became slurs/insults. If you say someone's name with enough hatred in your voice enough times it'll become an insult as well.
it's stupid i know, and we should reclaim it at one point, but for now it's a dogwhistle for transphobes, at least in online spaces
That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I'm a transman and will continue to call myself such.
alright, i'm not judging you? I'm just making you aware of the current connotations of using that term