Its a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world

[raybear]

I need to come out about something. I really, really dislike the use of the word "tranny/trannie". I'm not even talking about that Project Runway dude. I'm talking about my friends and neighbors.

I'm more okay if its used to describe some sort of event/space/concept that is about being intentionally provocative, like "Trannyshack" in SF. I'm not okay with it being used a general noun or descriptor of a category of people, e.g. "you could come, its full of trannies!!" or even things like "tranny yoga class" or "tranny dance night." Even if this is supposedly being used as a positive selling point. If a trans person uses it self-referentially, I don't notice as much, since I respect any homos right to call themselves a fag, a dyke, a lesbian, a queer, etc. But non-trans people saying it really gives me the willies the most. Its like all the gross fetish buttons get lit up on my emotional switchboard.

So, I'm curious to know what others think.

[Poll #1226144]

Please don't be shy about checking any box, as all of them are things I've thought myself while pondering this question.

Comments

[unscrambled.livejournal.com]

We have talked about your self-description before, it makes a ton of sense to me. Of course, it also makes sense that other people don't feel that way. Insufficient words.

Even physiological isn't quite right to me, as I think that the psychological is also physiological, and that it can't be untangled. And I think there are serious as-yet undiscovered endocrinological gender components that we don't understand that impact all of this.

Also, I don't mind non-trans as an adjective.

But fucking "female bodied!" This is very likely not true of everyone who might describe their dating choices this way, but any time I hear that I think--you don't respect people's gender/bodies/identities/you are an external genital essentialist.

[raybear.livejournal.com]

I agree with non-trans. It has the added bonus of disrupting the norm placement! Aww, this makes me want to bring back my campaign of always mentioning that a person in a story is white, especially if it has no bearing on the story at all. Just so people can ask "why did you point out that he/she's white?" and I can respond, "well, they were."