#also if ur hear to argue with me about whether transandrophobia is real: stop. this is not the point of the post

[evergreen-lyricist]

something i've been thinking about lately is how terf rhetoric frames trans people. (content warning for discussion of transphobic rhetoric, incidental misgendering & transphobic stereotypes from here forward.)

we hear a lot of terfs talking about trans women being inherently predatory, or at least "invasive" in their use of women's spaces. this connects to the talking point of the necessity "single-sex spaces." but they also create & "sell" a very specific image of what a trans woman looks like, or rather who a trans woman is. the terf "ideal" of a trans woman is an adult man in a dress who calls himself a woman to enter "women's spaces" and prey on cis women. they don't talk about teenage trans women & they especially don't talk about preteen trans girls, like Kai Shapley. in terf thinking, trans women are all adult men who "cosplay" as adult women in order to reap the "benefits."

in contrast, terf rhetoric only ever mentions trans boys; or rather young girls who are "seduced" or "manipulated" into participating in the "transgender craze." these "young girls" need to be protected from the trans "agenda" that seeks to corrupt them. trans men aren't trusted to know themselves. the terf "ideal" of a trans man is a teenage girl who wants to transition bc she has been misguided & told it will help her escape misogyny. they don't talk about adult trans men who pursue medical transition (or don't), they only ever talk about young "girls" who are being "misled" and "tricked." notice how they infantalize Elliot Page (an adult man in his thirties) because he exists outside of their image of "confused young girls who don't understand the consequences of their actions."

in other words, trans men are not given agency in their transition & lives while trans women are always assumed to have a nefarious ulterior motive. because terf rhetoric is built on bioessentialism, in their minds "males" are always manipulative & "females" are always the ones being manipulated. "males" are always looking for more power over "females." "females" are simply small & weak-willed & need to be protected from the "males" who wish to trick them. it's all bullshit, but terfs sure as hell are consistent with their marketing.

TLDR: terfs believe all trans women are tricking all trans men into transitioning because they believe all trans men are vulnerable and all trans women are manipulative.

#ev speaks #transandrophobia tw #transmisogyny tw #transphobia tw #not terf safe #not radfem safe #terfs do not interact #radfems do not interact #terfs & radfems & all bioessentialists FUCK OFF #this post is open for dialogue but terfs/radfems/etc will be blocked on sight #also if ur hear to argue with me about whether transandrophobia is real: stop. this is not the point of the post