Experience Tumblr like never before
Shotout to non-white transmasc people.
Transmasc people who have textured hair and don't want to cut It short.
Transmasc people whose culture doesn't consider long hair as feminine.
Transmasc people who want to appear feminine, but are masculinized by society.
Transmasc people who aren't "cute skinny non-threatening hairless white boy".
Transmasc people who think about living as a cis woman to find a husband to not let their ethnicity dissapear.
im going to say it and i dont even care anymore:
trans men are allowed to talk about their experiences. trans men talking about trans man experiences is important- it helps other trans men figure out who they are, and helps others who are not understand.
trans men talking about trans man experiences does not take space or ability to speak from anyone else. we are not talking over or silencing other trans people by existing. we are populating the space we rightfully deserve to occupy. we have space within the trans community- our own space, that we specifically speak on. it does not take away from everyone else's space, just like theirs dont take away from ours. we are supposed to occupy space.
if you believe trans men being vocal about their experiences, injustices, struggles, dysphoria and so in is trans men "trying to take over the trans community", admit you sipped the "all men = bad" terf kool aid one too many times. any rhetoric designed to pit trans women and men against one another is terf rhetoric. please be aware of this.
I was a teenager when ace and transmed discourses were at their peaks, and I can’t exaggerate how badly it affected me then.
Now trans men are the latest target, and I’m terrified for trans kids.
It’s easy to say “intracommunity discourse is an online problem! Go talk to queer people irl!”, but people forget that so many kids and teenagers do not have safe or reliable access to IRL LGBT+ communities and support groups. For many, online spaces are the only option.
We need to make sure the younger members of our community are being heard, and block out the hateful voices with messages of support and encouragement. Things are bad enough for trans people right now, and it's easy to forget that trans minors are often the ones suffering the most.
The hate you are experiencing isn’t normal, it hasn’t always been like this, and it won’t always be this way. It is bleeding out from a small, miserable group of self-absorbed jerks.
Don’t feel obligated to call them out, don’t feel like you have to interact with these people. Please don’t doomscroll through discourse tags; it will make you feel like everyone is out to get you.
If you want to speak up for your community, that’s fine, but please take a break if you feel like your mental health is worsening. Block anybody who so much as breathes rudely in your direction.
You’re just as trans as the rest of us. You are welcome here.
Oh, and if you want to seek out external resources and groups, PFLAG helped me a lot when I was younger. It is an American-based organization, however, so if anyone has recommendations for those living outside of the US, please let me know in the reblogs!
Don’t let this stupid discourse prevent you from transitioning! Don’t let people dedicated to misunderstanding you have any impact on how you live your life!
Yes, there will be assholes. I know it hurts more when the people who should support you are the ones attacking you- trust me, I’ve been there.
But at the end of the day, they’re not the ones living your life. They don’t know what’s best for you- you do.
It’s all up to you to decide; what being a man means to you, your relationship with masculinity, and what you want out of your transition.
There’s no wrong answer except for the one others try to force on you.
I can’t wait to see who you become!