Meaning
What does Transtrender mean?
A transtrender is a person who obtains another gender identity than the one they were assigned at birth, not because they experience gender dysphoria or because they actually identify with that gender, but because it’s cool.
They want to be edgy, different, fit into the LGBTQ community, or maybe just annoy their conservative parents. It doesn’t matter, as long as they can call themselves trans, even if they are not.
While there are a minority of people who will act transgender without actually being it, the term is often used to insult non-binary people who actually have another gender identity than cis male/female.
Ignorant people will claim that these people have just made up their gender identity to gain attention, therefore calling them “transtrender”.
Origin
What's the origin of Transtrender?
Made up of the terms “trans”, as in transgender, and “trend”, because it is done to gain social status.
The term appeared around 2012, and although it is unclear who coined it, it was a reaction to the rapidly growing exposure and tolerance of the LGBTQ society in the 2010’s.
Spread & Usage
How did Transtrender spread?
“Transtrender” was first defined on Urban Dictionary by user We Fought A Zoo in 2012. However, in this instance, it is defined a transgender person who uses it as a derogatory label against another transgender person who does not wish to do a transition surgery.
“Tucutes”, another term often seen in the trans community, often receive the term “transtrender” as an insult. This is because they believe that anyone who feels transgender, is transgender, whether or not they experience gender dysphoria. This is opposed to “truscum”, who believe you can only be true trans if you experience gender dysphoria caused by your assigned gender.
Early 2020, Blaire White published an article in The Post Millenial named “The transTRENDER craze is the enemy of transgender people”. She argues that the “transtrender” behaviour is a huge setback in the tolerance of trans people, due to people faking it for attention.
External resources
- Medium – I Am a Transtrender and so can you
- Be You Network – Transtrending: What It Means and How It Harms