Icon by @ThatSpookyAgent. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. BlueSky: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. The X-Files. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.

Updated the description on both blogs today, because I like to pretend that people read them.

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Anonymous: Just out of curiosity, wouldn't a trans woman feel a bit uncomfortable playing herself (male-presenting) before transition? I feel like trans women would kind of steer away from having to do that because of dysphoria or whatnot, but I could be wrong. I just know if it were me partially because of how long I've had to hide my trans identity I would be uncomfortable playing my pre-transition self or the pre-transition self of a trans character/person I was portraying.
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mioxenoblade:

This is a huge thing people cite as a “why trans women can’t have trans women roles” and I know you’re super polite anon and I mean nothing against you, but I’m just going to go all out and squash the concept now.

Generally speaking, dysphoria doesn’t tend to work like that. Acting isn’t real. it’s trying to portray a story. And, at that, they’re not being told to be a cisgender man, they’re playing a trans woman. The situations of the two would be widely different in mental interpretation.

The handling of the situation would just be so different. Because you chose to be there. You read the script. You said you could do it. You know you’re in a room of people who are safe people, who aren’t going to actually harm you, you know it’s all fake. Yes, you can get into it and maybe have some scary moments, but that’s when a scene ends and you take a minute. This happens all the time for a lot of people in a variety of roles in a variety of movies.

I have one big culmination point to make though. Why would the trans woman have to play a pre-transition version of herself? Why can’t a story about a trans woman exist away from transition? Media largely perceives us as one dimensional beings, who only exist to suffer and transition. But, we’re human. We’re complex. We exist away from transition. Our lives don’t begin as soon as dysphoria becomes noticeable, and our lives don’t end at a doctor prescribing us hrt. Why can’t I see a trans woman leading a revolution? Or kicking monster butt and saving a town? Where are the stories that being trans is normal and ok? Why does it always need to be perceived as fetishy or suffering?

Instead, we’re suffering. We’re medical conditions. We’re fetishitic weirdos. You wanna know what fucked me up as a kid? Sleepaway Camp. Spoiler, the killer is the girl. Spoiler, that girl has a penis. It taught me that people like me are murderers who are scary, bizarre and “she has a dick!!? fucked up and gross haha”

Let trans women write and act as trans women. Until then, I want nothing to do with trans woman relate media.