On the asterisk and why we don’t use it
Hey everybody! There’s a lot of debate over this thingy here * and I’m going to tell you why we don’t use it on this blog, since we’ve gotten a bunch asks that say trans* in them instead of just trans recently. Oh, and trans is short for transgender, if you were confused. This is all my personal opinion FYI.
An asterisk is this little symbol here *. It looks a bit like a little star, and people use it for a few different things.
Sometimes you use them to censor bad words, usually seen like c*nsor or c*ns*r, or just the whole word like ******. You might see them typing in passwords and the similar too. People also use the asterisk when they’re typing and made a mistake, and want to fix it. You’ll see that sometimes when someone is typed “dof” instead of “dog,” then sends “*dog” after to clarify.
There’s a bunch of different uses of the asterisk, but I’m focusing on the use of an asterisk after the word trans. If you want to know more about the symbol and usage in general, check out the Wikipedia page here.
Why do people say trans* and not trans?
I’m glad you asked! Most people use it because they’ve seen it used online somewhere, and figure it’s just the thing to do. They don’t really know why they use it, they just do. I used to say trans* too! I saw it somewhere and thought to myself “Hmm, now that sounds like a top-notch thing to say. Sounds evolved and inclusive and stuff. I’ll use it!” I didn’t consider if the word trans didn’t already convey what I meant to say.
Some people use it because they think it somehow makes “trans” more inclusive, and encompasses all genders. Some people think it’s there to include transgender and transsexual all in one big group. Some people think it just looks kinda pretty there.
Whatever the reasons, it isn’t really necessary anymore. Language evolves, and we’re taking back plain old “trans” to use it as an inclusive term for everybody in the trans community. People used to use the asterisk to mean things that are now included under the word trans.
Why don’t we need the asterisk then?
Well, you see trans already covers everything! You’re transgender if you identify as a gender other than the one you were assigned at birth. That includes trans women, trans men, nonbinary people, genderqueer people, agender people, bigender people, and so on. So we don’t need to use the asterisk because it’s superfluous- transgender is already an umbrella term without the asterisk.
When you say that we need to say trans* to include nonbinary people instead of just binary trans people, then you’re saying nonbinary people aren’t trans because an * is needed after to say “and other identities”. You’re actually excluding non-binary people from the trans community instead of including them, which I hope is the opposite of what you meant to do.
Another issue is you might be including people who aren’t actually trans, like cisgender cross dressers or drag queens. So the trans* opens the term up to include people who shouldn’t be included!
This is a more minor point because it’s controversial, but some say the asterisk has become associated with AFAB people who think trans women take up too much of the conversation… which is Not cool.
What if I really want to use the asterisk for myself?
Okay! It’s up to you. Don’t use it as an umbrella term, but if you are really attached to it, then you can use it for yourself. Really think about why you feel more comfortable with saying trans* instead of just trans though. You don’t have to use the term trans if you don’t want to, or trans*.
Cis people, however, shouldn’t be saying trans* unless it’s what a particular trans person prefers when used in reference to them, and only that person.
Here’s a few links about the asterisk used for trans people.
The Trans Asterisk and Why We Need To Stop Using It
Why shouldn’t I say trans*?
Why the asterisk on trans is a bad thing
Stop using the term “trans*” with a *
About that often misunderstood asterisk
Evaluate your language! What are you saying, and why? What connotation do words have? Are you reclaiming them? Are you trying to exclude people? What’s the history? How have words evolved? What do they mean today?
Make a conscientious decision with the words you say. Listen to people who have objections to certain language. Maybe they have a different experience than you because of their marginalized identity and it’s possible that they see how a word is problematic in a way you don’t.
Language changes, and it’s okay to slip up. Everyone learns more, says things they shouldn’t, makes mistakes and does problematic things. Nobody is born with a full vocabulary of politically correct words and awareness of all the social inequalities in society.
But, now that you know, change! Include non-binary people when you talk about trans issues, and don’t exclude trans women.
TLDR: Cis people, don’t say trans* unless you’re referring to someone who’s asked you to call them that. Trans people, think about why you’re saying it, but it’s okay if you feel more comfy with trans* than trans for yourself. There are negatives and positives to saying trans*, and so that’s why it’s not good to use it instead of trans when referring to everyone in the transgender community as an umbrella.
romaincrisis
andulkaphoto
tangentwithtanner
vaporwave
discoholicmusic
dededos
annaxmalina
kaledo-art
pixelskylines
