Some thoughts on trans Holmes: I think in his younger years he’d avoid doing female disguises bc it would make him too dysphoric, but after a few years of being out to Watson (who’s the first person besides Mycroft who knows he’s trans) and growing more and more secure in the knowledge that there are people who know he’s trans AND see him as a man, he gains enough confidence in his own gender identity to start doing female disguises. Bc it used to feel like “giving in” to what society says he should be, but now it just feels like putting on a costume like any of his other disguises.
And I think that he would be unexpectedly delighted by how much WORK he has to put in to look properly female. Putting on a dress isn’t enough, he has to put on a wig, makeup, contouring, jewelry, even padding for his hips and breast enhancement since he’s so skinny and rectangular. He has to intentionally change the way he speaks in order to sound like a woman since that sort of voice isn’t natural to him anymore. I love the idea of him finding accidental gender euphoria through female impersonation.
I’ve been thinking about Holmes and wearing female disguises a lot recently (I’ve been writing two fics where he takes on female personas in different ways) but I had been writing those with a cis Holmes in mind (or at least an amab Holmes, I feel like he probably has a very noncommittal attitude towards gender) so then I started wondering how trans man Holmes would feel about it all. I love imagining him and watson going to Victorian queer clubs and now I’m imagining trans Holmes going in drag - not like a convincing female disguise, but actual costumey, campy drag - and being thrilled at how everyone looks at him and clearly sees a Man Dressing Up As A Woman For Fun.
I just love exploring Holmes’ relationship to disguises and personas and gender fuckery. [Insert Judith Butler quote about how all gender is performance, etc etc]
