happy pride month from your local agender butch!
my beloved fic writers, when you write characters in fics who are trans, please consider:
1. do they have gender dysphoria?
—> if they don’t— do they feel safe enough in their environment to actually present themself in a way that aligns with their gender identity? (not having gender dysphoria ≠ comfortable with being misgendered!!!)
—> how does gender dysphoria impact their gender presentation? their interactions with others? their relationships? the way they have sex? their ability to be emotionally vulnerable with others? how safe do they feel to express their true authentic self?
2. have they, or do they plan on, physically transitioning? (surgery, hormones, etc!)
—> how does (or can) physical transitioning affirm their gender? think about it more than just top and/or bottom surgery— the development of secondary sex characteristics (breast tissue growth, muscle mass, body hair, fat distribution, and more!) are equally (if not sometimes more) important!!!
—> if they don’t want to physically transition, why not? Is it due to lack of gender dysphoria, or are there other reasons (fear of being involuntarily outed, medical trauma, financial difficulties, lack of resources, unsupportive environments, etc).
—> IF THEY ARE NONBINARY. consider what gender affirming physical transition might look like! hormones + bottom surgery only, facial feminization surgery and voice training, top surgery and wearing a packer, or something else entirely!
—> how does their physical transition (or lack thereof) affect their relationships, the way they present themself, their self confidence, the way they have sex, their sense of safety? (specifically re: sex, remember that hormones especially can affect libido, and that trans people might not want to have sex the same way cis people do! how can your character have sex in a way that affirms their gender?)
—> final note here: if they are intersex and you are not, please please please do extensive research here. especially in the context of sex and physical transition! most importantly, look for perspectives coming from intersex folks themselves!
3. how does the language that others use (particularly gendered language) while referring to your character affect them? think: safety, comfort, dysphoria, euphoria!
—> how does their language that they use to refer to themself and their body affect them? do they refer to themself differently in their mind vs out loud?
4. how long have they known that they are trans?how did they figure this out?
—> how comfortable are they with their identity? are they still figuring things out?
—> what are the biggest triggers for gender dysphoria? (misgendering, clothing, voice, etc)
—> what brings them the most gender euphoria? (pronouns, haircuts, clothing, activities, etc!)
REMEMBER: at the end of the day, trans characters (like any other character!) are so much more than just their genitalia!
using correct pronouns for your character is not enough on its own, regardless of whether you want to write pwp or a slow burn romance fic. as writers, we must treat trans identities with the dignity and respect they deserve!
