( No Title )
Okay. I did it. I figured out the pattern between what trans headcanons bother me and what trans headcanons don’t.
For the most part, I like trans headcanons that disgaree with the character’s canonical gender, and avoid trans headcanons that agree with the character’s canonical gender.
For example, if a character is presented in canon as a male, I’m more likely to enjoy headcanons where they’re actually trans femme.
And a character who is presented in the canon as a male, I am more likely to be uncomfortable or avoid headcanons where they’re portrayed as trans masc.
I think a lot of this probably has to do with my own dysphoria, and desire to have been born cis. To me, I think it probably feels like making a male character secretly a trans man is taking something away from that character.
But beyond that, I also think it’s uncomfortable that a lot of trans headcanons– especially ones where a character is trans to the gender they’re presented as in canon– is a lot of the reasons people decide that these characters are trans is based on stereotypes of trans people of that gender, and things that trans people of that gender are often insecure about.
For instance I find it uncomfortable to headcanon that a male character who is short, small, weak, pretty etc is secretly a trans man, because those are stereotypes about trans men and things we’re often insecure about.
However, headcanoning the same male character as a trans woman doesn’t have the same issues, and thus doesn’t cause the discomfort.
“For instance I find it uncomfortable to headcanon that a male character who is short, small, weak, pretty etc is secretly a trans man is uncomfortable, because those are stereotypes about trans men and things we’re often insecure about.”
Thank you for writing this because it feels so validating to not be the only one who feels this way!!
Also I think this may be why I headcanon a lot of tall, big, strong guys in fiction being transmasc. Like I guess it feels freeing from the usual characters that get trans headcanoned, and also I think it gives me hope(?? Idk the english word) that trans guys can look that way and not be even thought of as trans. (But my experience does differ from yours since I don’t really desire to have been born cis so I think that’s something important to take into account!)
Yes! Honestly that is the rare kind of “canon agreement” trans headcanon that I don’t really mind as much? Because it’s not based on stereotypes and personal insecurities.
You mention trans apollo justice in the tags here and I will be honest (you may already surmise this), that is the headcanon that this post is actually all about V_V It makes me SO uncomfortable because it feels like it’s just completely based on stereotypes and insecurities of trans men, and it seems like it’s putting a lot of shame and insecurity on Apollo for not being able to prerform masculinity “well enough.”
Just like, haha, Apollo is short and he’s small and he yells a lot and he’s not very confident, he can’t possibly be a cis man!
Like… hello? That’s so uncomfortable.
No shade to fellow trans men who headcanon Apollo as trans for their comfort and solidarity but it just really gives me personally the icks.
Discussion ¬