“Here are the 50 Trans Americans Killed in 2021 so Far” (October 20, 2021)
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Trans communities are FULL of people sharing their transitioning stories, talking about their process to finding themselves, usually with as much detail as they can stand to include. This is because, as anyone interested in gender transitioning can confirm, finding detailed resources about what to expect during transition is incredibly difficult. The variety of changes that happen in trans bodies during gender transitioning are not documented in scientific journals, as much as they are on r/TranSpace and r/transtimeline. Most trans people know that it's better to ask a question to a reddit group than to a doctor when it comes to getting detailed information on transitioning, — don’t forget about this. We’re coming back to this.
And yet, with the significant increase in trans peoples existing in the public eye, we have not seen much of an increase in general support or resources. Instead we see transitioning stories being co-opted by cisgendered individuals and media outlets. Appropriation of stories of joy aren’t just limited to able-bodied peoples — cisgendered individuals frequently latch onto stories of gender transitioning in an obsessive way. Inspiration porn refers to the personal journeys of disabled and marginalized individuals being taken to create narratives aimed at non-marginalized, able-bodied peoples in order to make them feel better about themselves. One blogger named it, “objectifying disabled people to sell warm and fuzzy feelings.” While we’re used to seeing headlines like “Heartwarming: 8-year-old sells lemonade to help pay for brother’s cancer treatment,” there is a significant amount of other “heartwarming” content about trans peoples’ gender journeys.
“Man Documents Incredible Transformation Into Woman In 17 Months, And Her Facial Expression In Last Pic Says It All” (2017)
“Heartwarming moment transgender UK man with autism is finally recognized as correct gender” (Aug 2019)
The articles above dehumanize trans people and create a spectacle of their stories. A trans man finally being able to change his gender marker after years of fighting isn’t “heartwarming”, it’s a demonstration that trans people will always have to work harder to be treated as human beings. Inspiration porn takes obvious flaws in the system and hides them behind the triumph of the individual over adversity. The writer and activist Aria Ehren described the spectacle of transgender inspiration porn as the result of media corporations realizing that such stories sell just as well as (if not better than) transphobic narratgives. With this is the very particular danger of what happens when a uniquely trans experience becomes co-opted by cis people for cis people.
Gender transition is a process that is not solely pursued by binary individuals looking to pass. Gender nonconforming, nonbinary, and even binary trans peoples might seek different combinations of transitioning treatments such as, but not limited to: a singular surgery or microdosing hormones to reach a specific result. This creates a whole spectrum of trans bodies, most of which do not adhere to the traditional binary aesthetic. It is important to remember that when trans people are openly sharing their transition it is not harmful. Trans people have very unique and complicated relationships to their bodies, and so there is no shame in expressing discomfort or pride about their physical forms.
The problem emerges when cis people take over trans stories. Transition journeys, when shared by cis people, place the most value on the “final product.”
Because of this, cisgender culture portrays the transgender experience as an era of discomfort followed by complete transformation and total comfort with the body. Not only is this unrealistic for most trans people, it neglects the many important steps of transition that occur before a “final product” is reached, as well as all the individuals who aren’t interested in a “final product.”
This also creates a standard for passing or: trans people appearing as their chosen gender so well that you might not be able to tell that they’re trans. Many trans people don’t have the desire to pass, and nonbinary individuals don’t have any standard to pass by. However, cis people create expectations for how trans people are supposed to act and exist based on their misinterpretation of trans experiences that significantly impact how trans people are actually able to exist. Many restrictions to services such as gender marker changes are based on cisgender ideas of when a trans person is “done” transitioning.
We see this expand into a number areas of scientific treatment as well. Gender affirming therapies are certainly not as researched as they should be, and many of them are created through cisgender lenses. For example, surgeons specializing in vaginoplasty market themselves as being able to create the most realistic looking genitals. In doing so, many surgeons neglect or destroy the functionality of the organ and the ability to feel pleasure.
Medical treatments for trans people are designed by cis people. In order to access those treatments, you need to go through a psychological process that has been developed by cis people. These psychological processes created by cis people are also designed to weed out fake trans people, who shouldn’t have access to treatment.
The publicization of gender transitioning under the cisgender gaze also creates a spectacle of the trans body. Trans people are frequently subjected to invasive questions about how far they’ve transitioned, or if they want to get “the surgery.” Cisgender people from this lens feel entitled to personal information for their own entertainment.
And yet, with the significant increase in trans peoples existing in the public eye, we have not seen much of an increase in general support or resources. Instead we see transitioning stories being co-opted by cisgendered individuals and media outlets. Appropriation of stories of joy aren’t just limited to able-bodied peoples — cisgendered individuals frequently latch onto stories of gender transitioning in an obsessive way. Inspiration porn refers to the personal journeys of disabled and marginalized individuals being taken to create narratives aimed at non-marginalized, able-bodied peoples in order to make them feel better about themselves. One blogger named it, “objectifying disabled people to sell warm and fuzzy feelings.” While we’re used to seeing headlines like “Heartwarming: 8-year-old sells lemonade to help pay for brother’s cancer treatment,” there is a significant amount of other “heartwarming” content about trans peoples’ gender journeys.
“Man Documents Incredible Transformation Into Woman In 17 Months, And Her Facial Expression In Last Pic Says It All” (2017)
“Heartwarming moment transgender UK man with autism is finally recognized as correct gender” (Aug 2019)
The articles above dehumanize trans people and create a spectacle of their stories. A trans man finally being able to change his gender marker after years of fighting isn’t “heartwarming”, it’s a demonstration that trans people will always have to work harder to be treated as human beings. Inspiration porn takes obvious flaws in the system and hides them behind the triumph of the individual over adversity. The writer and activist Aria Ehren described the spectacle of transgender inspiration porn as the result of media corporations realizing that such stories sell just as well as (if not better than) transphobic narratgives. With this is the very particular danger of what happens when a uniquely trans experience becomes co-opted by cis people for cis people.
Gender transition is a process that is not solely pursued by binary individuals looking to pass. Gender nonconforming, nonbinary, and even binary trans peoples might seek different combinations of transitioning treatments such as, but not limited to: a singular surgery or microdosing hormones to reach a specific result. This creates a whole spectrum of trans bodies, most of which do not adhere to the traditional binary aesthetic. It is important to remember that when trans people are openly sharing their transition it is not harmful. Trans people have very unique and complicated relationships to their bodies, and so there is no shame in expressing discomfort or pride about their physical forms.
The problem emerges when cis people take over trans stories. Transition journeys, when shared by cis people, place the most value on the “final product.”
Because of this, cisgender culture portrays the transgender experience as an era of discomfort followed by complete transformation and total comfort with the body. Not only is this unrealistic for most trans people, it neglects the many important steps of transition that occur before a “final product” is reached, as well as all the individuals who aren’t interested in a “final product.”
This also creates a standard for passing or: trans people appearing as their chosen gender so well that you might not be able to tell that they’re trans. Many trans people don’t have the desire to pass, and nonbinary individuals don’t have any standard to pass by. However, cis people create expectations for how trans people are supposed to act and exist based on their misinterpretation of trans experiences that significantly impact how trans people are actually able to exist. Many restrictions to services such as gender marker changes are based on cisgender ideas of when a trans person is “done” transitioning.
We see this expand into a number areas of scientific treatment as well. Gender affirming therapies are certainly not as researched as they should be, and many of them are created through cisgender lenses. For example, surgeons specializing in vaginoplasty market themselves as being able to create the most realistic looking genitals. In doing so, many surgeons neglect or destroy the functionality of the organ and the ability to feel pleasure.
Medical treatments for trans people are designed by cis people. In order to access those treatments, you need to go through a psychological process that has been developed by cis people. These psychological processes created by cis people are also designed to weed out fake trans people, who shouldn’t have access to treatment.
The publicization of gender transitioning under the cisgender gaze also creates a spectacle of the trans body. Trans people are frequently subjected to invasive questions about how far they’ve transitioned, or if they want to get “the surgery.” Cisgender people from this lens feel entitled to personal information for their own entertainment.
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