Transgender World

transphilosopher:

I recognize the topic of this video and some of its contents might be controversial - but it’s based on my experiences and some of the research I’ve done. I’d be curious if y’all think I’m just totally off-base here.

Transphilosopher AKA Rachel discusses the apparent difference between androphiic trans women (those who love men) and gynephilic trans women (those who are attracted to women) in this video, and that is OK.

A few observations:

There is as much variation among trans women as there is among cis women, when it comes to femininity, gender expression, mannerism and looks.

We do not say that a cis woman is not a woman if she refuses to present as stereotypical feminine. If we look around we will see that a majority of women do not live up to the standards of fashion magazines and TV celebrities, and that is OK.

There are also butch cis women who take pride in their masculine gender expressions, and they are accepted as women as well.

Until recently you might have seen – on an aggregated level - some differences between androphilic, straight, trans women and gynephilic, lesbian, trans women, in the sense that the lesbian ones – in general – have appeared less feminine than the straight ones.

The main explanation for this is that the lesbians ones have been more likely to transition later in life, meaning that testosterone has had more time to masculinize their bodies. They have also had less time to learn all that tacit behavior cis women have had a life time to master.

The most likely explanation for them transitioning later is that they try harder to live up to the role of a cis man, hoping that this will bring them the love of cis women. They need the love of women and fear that they might have to live their lives alone if they transition.

And yes, there might be, as Rachel points out, some internalized homophobia at play. Some may also, due to a homophobic upbringing, suppress a natural attraction to men.

Trans researcher Jaimie Veale has argued that we should look at the personalities of the two categories of trans women. Maybe the “people pleasers” are more likely to suppress their female identity (and a possible attraction to men) than the more extrovert and self-confident ones. In other words: Maybe this is not about sexual orientation primarily, but about something else.

I should add that some of the ones who love women might have found a female partner, while presenting as a man, and these trans women often set their lives on hold out of fear of losing that woman and their family.

Straight trans women are more likely to use the gay male community as a testing ground for exploring their own identity. Even if parts of the gay community share traditional negative attitudes towards femininity, there are gay and lesbian spaces where trans and nonbinary people may express femininity and be accepted for it. The drag culture is one such arena. In these arenas feminine behavior is accepted and affirmed.

Now that transgender people are more accepted by society, and now that the Internet have given trans women of all sexual orientation a wider net of support, we see that gynephilic trans women also transition earlier. These trans women appear as feminine as the ones who love men, as far as I can see (and this also applies to Rachel).

Note that the difference between gynephilic and androphilic trans women has been used to split the trans community and stigmatize both groups.

The androphilic ones have been reduced to effeminate gay men who want to seduce straight men, while the gynephilic ones have been presented as fetishistic or autogynephilic straight cis men. This line of research has now been thoroughly debunked by serious researchers, and we should not give in to this kind of reasoning.

The Massey University Study of Transgender People shows, for instance, no significant differences between trans women who love men and those who are attracted to women.