what does this even mean? zero investigation terf-vibes-based analysis has ruined discourse forever 
this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2025
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For posting all the anonymous reactionary bullshit that you can't post anywhere else.
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I understand that different languages and cultures have different ways of expressing gender, but I still think that you are allowed to critique how they approach their terminology, especially when those terms are in your native language.
Transsexual refers to trans people in an explicitly sexual way and puts a heavy emphasis on genitals and sexual characteristics. In my opinion it is a term that overly sexualizes us and erases our identity as a person and it’s continued usage further empowers transmedicalist ideology.
"overly sexualizes us" and yet you don't identify as transsexual. This is a personal problem, where you personally don't feel represented by a word, and yet you feel confident telling other people that the language they do feel comfortable with and use to self-describe is harmful and damaging to you. This is the height of arrogance.
Sure, say that you don't want to be called transsexual. That's fair. But that doesn't make it your place to tell transsexual people, who you are not one of, that they can't use it or it's harmful of them to do so. And it's absolutely gross to say that someone's self-identification not matching your own choice is empowering oppressive ideologies, thereby oppressing transsexual people by refusing them the safety and right to self-identify in favour of the current hegemonic term transgender.
Edit: I also want to say that in your very comment you conflate transgender, transsexual, and trans as all being interchangeable and synonymous, but that is only true to you. To many people (and by the words' very histories) these are not the same thing. To say transsexuals are harming all trans people and that they have to just use the hegemonic transgender or trans is to erase that transsexual is its own identity with its own history and its own communities of relationality.
i think most people use it without the emphasis on genitals (notice how there is not mention of genitals in the word transsexual). and even if they do, who cares? how does this erase identities or empower transmedicalism? just because you are uncomfortable with a word doesnt mean it cannot be used by anyone
The term transsexual originates solely from a medical context in regards to sex reassignment surgery. And sure, people can use it. But why would I want to encourage people to use a term which continues to be used to undermine their worth as a human? By replacing "sexual" with "gender" you expand the definition of the term past a strictly medical context to encompass cultural values. Why should I not try to explain this to them and encourage the usage of one term over another?
"Sex" is a biological classification. "Gender" goes beyond that and encompasses what somebody wants their place in society to be.
The term transsexual has become so heavily weaponized against us that its continued usage is damaging and hurtful to the overall community in my opinion. I feel the same way about someone referring to themselves as "a transsexual" as I do with someone calling themselves a t****y. While I don't consider transsexual to be a slur, I consider it to be something that should be frowned upon all the same. I don't want people normalizing a term that boils us down to sexual characteristics.
It's not just about someone calling themselves transsexual. It's about removing the term from the cultural zeitgeist so it doesn't give the impression to cis people that they can go around calling us transsexuals, because many of us are disgusted by the term. I cannot guarantee a long life expectancy of anyone who calls me one, and I'd rather avoid an extensive criminal history.
Being trans is more than just a medical condition brought about through surgery. We're not just some biological "thing."
I feel like you are really hung up on sex as to mean "biological" but I want you to consider that this (perceived) distinction between sex and gender is precisely the part that’s harmful to trans people. By separating sex into its own "biological" "scientific" reality you are missing that sex is as arbitrary as gender. Who is to decide what are sexual characteristics and what is not?
I’m done with this conversation. If you still don’t understand why many of us are uncomfortable with using outdated terminology that originates from medical fields that have been weaponized against us time and time again then there’s no point in continuing this discussion.
I understand where you are coming from. I am offering an alternative point of view to explain why many of us identify as transsexual. I don’t think it’s super useful to police language that people use to self-id.