“Baby trans” is a term that’s often used within the trans community, and I think we should stop using it.
NO MORE BABY TRANS
A “baby trans” is someone who has only recently started exploring their trans-ness. Maybe they’ve only just come out of the closet. Maybe they’ve only just accepted themselves. Or maybe they’ve only just started some aspect of their transition, like hormones, or a name change, or pronouns, or whatever.
“Baby trans” is used as an insult. It’s usually meant to indicate that the person is going through a “phase” where they’re acting in a “cringe” way.
If the “baby trans” is trans feminine, the suggestion might be that they’re over-obsessed with acting and dressing femininely. Perhaps they only wear skirts and dresses, never trousers, shorts, blah blah. And maybe they wear all pink, or put a strong twang in their voice. The suggestion is: They’re only acting like that as a reaction to their upbringing, and they will soon grow out of it. And that “baby trans” phase is not truly representative of who they really are.
Another time the “baby trans” insult is used is in the context of they/them pronouns, and gender fluidity. In the past, I have told various trans people that I am happy with any pronoun, and that I am happy with either of my names. And those various trans people have told me that they had a “similar baby trans phase” and that I will “grow out of it”. It doesn’t feel very nice. It feels like they don’t believe that my experience is genuine— that I’m not being true to myself. It’s a judgement that I’m all too familiar with.
You can see it right? If you’re too feminine, you get called “baby trans”. If you’re not feminine enough, you get called “baby trans”. You have to be just the right amount of feminine to not be called it. It’s sexism repackaged! (And it’s the same for trans masculine people).
It’s clearly wrong. You can be as feminine or as masculine as you want without having your existence reduced to— without being told your self expression is a phase.
But wait! It’s wrong for even more reasons.
“Baby trans” leans into this idea that transition begins at a specific moment in time— perhaps when you start hormones or change your name— it’s arbitrary— how can you decide when someone’s transition starts? or ends? It’s an ongoing process and it manifests differently for everyone. You can’t boil it down to one common experience or event.
Transition isn’t made up of fixed discrete points. It’s a blending from one song to another— it can go through many other sounds along the way— of different genres, tones and volumes— it can be a relentless thud thud thud or a break or a drop— or a crash or a melody— harmony or contrast
and u wanna take all this colourful range of life and boil it down into “baby trans” get outta here dijkstra
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