[TG] Respectfully reconciling the fantasy/story with reality

[TheTitLover]

I have written stories that feature TG characters, several in fact. I won't bore with two many details suffice to say that I have learned more about respect for the transgendered community than I had when I started.

The difficulty and question I have is this: if I am writing a fantasy or story, is it wrong to use terms that may be considered insensitive?

I read the history of the term shemale and I was intrigued to learn how this word holds such pornographic power. I use it and in fact I use it in a title.

Part of me thinks that these are stories, not real people no matter how realistic they may be, and I should write how I want to write. Is this an offensive way to think?

I'm interested to hear some points of view.

Apologies to anyone I may have offended.

TTL

[bluesky496]

Originally Posted by TheTitLover

I have written stories that feature TG characters, several in fact. I won't bore with two many details suffice to say that I have learned more about respect for the transgendered community than I had when I started.

The difficulty and question I have is this: if I am writing a fantasy or story, is it wrong to use terms that may be considered insensitive?

I read the history of the term shemale and I was intrigued to learn how this word holds such pornographic power. I use it and in fact I use it in a title.

Part of me thinks that these are stories, not real people no matter how realistic they may be, and I should write how I want to write. Is this an offensive way to think?

I'm interested to hear some points of view.

Apologies to anyone I may have offended.

TTL

no offence taken here ,what you call me doesnt change who i am,xo

[Stella_Omega]

Depends on if you are writing about the sex worker silicone-viagra combo, or if you are writing about a woman who was born in the wrong body and has taken steps to fix that.

I agree-- you should write the way you want to write, and it's also true that your characters aren't real people. However, if you want to write so as not to offend the real people your characters imitate, or perpetuate harmful ideas about them-- than 'the way you want to write' will change up accordingly.

[purpleruff]

If what you write is fiction, then it is not "wrong", no matter how vile it would be if it were non-fictional. I think about this a lot because I write a great deal of non-consensual violence (sexual and otherwise) that I in no way condone in real life.

That does not mean you will not offend people when you use words widely considered epithets, especially toward a community that does not have much voice. If you want to offend fewer people, it is probably best to avoid using a word like "shemale" to describe trans women (especially if the context is not specific to the porn industry).

That said, people take offense at all sorts of things. It does not mean you did anything wrong. IMHO, /what/ offends us and what we do to offend people is not as important as /how/ we express our offense, and how we respond to people we offend.

If I find something so egregiously offensive that I feel a need to point it out, I try to be clear about why I find it offensive. If I do something offensive and get called on it, I strive to understand why the other party found it offensive and what I can or should do about it. Sometimes, the best solution is to slap a trigger warning on it.

[TheTitLover]

Basically I've been confirmed of my thinking.

No one has thus far raised concerns about anything I've written being offensive.

[Stella_Omega]

Originally Posted by TheTitLover

Basically I've been confirmed of my thinking.

No one has thus far raised concerns about anything I've written being offensive.

Give us a link! Put it in your signature, if you plan to continue posting to the forums...

[stickygirl]

Using the word shemale in the title is the trigger warning that Purpleruff suggested. It's a porn industry word and ought to get an award for Accurate Content Description. So if I see it in the title I'll generally move on, because I know what's coming: girls with pert C-size and 8" dicks that never go soft, ready to subdue even the most hetero of men. I don't have a problem with that - that appeals to a wide audience.
You'd only create a problem if you wrote a story in a non-fiction style and then started to introduce pseudo-fact that might encourage people to believe as accurate. I'd love to read an erotic story about a real transgendered MtF but I suspect the audience would be pretty limited. I'm not sure that constant mood swings, tears and asexuality are mainstream interest! Perhaps that's a gauntlet I should pick up?

[Stella_Omega]

People-- well, men, really-- keep calling shemales "Chicks with dicks"

I call them "Dudes with boobs."

[theDragnet]

Originally Posted by Stella_Omega

I call them "Dudes with boobs."

Haha!