Tranny

My car has one.

What were you thinking? ...that I'd use a derogatory term here in my own blog? Get out!!! Me? No way.

I see the word, and I hear the word, and you know, it really doesn't bother me. But every time I see the word pop up on mass emails, I know there is going to be trouble.

Take for instance, a recent email splash for Trannyfest in San Francisco (November 7th and 8th). A few responses came up disputing the usage of the word "tranny" since it was considered derogatory.

I've heard non-T people use the word, and yeah, it does feel a little derogatory. Some of these people have been my friends and I try to tell them that the term is considered bad by many trans-people...and that I simply use T. A lot of them start using T as well.

But, really, is the word "tranny" a bad word? What does it connote? I found the following on urbandictionary.com...which is not the greatest source of information, but it can provide a clue as to the social implications of commonly used current words.

tranny

An extremely offensive term for a transsexual man or woman, or any of the transgendered community.

On the same level as "nigger", and "cunt" for most people, though, like "dyke", some of the transgendered community are trying to reclaim the word, without much success.

"So your girlfriend's a tranny?" "... Please don't say that... She's a woman, just like you are."

The definition happens to hit the nail on the head. I do see some transgender people use the word "tranny" but I also see a large population of T's that simply hate that the word exists. It brings with it the stereotype of what a transgender person can be, and I suppose that is the fear that many T's deal with. They are trying to lose that image.

When I raced in high school, college, and beyond, there were always people asking me how much I jogged a week.

"I don't jog, I run," was often my response. I didn't want to be considered a jogger, because I didn't jog, I ran. There was a big difference between joggers and runners. Joggers were considered slackers compared to runners. And, well, joggers jogged, and runners ran.

But is there a difference between tranny and the rest of the politically correct transgender names? If you do a google search of "tranny", most everything on the front page is considered derogatory or porn in nature. Granted, it's not as bad if I type in "shemale", but then again, most people don't say "shemale"...they say "tranny"...and they don't know that the word is considered very offensive by the transgender community...especially when spoken by someone who is not transgender.

So, I don't care if people say the word or not, but if I am called a "tranny" or I hear people say the word "tranny", I will be sure to tell them that it is considered derogatory and that a better option is "T".

Now, of course, if they are talking about their car's transmission, I might feel a bit embarrassed.