So the trans community has an awkward problem where

- "Transsexuals" existed understood to be a category of people medically transitioning from gender G to !G
- We needed a word for a broader umbrella of all genders, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, crossdressers
(1/2)

- We invented "transgender" as umbrella term
- Everyone realized "transsexual" sounds kinda weird & sexualizing
- Transitioners started using "transgender" to describe themselves
- Now ppl outside "transsexual" but under-umbrella sometimes feel excluded from "transgender" (2/2)

Additional awkwardness
- Does "trans" mean "transgender", or is it somehow inpractice an umbrella wider than transgender?
- At one point around 2011 ppl started introducing "trans*" as the new umbrella like "transgender" used to be, then everyone was like "let's not" & we stopped

I feel torn about the "trans*" thing because it *was* silly, and unpronounceable at that, but one time I advertised an event at a women's space as open to "nonbinary and trans*" people, and someone actually did show up and grinning nervously said "so I'm here about that asterisk"

…Two months later, that person had started gender transition and was in charge of the books for the event space

So like, the brief "trans*" terminology fad appears to have helped at least *one person*?, by making them feel they had a soft approach into gender-variant spaces

I still feel like "transgender" should be treated as a broad umbrella