Fuck it, thread on orientalism, emasculation, and Asian fetishism for trans women:

CW: Racism, sexuality, fetishisation, orientialism

(switching from my usual Eleanor gifs because, well, it would be ironic not to)

First things first, this thread is not here to bash on white people or a subtweet of anything in particular. I just want to point out that while being trans is something that does connect me to several trans people on here, there is a certain racial element that cannot be ignored

And once again, I can only speak to my experience as a trans woman transitioning for about a year and a half now, and an able bodied Chinese Australian 26 year old. Now on to the show.

Now I would be remiss to claim that Asian trans people have it worse than any other ethnic trans group. But we do have problems that are somewhat unique to us that yt trans twitter really needs to understand, and it's grounded heavily in that eternal Asian spectre: Orientalism

For those that don't know, orientalism is essentially an othering of Asia, its people, and its cultures. In Western canon, Asia has always been seen as this exotic land just because its different to Euro-centric culture and this leads to extremely patronising behaviour.

A lot of the ways this comes through is infantalising, emasculation, and objectification of us and our culture. Not to generalise, but weeaboos and K-pop stans are the latest in a long line of westerners fetishising Asians and their culture.

Most Asian women (trans or cis) will run into this problem in the form of yellow fever; westerners fetishising Asian women as exotic conquests. Hell, I even got this from the gay community when presenting as a bisexual man. Can't tell you how many "banana" jokes I got

Where Asian trans femmes start to get this, is the Western obsession with "ladyboys." For the longest time, the ladyboy was practically synonymous in Western culture with the SEA region (just look at all the jokes about Thailand and the Philippines for this)

And this stereotype is extremely damaging to any Asian disapora trans femme trying to figure themselves out. It's a nightmare trying to untangle both internalised transphobia and internalised racism caused by this harmful stereotype.

Because you end up wondering if you are playing into a horrible fetish yourself, or just as bad, contributing to the Western emasculation of Asian men. That's a lot to fucking deal with.

And dating? Even harder. You think chasers are bad? Imagine a yellow fever chaser. One that treats you like a sex object while negging you with horribly racist comments (seriously they're fucking disgusting)

"Are you a ladyboy?"
"You're proof Asian men should all be women"
"I've always wanted to fuck a real futa" (Japanese term for dickgirl)
"Do Asians even have dicks?"
"I want to make you my little asian whore"

I've gotten ALL of these and worse.

That said, the trans community isn't off the hook either. There's a lot of problems with inclusivity in yt trans twitter, especially for black and brown people. One of the biggest things is the Euro-centric passing standards of trans spaces.

Once again, orientalism comes into play. There's a stereotype that Asian trans women have an easier time transitioning because "Asian men look like women already" and hoo boy is there a lot to unpack there

(guest starring Eleanor)

Aside from all there is to unpack on passing discourse (which Im not even going to touch here), making that broad a generalisation on any racial group is just harmful. Not all Asians have slim frames, fair features, or little body hair. These stereotypes are HARMFUL.

When I desperately needed help at the start of my transition, I got greeted with a "you're Asian. This is for people who actually need help."

I tell you, that one comment almost made me give up right there, and I am not the only one who has felt this sting.

Not only does this stereotype create barriers and gatekeeping in the greater community, it's also horrible for Asian trans men who receive a double dose of emasculisation

And the euro-centric standard is double edged! You like my slim build and fair features? Well that's great, but like many Asian women, I'm predisposed to a small chest, ass, and hips...by Western standards at least. And guess what? Those are the things I'm most dysphoric about.

Once again, I love trans twitter. I have made so many great friends and relationships here. But I'm begging the (predominantly white) community to understand that there are always culture and race issues at play.

I don't want to minimise the experiences of white trans women or compete for who's the most miserable (being trans is hard in general). But we can only come closer as a community when we learn what's dividing us and appreciate these individual experiences.

I hope I didn't upset anyone with this thread (especially if you managed to make it all the way down here). Please feel free to DM me if you disagree. I'm not much one for online arguments tbh, but I am very much one for mending feelings.

#transtwitter

Oh wanted to add: racism hurts everyone, even the group perpetuating it. If you say "Asians pass easily", you imply that it's hard for everyone else. This is not just wrong, but can be discouraging for any white trans femmes just starting their journey.