Good morning! Who needs a distraction from the anxiety down south? Me!

Welcome to the first edition of...
Lost in TRANSlation!

Here, Ill present to you terms I use that help define the transgender experience. These are based on mu experiences, but are general enough. Lets go!

Today Id like to talk to you a bit about your eyes and faces, cis friends. Theyre giving your thoughts away! When you meet someone for the first time, and you can tell theyre trans, or maybe you knew ahead lf time, a whole lot of you get Loading Face.

Loading Face is that face cis people get when theyre analyzing trans peoples genders, or trying to "figure it out". Most commonly done to NB or GNC transpeople, or people early in their transition.

Its one of the funniest faces Ive ever seen. It also HURTS.

Loading Face is a contorted, squished kind of look that says, "I dont know what pronouns to use and that makes me uncomfortable"
Or
"Oh no I hope I dont have to address that person" as if using pronouns is inescapable.

Sometimes, Loading Face is more rude than others. Your Loading Face will be different than your siblings or friends. Sometimes Loading Face shows disgust, and thats when it hurts.

People often forget how revealing their faces are.

I coined Loading Face while I worked cannabis retail, and pointed it out to my coworkers. I was medically transitioning but socially transitioning in baby steps. One guy comes in, and when I ask him if he needs help because his Loading Face was so bad I thought...

He may have an aneurism, he shouts "ARE YOU A MAN... OR A WOMAN?" Before I can get any words out he again loudly barks "CUZ YOU HAVE THE ASS OF A WOMAN".

That dudes Loading Face was so bad he lost blood flow to his brain, I guess.

What happened really was he came in as I was turned around, and he was checking my body out. Then when he saw my face, his brain had to process his thoughts: " am I gay" he surely thought to himself, prompting him to ask invasive questions.

He did not buy anything, btw.

Imagine you make big changes to your appearance. Shave your beard, get a big haircut, etc. Ever done this, then gone and met a friend for lunch? They hardly recognize you and for a moment dont know who you are. You both laugh at the initial awkwardness.

Trans people arent laughing. The question isnt who we are, its "what" we are. Loading Face is funny, but it points to the objectification of trans people and gender generally in our society -- thats bad. It hurts to see someone wonder what our gender is. Or worse, ask about it.

Loading Face is the face cis people make that reflects their brains needing a second to process GNC bodies or people who are trans. When the mouse cursor (their face) turns to a spinning icon because the CPU is frying.

It hurts frankly. But I like to look up at down.

Cis friends: if you have a trans friend in your life, share with them this term. Theyll know, believe me.

Thanks for reading! And remember! We see you