At this point, all we can do is laugh.
That seemed to be the mantra on the mind of one transmasc TikToker named Kit (@kitdagoat), who asked his fellow trans folks to sound off on the wildest moments of transphobia they’d come across.
“I’m bored,” he wrote in his viral TikTok. “Trans people tell me about the craziest instance of transphobia you’ve experienced. Naturally, the trans folks of the internet had answers in spades, delivering stories that are equal parts dark comedy and sobering reminders of how much transphobia pervades daily life.
Some users flashed back to their high school days. “One of my nicknames in highschool was pinocchio because i ‘wanted to be a real boy,’” one commenter recalled. “[Lowkey] kinda funny.”
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“School brought in a lady to talk about transphobia in an assembly,” recounted another. “She misgendered me twice 😭.”
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Others shared moments that were closer to home, involving their parents and grandparents. “My mom buying an American girl doll that looked like me pre transition and naming it my [deadname],” one commenter wrote.
“My father said he would respect my sister’s friend and her choice of being trans but not mine,” offered another.
“Hold up my mom is also convinced wearing a binder will give me cancer😭,” shared a third.
“My nana compared me to a fruit and told me i can’t change my apples to oranges,” recalled another commenter. “Ah yes i have the same genetic makeup as an APPLE yes nana thank you for this info.”
Some trans folks faced discrimination from their own partners, even if those partners were also trans. “My ex who i helped realize he was trans started misgendering me on purpose when we broke up…?” one commenter wrote with palpable bewilderment.
“I was engaged to a woman who was deadnaming and misgendering me behind my back (funniest part is she couldn’t even pronounce my deadname properly),” shared another.
“Got broken up with because I ‘looked too much like a boy now,’” offered a third — even though “looking like a boy” is perfectly normal for a transmasc person. “5 year relationship btw.”
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And finally, several trans folks recalled moments where people’s attempts at transphobia were entirely inaccurate — and some cis folks participated, too.
“I’ve been told ‘I’ll never be a real man,’” one user commented. “I’m a cis guy.”
“I regularly have people tell me i’ll ‘always be a man and can’t be a woman no matter how i feel,’ when they find out…” shared another. “Except i’m ftm.”
“Went to a friend’s house. After we left, one of her aunts asked if I was trans, and she said yes. Her aunt goes, ‘Respectfully, she doesn’t look anything like a man,’” recalled a third. “I’m transfem 😭.”
“Blood donation lady measured me against the male scales and very condescendingly told me my iron was too low to donate,” commented another user. “It was well within female ranges. I’m a cis girl.”
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