I didn't get into slash fandom because it's mostly women, nor is that a part of why I like fandom; it's just something that is. I don't write for women; I write for anyone who wants to read my stories. Because I post my stories in areas where mostly women are going to be reading them, it ends up that the audience is mostly women. But I write stories that are interesting to me, not stories tailored to women in some way that makes them different from stories people who are not women can enjoy. People who are really into "by women, for women", cite those things as really important to them and it makes me feel weird to have those assumptions made about me because I'm in slash fandom.
But most importantly, I'm trans. Many of my fandom friends are trans. Every time someone says fandom is by women, for women, they're saying we're not here, and we don't belong here. And it's different than saying that to cis guys, who do also make up a portion of fandom. Transguys are always being denied their masculinity; that's part of being trans. And for cis women to sit there and say fandom is by women, for women, it's like they're saying "I see you as female" in the same what white folks say "I see you as white" to PoC.
I am not living as a man. That's my choice right now. But I am still trans. I will never not be trans. And so I may not have to deal with people denying me my right to be male IRL, but it still hurts when people insist on making my writing and my fandom interaction all about my body.
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I didn't get into slash fandom because it's mostly women, nor is that a part of why I like fandom; it's just something that is. I don't write for women; I write for anyone who wants to read my stories. Because I post my stories in areas where mostly women are going to be reading them, it ends up that the audience is mostly women. But I write stories that are interesting to me, not stories tailored to women in some way that makes them different from stories people who are not women can enjoy. People who are really into "by women, for women", cite those things as really important to them and it makes me feel weird to have those assumptions made about me because I'm in slash fandom.
But most importantly, I'm trans. Many of my fandom friends are trans. Every time someone says fandom is by women, for women, they're saying we're not here, and we don't belong here. And it's different than saying that to cis guys, who do also make up a portion of fandom. Transguys are always being denied their masculinity; that's part of being trans. And for cis women to sit there and say fandom is by women, for women, it's like they're saying "I see you as female" in the same what white folks say "I see you as white" to PoC.
I am not living as a man. That's my choice right now. But I am still trans. I will never not be trans. And so I may not have to deal with people denying me my right to be male IRL, but it still hurts when people insist on making my writing and my fandom interaction all about my body.