So hey, I'm seeing a lot of the "Gender Swap App" start rolling around again, and I'd like to take a quick second to talk about it!

Before I start, I'd like to say: It's fine to use it, it's even helpful for some folks, but HOW it is used can be hurtful.

Let's begin:

At a surface level, the idea of the "Gender Swap" app has some fundamental issues.

The biggest of them being the use of these apps can, and has, been historically used to encourage things like the "panic defense", which incites violence/murder toward the LGBTQIA+ community.

Now YOU may not be doing that, but if you take a glance around, you have seen it used that way before and will continue to see it used that way.

The "panic defense" has allowed so many of the LGBTQIA+ community's murders to go prosecuted and justice continues to be un-served.

Second issue is that it greatly enforces the ideology of a "gender binary", which btw is a myth.

But these apps focus on the idea that "MALE" or "FEMALE" and pushes that to an extreme with how a "NORMAL MALE OR FEMALE LOOKS", which is also extremely harmful.

Men don't have a "look", women don't have a "look", that's an entire lie made up by a system that's focused on only further building a barrier.

This makes it extremely hard for Non-Binary and Trans folks to feel any kind of acceptance in how they look.

In that same idea, transmen don't have a "look", transwomen don't have a "look", and non-binary people don't have a "look", but again these apps definitely FORCE an "ideal look" onto people and into their minds and beliefs.

Additionally, on a similar note, the app also enforces harmful and absolutely incorrect ideals of what "beauty" is.

And this goes into not just Male/Female/Nonbinary/Trans, but it also pushes predominantly "White Features" as "True Beauty" and that's pretty darn -racist-.

Capping this little rant off, just using the app and not tagging things will set off dysphoria for SO many people.

You may not be using it in a harmful way, & that's great, but by not tagging things you're potentially exposing someone with extreme dysphoria to something harmful.

Keep in mind not EVERY trans/nonbinary person will have dysphoria, there is NO RULE saying that dysphoria is "needed" to be Trans/Enby and assuming so is harmful too.

But some trans/enby folks enjoy using these apps to express themselves & even give them a dose of euphoria.

Simply tagging your "swap" pictures properly helps make sure that those who -do not want to see that- don't have to. It's a small act of kindness and takes 0 time to do.

So just keep that in mind if you plan on using it.

Final note: I like the "concept", to a degree, it actually can have some benefits and potentially allows people to view themselves in a different way they had never considered before.

But if someone forced that app in front of me? I'd be entirely uncomfortable and feel gross.

Food for thought!

Thanks for listening!

Have a lovely day!

Trans Rights Are Human Rights!

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