At the risk of another catgirl calling me a traitor to transwomankind again, it often feels like part of the reason why some trans girls react so strongly against trans men in queer com is as a reaction to the feelings of dysphoria/trauma brought up by expressions of masculinity.

Over the years, I have also observed how certain cis queer femmes dangle acceptance for trans women if they join in denouncing trans mascs. The same femmes who demean their trans masc boyfs and constantly harangue them about their masculinity while simultaneously fetishizing it.

Back to the trauma part: for some, especially new in transition trans girls who aren’t into men sexually, any expression of masculinity feels like a threat and can cause great discomfort. I feel really empathetic towards this, even as it sometimes causes unhelpful behaviour.

So many of the problems in trans community really just boil down to all of us bringing in similar but often opposite trauma that bumps up against each other and cause little explosions. The only way out is to actually look at our own trauma and work on it.