#bc its my BIRTHDAY and that's why i procured the cheesecake!

[queerlymasculine]

a lot of nonbinary people I've seen using ftm and mtf are using it from a medical standpoint to describe what type of transition they are currently doing in terms of hormones/surgery/speech therapy/etc. because that's the terminology the medical profession uses and it helps them find other people who are having or wanting the same kind of transition. not saying that's everyone, but I've noticed that it is a fairly common reasoning, so I guess that's one answer to your question.

that's not to say that the terminology doesn't reinforce the gender binary, because it absolutely does, but unfortunately medicine is still very binary when it comes to trans healthcare, so I think a lot of people are just going with a simple option that makes them the most comfortable in that kind of conversation.

I'm too lazy and have too few brain cells after a whole day to also copy paste your other ask but know that I saw it and will do my best to produce a coherent reply. my best may not be objectively extremely good but I tried and therefore no one can criticize me lol

I see what you're saying, to an extent. I do believe you when you say these are the most or are probably the most common reasons (since we can't read minds, ofc). absent historical context, these reasons are more or less sound.

however, it's the historical context that, for me, makes all of the reasons, which seem perfectly understandable at first glance, crumble apart.

don't get me wrong, if someone is aware of the historical context -- that these acronyms were forced on us, that they were and still are to some extent medical diagnoses, etc -- and yet, for whatever reason, decide the words make sense to them, that's their business. I'm not saying that's a Wrong Choice, although I'm sure that's not very believable 😅

however, I'm just saying I doubt the majority of people have any idea. many of these same people who use these acronyms will also, in their bios or pinned posts, say they don't want transmeds interacting with them. the terms ftm and mtf are inherently medicalized. the terms inherently pathologize trans identities. I'm not convinced most people can decry transmeds and still comfortably and knowingly choose to use language that medicalizes and pathologizes our identities.

I don't want to come across like I think everyone who uses the tags or identifies themselves in this way are doing it for the wrong reasons or something. I actually think the opposite, that most people don't know the real history. And I feel like, if more people did become aware, they would choose different language.

regardless of how some branches of the medical establishment talk about trans healthcare! maybe even ESPECIALLY because the medical establishment often uses small-brain language when talking about this kind of thing.

what is also very concerning for me is that the overwhelming majority of people I've seen use these terms have been 18-20, so quite young, and unfortunately, generational knowledge is hard to pass down in the queer community because it's not like we have annual meetings to make sure everyone's on the same page lol

I worry that younger trans people don't have very critical knowledge that will help them understand our history. sure, the way people use the terms right now, as you've described, seems benign, but in the broader context, hopefully it's at least understandable that other trans people would be alarmed by this development.

like I said, far be it from me to tell someone else what words to use for themselves. that's not my business. but as a trans man who is older than a significant chunk of the trans people on tumblr, I would hope that my concern and desire to pass on some knowledge in this area makes sense, even if we disagree on what is the ideal outcome here.