Writing Trans: Othering pt. 1

waystoraise:

After some wonderful discussion I had regarding our Common Pitfalls of Writing Trans Feminine article, I wanted to take this week to focus on Othering as it applies to trans and nonbinary folks.

Othering is something that is done towards many marginalized groups, not just trans and nonbinary individuals, and along many lines, including but not limited to: culturally, racially, and based upon disability. It is not something found only in fiction, and often occurs in public discourse. This article is however focusing specifically on the othering of trans and nonbinary individuals in fiction, though some of the advice is more widely applicable. 

What I mean by describing something as othering in fiction is that the narrative, or characterization contained within, sets aside a marginalized group of people as fundamentally alien and inherently either less or more than normal. (The more than often steps into out and out fetishization, which is the shape a lot of supposedly “positive” representation for trans and nonbinary folks comes in.) 

Trans and nonbinary characters are often treated as abnormal, their identities couched purely in terms of sex or sexuality either implicitly through how they’re framed or often explicitly in a lot of genre fiction. In addition to being transphobic and often transmisogynistic, it’s just bad and lazy writing.

Below are a few ways this shows up commonly:

• Presenting the only nonbinary or trans individuals in your story as belonging to some other species or culture. Particularly when a plot device or plot point is how different and unique or special said culture or species is.
• Presenting nonbinary or trans characters as seeking to/wishing to be cis.
• Presenting only a single trans or nonbinary character, and allowing the narrative (and/or readers) to use that character as a stand in for all trans and nonbinary individuals.
• Presenting a trans or nonbinary character’s gender and identity purely in relation to a cis person’s understanding and desire.
• Presenting a trans or nonbinary character, or all your trans or nonbinary characters, as having some unique distinguishing characteristic such as a profession, special powers, or a trauma that isn’t unique to trans experiences.

Next week I’ll be giving a few guidelines on how to avoid othering in your own writing.

Please feel free to send us your favorite trans authors, a little bit about your favorite trans characters, or any questions or topics you’d like to see me address, too. For some of our new followers, you can find past Writing Trans articles here in the tag.

-Chris