''Tranny'' is an offensive and derogatory slur for a transgender individual. During the early 2000s, there was some confusion and debate over whether the term was a pejorative, was considered acceptable, or a reappropriated term of unity and pride, but by 2017, the word had been banned by several major media stylebooks and was considered hate speech by Facebook.

Usage

Roz Kaveney Roz Kaveney (born 9 July 1949) is a British writer, critic, and poet, best known for her critical works about pop culture and for being a core member of the Midnight Rose collective. Kaveney's works include fiction and non-fiction, poetry, revi ...

wrote in '' The Guardian'' in 2010 that ''tranny'' had recently appeared to be undergoing reappropriation to be used with pride by trans activists, but "it didn't take", due in part to the word's continued use as a term of abuse. After using the slur in 2011, Lance Bass said he had thought the term was not a slur after having heard it used on '' RuPaul's Drag Race'' or '' Project Runway'', but he apologized for using the slur after learning that it was not acceptable.

GLAAD GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals ...

's 2011 Transgender Resource Page said the term is "usually considered offensive and/or defamatory to transgender people". Justin Vivian Bond and

Kate Bornstein Katherine Vandam Bornstein (born March 15, 1948) is an American author, playwright, performance artist, actor, and gender theorist. In 1986, Bornstein started identifiying as gender non-conforming and has stated "I don't call myself a woman, ''and ...

have historically advocated for use of the term, with Bond saying in 2014 that banning the word does not eliminate transphobia but rather "steal a joyous and hard-won identity from those of us who are and have been perfectly comfortable, if not delighted to be trannies." Bornstein claimed the word was used in the 1960s and 1970s in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia by trans people as "a name for the identity they shared", but said no one should think Bornstein was giving them permission to use the slur to describe anyone without first knowing the term they used for their gender identity. In ''Tranny: An Evidence-Based Review'', Cristin Williams reviewed historic use of the slur and found the first published instance in 1983, originating among

gay men Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual and homoromantic men may also dually identify as gay, and a number of young gay men also identify as queer. Historically, gay men have been referred to by a number of different terms, including ' ...

. Williams expressed doubt that the word originated long before then. In 2014, the Tranny Awards changed its name to the

Transgender Erotica Awards The Transgender Erotica Awards, formerly known as ''The Tranny Awards'', are a group of List of movie awards, movie awards presented annually in the United States recognizing performances and performers in the field of Transexual pornography, tra ...

, citing feedback from the "extended trans adult community" as a reason to stop using the term. In 2017, Facebook's anti-hate speech algorithms started blocking posts containing ''tranny'', as well as the slur for lesbians ''

dyke Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes, ...

'' and the slur for homosexual men '' fag''.

References

External links

{{Wiktionary, tranny Transgender culture Cross-dressing culture LGBT-related slurs Pornography terminology English words English profanity Transphobia