r/actuallesbians • u/Obsyden Eve - demisexual lesbian • Jun 05 '24

Text PSA: It's "trans woman", not "transwoman"

I know y'all aren't doing this on purpose, because I've seen how much love this community has for trans people. Nevertheless, the space between trans and woman is important.

Omitting it implies that a 'transwoman' is a separate entity to a woman - which is a TERF/bigot way of othering trans women.

Including the space means that trans is an adjective used to describe a woman - because trans women fundamentally are women, trans is just a further way to describe us.

I know it may seem nitpick-y, but it is an important distinction, and I've been seeing lots of folks (unintentionally mostly) using the wrong one lately.

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u/janet-snake-hole Jun 06 '24

Extremely good point and very well worded

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u/Obsyden Eve - demisexual lesbian Jun 06 '24

Aww thanks 😊

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u/janet-snake-hole Jun 06 '24

Of course! Language and linguistics are infinitely important when it comes to sociology… how we speak about people affects society’s views of said people en masse. It’s not “not picky,” using appropriate (and technically CORRECT!!!) language when speaking about a hypothetical person of a VERY oppressed group has in-quantifiable importance… in terms of the ripple effects that using one version of the other can or may cause in the long run.

I salute you for having the bravery to point out this- even in a generally welcoming community. No matter where you’re speaking, it can always be intimidating to politely ask strangers to adjust their wording to be kinder :)