An important message from a transgender MTF cosplayer.
On Sunday at Anime Boston, my friend went to a panel called “Gender and Anime Culture” or something like that for a few laughs. At one point during the panel the host said something along the lines of, “Cosplay culture is very accepting towards crossdressers, transvestites, and transsexuals”. He turned to his friend and said, “Where’s Sophie to get angry and share stories of idiots?”
And he’s right. Oh, oh so right. If I were there, I would have gotten straight up and called the host on their bullshit.
For whatever reason, I never get bullshit from from random people I see at places like stores, or on the street, or whatever. Even when I’m not wearing makeup or trying to look good.
But the second I put on a costume and step into a con, I hear shit like “oh you look like a genuine girl” or “are you a boy or a girl” or “nice crossplay”. Excuse me, but that’s fucking rude. I usually follow it up with a stern “I am a girl” or “I’m not crossplaying”.
First off, do you not know what a transgender person is? Or is the fucking “trap culture” just so ingrained in convention culture that you won’t even think about it?
Second, guess what? I don’t care if I pass to you. If I don’t, I still expect you to show me an OUNCE of respect. Keep it to your fucking self.
I cosplay to be something I’m not, and to build self-confidence. When I hear shit like that, it completely shatters what I’ve built up and honestly, kind of ruins my day.
Being a transgender woman is seriously difficult to deal with. Don’t make it any harder for us than it has any right to be. Just treat people as the gender of the character they’re cosplaying and move on. That’s all you need to do, and keep any comments like “are you a boy?” to yourself.
