Otherkin

I'm probably going to grind gears, but otherkin pisses me off. IMO, it's a mockery of what trans people go through and it's not cool.

 

I agree, it's a mockery of trans people, and I'm including "trans-ethnic" people too. Not a kid of a different ethnicity growing up in a family of another ethnicity...it's those people who are (usually) white and claim to be transitioning into black, native, asian...

 

Oh god I've seen too many "transrace" people on tumblr like you wouldn't believe. I wish people could grow up.

 

oh. god. reminds me of a screenshot that I can't post here. It's insanely hilarious but offensive.

 

I think it's offensive to trans people and what they go through but there are actual people out there who have gone literally insane and behave like animals. My health teacher told us this creepy story last year where he was driving down a freeway and says he passed by this place where they were holding men and woman in "cages" because these individuals had gone mad and believed they were animals and were behaving exactly like them. He says they were all also naked because they rejected real clothes like animals and were kept in cages for rabid and wild behavior. I'm not sure how much I believe my teacher but I do remember reading about a Babylonian king in ancient history who went senile/mad and begun behaving like an animal.

But this doesn't excuse "otherkin" at all, the above sounds more like a mental disease.

 

I always find it funny how they're always the same types of animals. Tigers, wolves, sharks (lots of shark people... oddly) but you never hear anyone say that they're really a sea cucumber or a giant clam. How about mayflies? They live for a week and have no mouth. Where are the mayfly people?

 

I find the same with furries. It's usually wolves, foxes, huskies, hyenas, or any pointy eared dog breeds. Where's all the bearded vultures, rhinos, spotted skunks...and if you're gonna be a dog, why not a Newfoundland or Greyhound? Why always a husky type?

 

Look, if someone's really an animal trapped in a human body, why are they always Disney style wolves? I wanna see some guy say he's a banana slug for once.

Mockery of trans issues, for sure.

---------- Post added 2nd May 2014 at 09:24 PM ----------

holy shit. That's a real thing. That's a real thing.

 

Yeah, sadly trans-ethnic is a thing. It's usually white people who think it's "trendy" to be oppressed and just mock the real issues minorities have to live through. And I've heard otherkin say that they're "oppressed" because people on the internet don't take them seriously.

 

Omg about the trans ethnic thing did any of you know that Justin Beiber put his ethnicity down as "black" I found that so disgraceful and mocking but I guess he looks like the poster boy for what trans ethnic is: pathetic and sorta sad.

 

Otherkin are delusional, and "trans privilege" is a farce. Privilege politics in itself is already pretty flawed, but to say that being trans = a privilege? That's absurd. Sex dysphoria can cause people to go to drastic measures to rid themselves of it. Trans people aren't allowed to go into the military, many of them are kicked out of the bathroom, and there's a huge lack of understanding about them in general.

"Transethnics" are just ridiculous. Genetic engineering isn't advanced enough for you to change your physical features very much, and it's downright impossible to change your place of birth (unless you somehow procured a time machine). They also tend to use stereotypes to justify them being "transethnic".

One does not choose being trans; it's something that you can't control.

 

^^ I agree with everything said above me.

Eeyup. I thought I was the only one who heard of this, but so called "trans-ethnic" people are apparently more common than I thought.

Sadly, people tend to confuse otakus and people who are into Japanese culture (like myself) with "trans-ethnic" nut jobs. It's ridiculous.

 

They're weirdos that I try to avoid, like a good portion of the internet. They're not doing trans people any favors, that's for sure.

 

There's a difference between feral kids and otherkin. At least with feral kids, their attitudes and ways stem from a childhood which was more than likely damaging and very traumatic. Otherkin...no.

 

Transgender does exist. 'Truly being a different animal' can't really exist I think.

Animals have totally different brains, sensory organs, way of living and socializing and conciousness. I see no way in which a human can totally understand what it is to be an animal of a different species. I think these people have a completely wrong and romanticized idea of what it is to be an animal, instead of the generally brutal and simple lives animals have.

Sure I don't mind if someone plays that they're an animal of their choice, but claiming that you're really another animal born in a human skin and knowing what it is to be that animal is just silly.

 

I find the argument that otherkin and transethnics are an insult to transpeople to be extremely elitist. Do we have some sort of monopoly on dysphoria now? Do we have some sort of monopoly on feeling we know who we are better than those who say we can't exist, because men are MEN and women are WOMEN? Do we have some sort of privilege to decide other people's identities now, simply because ours are fucked up? Seriously, I really don't get how it is at all acceptable to claim somebody else's problems are an insult to us.

Is the idea ridiculous? Yes. Is it anywhere near as medically grounded as gender dysphoria? No. Does it fucking matter? Also no. A key tenant of the trans movement is that we respect people's identities. I don't see how that identity being something I personally disagree with the existence of changes that. We expect to be addressed as what we say we are, and we should give that courtesy in response. If you don't like that, keep quiet about it, just like we appreciate of those who disagree with gender dysphoria. People are allowed to be things we don't agree with, just like we can. Even if they are being really fucking stupid.

 

There are people who feel like an animal.
Well, I won't say anything about that, because it's up to them. I only find it offensive when they only pretend to be something they aren't just to feel like they're different, or just for the fun of it.

 

No one is trying to "monopolize in dysphoria." There's a big difference between being born the wrong gender and running around saying you're a dragon or wolf inside (and taking it seriously enough to whine about how "oppressed" they are) and a whiny white person who is sick of their privilege on tumblr and wants oppressed status so they want to transition to another race and ethnicity. Yeah people can do what they want, but it doesn't mean they aren't a cruel joke at the expense of trans people.

"Literally, every transethnic person I’ve seen on tumblr has defended their “identity” by drawing parallels to trans* struggles and implying that those who speak out against transethnicity, or cisracism as them kids be calling it now a days, is on par with cissexism.

It’s not only an extremely asshole move to appropriate the struggle of trans* people, but also it’s quite a dangerous form of rhetoric because it trivializes the struggles of trans* people by comparing it to your privileged snow-white ass trying to pretend you’re oppressed when cissexism is a real societal oppression."

(that was from an old tumblr post that doesn't exist anymore it seems)

Otherkin exploit a real problem trans people have and use it to justify their own little fantasies. Yeah they can play their pretend games all they want, but people like this need to stop drawing comparisons to trans struggles. They're certainly not going to be hurt or killed walking the street being "a dragon in a human body." There is no possible way to have the mind of another animal, unlike the human brain which develops onto a feminine or masculine track. It's harmless as long as they don't exploit trans struggles and don't wander on a path of complete delusion.

Of course there are some otherkin who don't do stuff like this and take a more spiritual approach, which is harmless, but I've been on the internet long enough to have seen the bad side of everything.

 

Wait, I don't recall identity politics being part of the trans equality movement! I understand that you want to accept all people, since you yourself understand how not being accepted is. Fair enough, but I don't care if it makes them happy to be otherkin. They thought it would be cool to be an animal or something. We should help them get back to reality. They can love animals/have a spiritual connection to them without barging in on us or pretending to be said animal. There are those who are otherkin as a spiritual thing/religion. I still think it's delusional, but at least they aren't using it for attention. I'd let them be. But those people(?) aren't our main concern here.

>Implying that a medical conditon is comparable to a person playing dress-up
> Implying that a medical condition is an identity
> Implying that otherkin and "transethnics" are allowed to use up our resources for the sake of progressivism (This one is particularly significant. Letting these people stay stupid won't do us or them any favors.)

At least you don't like them, either. We should try to stop them from claiming "trans" (for being otherkin, that is, although I'd be skeptical if they claimed to be trans), shouldn't we?
When they're done with their little game, they'll get to skip all the damage caused by transphobia, while we have to clean up their mess. Besides, the word dysphoria has a definition. Being trans has a definition. If you aren't, you aren't, and being otherkin is not what being trans is. Being otherkin isn't comparable at all.