Transgenders and cosplaying

[Drake_Alexander]

I'm sorry if this may be in the wrong posting spot, but I'm curious.

I've been cosplaying for just about four years now. Even before I discovered the transgender community and came out about myself more, I'd been cosplaying guys - I'm FTM.

But recently, when I came out, I'd received some rather nasty comments about being trans and cosplaying female characters. When I released a female human design of a transformer, I got a message to my cosplay page saying that "You're not truly transgender if you cosplay girls still! Quit being a faker! Make up your mind!" and I've been wondering how to respond to such things. I'm not backing down from my female project just yet, I'm just curious of how to cope with it. My friend is FTM and he models lolita wigs and dresses still, even after his recent upper SRS, he says to continue, which I will but I'm not sure how to take this fire. Usually I walk away but these are people I could potentially run into at Conventions.

[teriyagi]

Wow that really sucks. I'm a ftm transgender Cosplayer too who also cosplays as girls occasionally and I have never experienced such back lash before. If it was me I'd put them in their place. They have no right to tell you how to be transgender. There is no checklist. If you're trans and want to cosplay girls still then go right ahead! Tell em to go ->-bleeped-<- themselves and to either respect you or leave. At least that's what is do.

[leacobb]

I have never cosplayed myself but i am transgender (post op MTF) and i believe as long as your true to yourself it dont really matter what you do. There are no guidelines because everyone is different, with different situations.. No one, i repeat No one has the right to tell you how to live your life.. regarding the conventions i would just at first be polite and tell them that they have no reason to pry into things that has nothing to do with them, and if they become hostile then tell them to back off and get a life of there own and stop being so worried about yours...

I hope all goes well and good luck xx

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[Rejennyrated]

Frankly its bul->-bleeped-<-! I'm over 30 years postop MtF - its called cosPLAY - as in for fun! I've never been told I cant cosplay a male character, heck I've even taken part in Drag King competitions in the past - which to my great amusement I lost...

What you do for fun is different from who you are and your friend is really just sucking air in an attempt to be clever. People like that are not worth the trouble. Tell them to go look up the dictionary definition of play, and come back when they actually understand the meaning of words, because, "y'know, talking to people who dont speak the language very well gets difficult..."

[suzifrommd]

"You're not truly transgender if you cosplay girls still! Quit being a faker! Make up your mind!"

No one can tell you whether you're trans or not. Anyone who thinks they can because of some act or lack of act on your part is displaying their ignorance.

An appropriate answer would be "I'll wear anything I jolly well please. Mind your own stinkin' business."

Feel free to substitute "stinkin'" for a word that truly expresses the measure of your disdain.

[Serenation]

I've cosplayed only once at comic con in Australia, I found it kind of fun, I had to walk past 5000 guys in hotpants, hooker boots and fishnets so after I that I felt like I could accomplish anything.

crossplay is so common at cons, it shouldn't be only for cis people. I'm the perfect height for boba fett or a storm strooper, id happily go as one of those and not have to be a female version. I say it's a con dress as whatever you want.

[luna nyan]

Hi Drake,

Cosplay is cosplay, regardless of whether you're doing cross play.

My personal thing with cosplay is that I prefer to see people play characters that their build suits relatively well, but I wouldn't go out of my way to criticise someone if they didn't.

For me, it's all about the execution - is it a serious attempt or satirical?  Either done well is fine to me. 

And for the record, I think Ladybeard is awesome. 

[Yenneffer]

I want to do this

[luna nyan]

I want to do this

Did it a few times, freaked out a bunch of people, mission accomplished, and retired from cosplay.   

(And managed to not out myself either!!!)

[Yenneffer]

Did it a few times, freaked out a bunch of people, mission accomplished, and retired from cosplay.   

(And managed to not out myself either!!!)

who do you think I can cosplay as

[BenKenobi]

I love cosplaying and have mostly played males myself. I went as Mello my first year of cosplaying and the reactions i think started it all.

Anyway it's bull->-bleeped-<- how there's backlash. May as well say any person that cross plays isn't truly cis and need to make up their mind.

[Carrie Liz]

Google "crossplay". That will give you a whole album of hundreds of guys cosplaying female characters.

If a cis guy can do these and still be a guy, then why does it somehow make you not a guy if you do?

They can take their cissexism and double-standards and shove it.

[Swayallday]

Google "crossplay". That will give you a whole album of hundreds of guys cosplaying female characters.

If a cis guy can do these and still be a guy, then why does it somehow make you not a guy if you do?

Tell them to take their cissexism and double-standards and shove them.

This!
cosplay/c'r'ossplay all the way ~.~

[Violet Bloom]

  So, wait a minute - They're more concerned about you going as a female robot than they are about all the large, bearded men dressed as Sailor Moon?!?!?

[Promethea]

So I suppose this person tells all cis cosplayers who play characters of the opposite gender to stop pretending they're cis and admit they are really transgender?

If you've been sharing you cosplaying escapades publicly for a while, you probably are used to getting BS messages on occasion, questioning you on the tiniest details of your costume. The fact that this aims at something more personal doesn't mean it should go anywhere different: the trash folder.

Hugs!

[Drake_Alexander]

No one can tell you whether you're trans or not. Anyone who thinks they can because of some act or lack of act on your part is displaying their ignorance.

An appropriate answer would be "I'll wear anything I jolly well please. Mind your own stinkin' business."

Feel free to substitute "stinkin'" for a word that truly expresses the measure of your disdain.

I just deleted the fb message but I was soooo tempted to light into them

[Drake_Alexander]

Wow that really sucks. I'm a ftm transgender Cosplayer too who also cosplays as girls occasionally and I have never experienced such back lash before. If it was me I'd put them in their place. They have no right to tell you how to be transgender. There is no checklist. If you're trans and want to cosplay girls still then go right ahead! Tell em to go <not allowed> themselves and to either respect you or leave. At least that's what is do.

Thanks!

My FTM friend just had upper SRS done and he still models lolita dresses and wigs. I just didn't know how to respond to such a comment but I feel relieved knowing I'm not alone

[Willowicious]

Literally nobody has the right to tell you who you can and can't cosplay. Cosplay is a form of expression, and nobody has the right to tell you how you should express yourself. (I do believe there is a parallel between judgments people impose on others gender and those imposed on cosplayers imo on another note)