LogFAQs > #946171766

adjl posted...

In Japanese media, it's a character archetype of a particularly effeminate male (usually younger) who routinely passes as female in-universe. They may or may not dress as female, and if they do, it's often because another character has dressed them as such. Bridget from Guilty Gear is an example. It's generally played for comedic effect and not necessarily as a deliberate deception on the part of the trap.

It's understandable how it's ended up as a slur for transwomen, but in that sense, it's not a question of gender identity or any such thing. If anything, using it as a slur for transwomen is an example of erroneously conflating transsexuals with transvestites.

Origin aside, it's still used as a slur for a group of people now. Whether people mean it harmfully or not is kinda beside the point.

wwinterj25 posted...

I'm going to use the term regardless. Stop been so sensitive.

You can call it sensitivity, but "mindfulness" seems like the more apt term here. When knowingly using a word that is a slur to a group of people, you need to be conscious of intentions vs. impact.