one thing i've come to realize is how much i dislike the term "baby trans". it implies a few things that i don't really like. it implies that:
1. being 'baby trans' is a state that all trans people exist in at some point, before "growing up" after a period of time.
2. trans people who are not "baby trans" are more wise or knowledgeable than those who are.
3. people deemed "baby trans" are hapless and need guidance

for real its all just privilege

whether or not you get to stop being "baby trans" is entirely dependent on your privilege and your access to resources and medical care. if you don't get that you just get to be "baby trans" forever.

i have access to HRT (thank fuck) but as it stands currently there is zero opportunity for me to get LHR or GRS. I have one of the worst insurance plans in the US and my disabilities are not recognized by the government. I barely even have enough money for clothing that i can enjoy. i am literally just stuck as loose change in the sofa cushions and it fucking sucks.

and then there's all the people who have it like 700 billion times worse than i do

@h33h33wuffi3 what's LHR? I couldn't find the acronym

@doggo Laser Hair Removal. i probably shoulda just said "hair removal" but i was low on characters

@h33h33wuffi3 oh ok, thanks!

@h33h33wuffi3 i extremely support and agree with this take.

i think baby trans, for many, can also have problematic intersections with passing. the idea that the goal of transition is passing on the gender binary is goofy and ridiculous and transphobic. on one hand, i can appreciate a willingness for a community to identify individuals who have recently discovered / accepted their transness and want to make room for them to learn and grow, but on the other hand, the idea of a gradation of baby trans -> elder trans is extremely weird. we’re all learning at our own rate and just because i dont know all the specifics of, say, hrt, it doesnt mean im not learning an entirely separate aspect of my trans identity. moreover, the atypical gender transitions due to poor access to healthcare and finance is going to teach us just as much about our identities as anything else – because we are trans.

@rowan yes!! and if you look at what ties it all together, you start to realize that all of the things that make someone "elder trans" is just having access to resources and not being in a position of constant threat. aka having privilege. it irks me because it makes me feel less trans solely because i'm unable to do things that i would be doing otherwise but cannot because i lack that privilege anymore.

@rowan this is why i fight so hard for people to come up with ways of existing in these spaces without having access to money or being physically abled. but it's extremely difficult and kind of like screaming into a gale force wind