Kin is not a Gender
I’d like to make a couple things clear before I begin. First off, I’m transgender, and my fiancee is a transwoman. Secondly, most fictionkin (according to informal polls and anecdotal evidence) are transgender/on the trans-spectrum. Thirdly, this post is aimed at educating those outside of the kin community, and those new to it, not those who already understand the distinction.
With that in mind:
- fictionkin/otherkin is not about gender.
- a kintype is not a gender
- otherkin as a whole are not ‘trans-species’
Similarities between being kin and being transgender
- *both experience a mismatch in their physical body versus their mental/spiritual perception of themselves
- *both experience anguish due to internal conflicts between body and mind/soul
Differences between being kin and being transgender
- *kin may experience memories and flashbacks to their other lives, transpeople do not
- *trans people experience systematic oppression, kin do not
- *transpeople are forced pre-transition to constantly dress, speak and act in a way incongruent with their identity, kin are not
- *transpeople are stigmatized by places of employment, and entire governments, kin are not.
- *transpeople are forced to jump through medical and legal hoops to have their identities recognized, kin are not
- Transpeople are expected to present as their chosen gender all the time, kin are not.
- *gender is a fundamental societal marker that is visible to people at all times, kintype is not.
- A kintype does not affect someone’s pronouns or gender identity as a whole.
- Kin are not claiming to be oppressed the way transpeople are
- Kin do not invade trans spaces on kin terms.
Being kin and transgender are separate.
http://fictionkin.net/what-kin-isnt/kin-is-not-a-gender/
( @hydranti )
