Thread:Artful Dodger/@comment-30566352-20180315025816

Hello,

I am writing you on behalf of the trans community and LGBT fans of Marvel everywhere. On a recent browse of the Marvel wiki I noticed a page titled "Transvestites" [link: http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Transvestites] and, fearing the worst, clicked. I do not know how widely this is known outside of the trans community, but the term "transvestite" is considered decades out of date at best and horribly offensive at worst. This wiki has previously replaced the offensive (though highly used) term "G*psy" in favor of the correct and less pejorative "romani"; I would ask that the same be done for this category.

The argument may arise that "transvestite" and transgender refer to two different things, with the former referring to "cross-dressers" or drag kings/queens. I disagree with this on several counts. As a trans woman I have been referred to as a "transvestite" by bigots on multiple occasions, while the people I have known that are involved in drag never use it. The word strongly implies the "dirty man-in-a-dress" stereotypes that are all-too-commonly thrown against trans women.

Even accepting "transvestite" to mean "cross-dresser", however, presents its own complications. Besides the highly transphobic connotations, the placement of the category under "Gender/Sexual minorities" does not make sense in this light (as even a straight cisgender man can wear a dress, etc). Additionally, there is no qualifier for what defines "cross-dressing", as clothing does not itself have a gender and as many characters have been put in drag for the sake of (admittedly transphobic) jokes. This makes the category extremely subjective and not of much practical use.

I have been a huge Marvel fan from a young age and I greatly appreciate the work that this wiki does; it was this very wiki that recently prompted me to properly sit down and read comics for the first time since I was a child. I believe that all Marvel fans, regardless of gender identity, should have the opportunity to have fun reading about the characters we all love without seeing slurs targeted against them.

Thank you for reading this letter, and I hope that you will take this plea to heart and remove this category for the reasons outlined above.

- A trans Marvel fan 