# Miss China: Tranny? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 11, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111 "2009-08-11T21:23:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/61 "2009-08-13T19:53:09Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Thinking about this further, considering tranny to be a slur makes no sense at all. It’s just an abbreviated version of “transsexual.” It’s not like I’m saying “fag” instead of “faggot” or “nig” instead of “nigger.” “Jap” is short for Japanese, and is generally considered a racial slur. So is “Nip,” which is short for Nipponese. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/62 "2009-08-13T19:53:58Z")
Here’s the deal: “tranny” is a term associated with sex workers, drag queens, and fetishists. (see also: tranny chaser, chix with dix, shemale) It’s a punchline or an insult. “Hot tranny mess.” “She looks like a tranny.” There are transsexual and transgendered people who will use it, the same way there are gay people who use faggot and women who call their friends bitches. That doesn’t make it a term that’s okay to use in regular conversation about trans folks, any more than you would say to a random coworker, “Did you hear that Harvey Milk was just awarded the Medal of Freedom? He sure did a lot of good work for faggots’ rights.” It’s still a slur, even when used without malice. (Why are certain words in our society considered slurs? That’s a whole different discussion.) Odds are good that a transsexual person off the internet is not going to tell you, “Every time you use the word ‘tranny’ around me, it makes me wince and feel like you consider me a joke or a whore.” Trans folks generally do their best to blend in, and part of that is often ignoring slurs, jokes, and other minor prejudice in the interest of going along to get along. You can keep using it. No one’s going to stop you. But now you know it’s generally considered a slur by trans folks (now, drag queens will throw it around all day, which, as I mentioned, is part of why transsexual folks don’t want it applied to them). So you’re using a slur in full knowledge that it is one. Your choice. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/63 "2009-08-13T20:24:08Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > You can keep using it. No one’s going to stop you. But now you know it’s generally considered a slur by trans folks (now, drag queens will throw it around all day, which, as I mentioned, is part of why transsexual folks don’t want it applied to them). So you’re using a slur in full knowledge that it is one. Your choice. Context matters. Your anecdotal data points from the handful of trannies you associate with do not transform it into a slur, no matter how badly you want to wag your finger at me. As I cannot plausibly claim that I don’t care if I keep posting about this, I’m done. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/64 "2009-08-13T20:33:26Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Context matters. Your anecdotal data points from the handful of trannies you associate with do not transform it into a slur, no matter how badly you want to wag your finger at me. Well, other posters have said they find it offensive and that their transgendered friends do as well. Not EVERY transgendered person is going to balk at you using it, but why do you need a unanimous vote? Your going out of your way to defend it when people have told you it’s a bad idea seems disrespectful to the transgendered people. Why use it when there are so many other better terms? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/65 "2009-08-13T20:35:50Z")
MOIDALIZE, I don’t think you’re being a bigot because I think that requires hateful intent, but you are being insensitive. Bob is not a slur but if some dude named Robert does not want to be called Bob I’m not going to call him Bob. It’s just the polite thing to do. I don’t think tranny, chinaman, jap, nip, and even fag and nigger (in certain contexts) are the ghastly beasts people make them out to be, but then again I don’t belong to any of the groups they attempt to describe, so if they hurt those people’s feelings I’ll defer to their perspective and refrain from using them. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/66 "2009-08-13T20:40:21Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Context matters. Your anecdotal data points from the handful of trannies you associate with do not transform it into a slur, no matter how badly you want to wag your finger at me. > > As I cannot plausibly claim that I don’t care if I keep posting about this, I’m done. I’m a transsexual man. I know personally, have chatted with, have hung out with, or have met casually literally hundreds of other trans folks. I “keep up with the literature,” if you will, as well. “Tranny” is an offensive term when applied to transsexual and transgendered people. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/67 "2009-08-13T21:10:50Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > I’m a transsexual man. Oh c’mon, you expect us to believe that? We all know you’re \*\*really \*\*a millionaire brain surgeon astronaut marine biologist who’s married to a hot pair of Swedish twins and can be immediately identified by your slender, 6’3" frame and single angel wing. You can’t fool us, anonymous internet poster! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/68 "2009-08-13T22:58:56Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Not for all the transsexuals in the world, no. No one person speaks for everyone. She was a transgendered woman who was pretty well respected and liked on the Dope, that’s all. I could be remembering wrong, but I just feel like I recall a thread where she said something about how she disliked the term. If any other Dopers remember anything she said about it, feel free to pipe in (or conversely, you can point out that I’m wrong and that **Eve** lost no opportunity to refer to herself as our resident Tranny Granny at all times). If people who are transgendered are saying they don’t like the term, I don’t see why it’s such a good thing to use it. I miss **Eve**. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/69 "2009-08-14T01:44:21Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Not for all the transsexuals in the world, no. No one person speaks for everyone. She was a transgendered woman who was pretty well respected and liked on the Dope, that’s all. I could be remembering wrong, but I just feel like I recall a thread where she said something about how she disliked the term. If any other Dopers remember anything she said about it, feel free to pipe in (or conversely, you can point out that I’m wrong and that **Eve** lost no opportunity to refer to herself as our resident Tranny Granny at all times). If people who are transgendered are saying they don’t like the term, I don’t see why it’s such a good thing to use it. FTR, she really didn’t seem to mind [the term](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=196732). Check out number three. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/70 "2009-08-14T03:49:17Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > “Jap” is short for Japanese, and is generally considered a racial slur. So is “Nip,” which is short for Nipponese. I thought it was short for Nipple and was only used to refer to Elaine Benes. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/71 "2009-08-14T04:02:46Z")
Cyprus chick, damn!! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/72 "2009-08-14T04:11:46Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Well, then Miss Venezuela would always be disqualified. > > (Not referencing the current Miss Venezuela. I’ve heard that Venezuela is big into beauty pageants and cosmetic surgery.) > > I like that they allow padding, especially if they’re going to allow plastic surgery. What difference does it really make if the fake tits are because of padding that’s stuffed under the skin or between the skin and the bra? Doing the latter is a much better choice for the vast majority of women. > > Anyway, there is nothing inherently wrong with getting cosmetic surgery anyway. And where would you draw the line? Getting lipo and ass implants are cosmetic surgery. So is getting a mole removed. I didn’t mean _all_ pageants proscribe cosmetic surgery. Just I’ve heard of some that do. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/73 "2009-08-14T15:17:36Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Oh c’mon, you expect us to believe that? We all know you’re \*\*really \*\*a millionaire brain surgeon astronaut marine biologist who’s married to a hot pair of Swedish twins and can be immediately identified by your slender, 6’3" frame and single angel wing. You can’t fool us, anonymous internet poster! Hey, I didn’t say i wasn’t all those things, too. Except I’m not a millionaire brain surgeon astronaut marine biologist - I’m a millionaire tax lawyer to the stars. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/74 "2009-08-14T15:36:37Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > I’m a millionaire tax lawyer to the stars. What the… **you’re a Rand Rover sock**! ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/75 "2009-08-14T16:42:36Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > What the… **you’re a Rand Rover sock**! Crap, I’ve been found out! Quick, to the Galtmobile! ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/76 "2009-08-14T16:46:11Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > Quick, to the Galtmobile! … You mean your Bentley? ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/77 "2009-08-14T17:03:03Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > … You mean your Bentley? Actually, I meant my Thundercougarfalconbird, Luxury Edition. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/78 "2009-08-14T17:46:21Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Cyprus chick, damn!! Hmmm, only if you mean “damn, get that girl a cheeseburger!” I also wanted to say thank goodness for this thread because otherwise I would have never seen the headline about Jon and Kate and I just don’t think I’d live another day without knowing the latest. Dodged a bullet on that one, I did! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/79 "2009-08-14T18:48:44Z")
> [@justrob](#): > > It’s nice to see people with disabilities being represented though. Look, Miss Ukraine only has one arm. 😉 > > [Miss Universe Swimsuit Competition 2009: Who's Hottest? (PHOTOS, POLL) | HuffPost Entertainment](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/11/miss-universe-swimsuit-co_n_256646.html?slidenumber=20#slide_image) It’s just to compensate – 20 years ago, she probably would’ve had three! ---
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111/80 "2009-08-14T19:26:59Z")
Miss China doesn’t look like she belongs in a beauty pageant, altough I wouldn’t say she looks like a tranny. Miss Ukraine looks like a Barbie doll to me, way too plastic. Some are pretty attractive, but I wouldn’t say any are extremely hot. > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Well, if people use that word as a put down, then yeah. People are going to claim anything is offensive over time. First, nigger was deemed offensive so we started using negro. (I can understand that one really.) Then negro became offensive and we switched to African American. I think it’s switched back and forth between that and black a few times over the years. And not only is tranny offensive now, but it looks like transsexual, a freakin medical term, is being replaced by transgendered. It’s all retarded to me (another _offensive_ term). I’m sticking with black and transsexual myself. Get over it. You all can kiss my cracker ass. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-china-tranny/506111.md?page=5)