Trans*

Trans* is a neologism and conceptual term that refers to a deliberately open-ended cluster of meanings, often used to describe gender-expansive identities, ontological frameworks, and critiques of hegemonic gender systems. The asterisk denotes inclusivity and fluidity, different from static definitions of "transgender" and allowing space for multiple identities, histories, and theoretical orientations to co-exist under a shared but non-uniform umbrella. ^[1]

Etymology and usage

The term trans* was first used in 1995 on an online Usenet forum, but it entered common use in the early 21st century within activist, academic, and online communities. It was originally used to explicitly include both transgender and transsexual, but in modern use it is usually used as a more inclusive version of "trans", explicitly including identities such as genderqueer, agender, and genderfluid. ^[2]

Criticism

The term has been criticised due to concerns about it being forced onto people who might not want to be labelled with general umbrella terms. Some also describe the "*" as redundant because the more common term "trans" can function the same without needing a hard-to-pronounce character. The term is incompatible with many common search engines such as Google because the "*" is interpreted as a wildcard character, yielding results with the "trans-" prefix instead of the literal "trans*". ^{[1] [3]}

See also

• Gender star  – Style for gender-neutral written German
• Two-spirit  – Umbrella term for gender-variant Indigenous North Americans

References

1. "The OED Just Added the Word 'Trans*.' Here's What It Means". TIME. 2018-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
2. "trans*, adj. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary". www.oed.com. Archived from the original on 2023-07-27. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
3. Tompkins, Avery (1 May 2014). "Asterisk". TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly. 1 (1–2): 26–27. doi:10.1215/23289252-2399497. ISSN   2328-9252.

Further reading

• DiPietro, P. J. (2016). Of Huachafería, Así, and M'E Mati: decolonizing transing methodologies. Transgender Studies Quarterly, 3(1-2), 65-73.
• DiPietro, P. J. (2019). Beyond benevolent violence: Trans* of color, ornamental multiculturalism, and the decolonization of affect. Speaking face to face: The visionary philosophy of María Lugones, 197-216.
• Lugones, M. (2020). Gender and universality in colonial methodology. Critical philosophy of Race, 8(1-2), 25-47.
• Green, Kai M.; Bey, Marquis (2 October 2017). "Where Black Feminist Thought and Trans* Feminism Meet: A Conversation". Souls. 19 (4): 438–454. doi:10.1080/10999949.2018.1434365.
• Salas-SantaCruz, Omi (September 2023). "Nonbinary Epistemologies: Refusing Colonial Amnesia and Erasure of Jotería and Trans* Latinidades". Women's Studies Quarterly. 51 (3–4): 78–93. doi:10.1353/wsq.2023.a910069. Project MUSE   910069 ProQuest   2884349893.
• Stryker, Susan; Currah, Paisley; Moore, Lisa Jean (September 2008). "Introduction: Trans-, Trans, or Transgender?". Women's Studies Quarterly. 36 (3–4): 11–22. doi:10.1353/wsq.0.0112. JSTOR   27649781. Project MUSE   255355 ProQuest   233630359.
• Hayward, Eva; Weinstein, Jami (May 2015). "Introduction: Tranimalities in the Age of Trans* Life". Transgender Studies Quarterly. 2 (2): 195–208. doi:10.1215/23289252-2867446.
• Ellison, Treva; Green, Kai M.; Richardson, Matt; Snorton, C. Riley (May 2017). "We Got Issues: Toward a Black Trans*/Studies". Transgender Studies Quarterly. 4 (2): 162–169. doi:10.1215/23289252-3814949.
• Holland, L. (March 2024). "'I am something that you'll never understand': Prince's Camille as Trans* Caricature". Journal of Popular Music Studies. 36 (1): 79–105. doi:10.1525/jpms.2024.36.1.79.