• The Timid
• The Librarian
• The Diver
• The Imposter
• The Uncertain
• The Wise
• The Rogue

The Timid:

Timids have internalized the worst of the messages put forward by patriarchy about women, and the least amount of feminism. As a consequence, Timid’s tend to have very poor self esteems.

Timids are ill equipped to advocate for themselves. They accept the judgements given to them by gatekeepers, rarely challenge medical professionals, and often capitulate to assertive family members. As such they are the most vulnerable to gatekeeping and the most likely to be victims of abuse.

Timids will often have the slowest transitions, both due to poor medical treatment and from fear of rejection by friends and family. Many Timids will wait to socially transition until it’s actually getting hard to be seen as male.

The Librarian:

Librarians are researchers. From the moment they crack from the shell they start learning everything they can about transition, queer life, feminism and womanhood, and then strive to impart that knowledge to others.

Librarians are the best self-advocates, and as such often have the smoothest transitions. Unfortunately this can lead to them being more performative early on in their pursuit to be cis passing.

Librarians may become lost in their transitions for a time while it consumes their lives. As such they may neglect loved ones and/or struggle to function at work.

The Diver:

Divers charge forth into transition with little research and no preparation. Divers often are the fastest to socially transition and go full-time, even while still waiting to start HRT.

Consequently, Divers often appear to take the longest to come into their womanhood as they socially adjust. This may lead to difficult transitions for Divers, as the cis people around them are the most caught off guard and then struggle to see them as women.

Divers may have a cursory understanding of feminism, but little grasp of patriarchy. Thus they are the least equipped when the male passing privilege runs out and are likely to suffer the most shock.

NOTE: Do not mistake enthusiasm for being a Diver. Transition brings forth a whole new world available for the first time without the shackles of shame. Some excitement is to be expected. Divers are not just enthusiastic, they are reckless, and may end up hurting others or themselves along the way.

The Imposter:

Imposters will see this archetype and take it as validation that they’re fake. They are positively filled with self doubts and are practically searching for proof that they are not trans or women.

Imposters struggle the most to get out into the world as themselves, moving with hyper-vigilence when they do. They feel like a burden on their loved ones, are even more terrified to enter women’s spaces than average, and are extremely paranoid that they will be assaulted in public.

Imposters are the class of trans girl most likely to attempt detransition, and often the ones in need of the most reassurance. They are also the most likely to go stealth after transitioning, and ironically the most likely to become transmedicalists.

NOTE: Imposter Syndrome is fiercely present in a gender transition and can affect all of us to a degree, especially as we struggle to rapidly learn the aspects of womanhood that cis women pick up during adolescence. The Imposter takes this far beyond that, feeling their doubts at an existential level.

The Uncertain:

Uncertains know they are trans but struggle to put a pin in their gender identity. Might be a girl, might be gender fluid, might be agender, bi-gender, or any other flavor of enby, they don’t know. They just aren’t men.

Uncertains often also struggle to choose what pronouns and name they wish to go by, and may change a few times to see what feels right. Whatever name they settle on, it will probably have an atypical spelling.

Uncertains may take a long time to decide how or if they want to medically transition. At the end of it all, however, they will know themselves extremely well after all their introspection.

NOTE: Some uncertainty is typical in the early stages of transition, especially as one learns to shed the shame that society has placed on subverting ones assigned gender. It is very common for trans people to attempt to accept a middle-ground compromise identity to appease cis family members. This is not the same as the struggle that an Uncertain experiences.

Do you feel like you embodied aspects of all five of these? Well, that can be good or bad, for you fit into one of these two:

The Wise:

The Wise exemplifies pragmatism and patience while fighting back insecurities and self doubts to push ever onward at a slow and steady pace. Their mindfulness in the face of their gender odyssey is an inspiration to all.

The Wise has likely maintained most of their relationships through transition, experienced minimal suffering or struggle, and has come out the other side with little to no harm ‪beyond the typical systemic transphobia present in the world.‬

The Rogue:

Rogues burned all their bridges, severed all ties, and left destruction in their wake. Their transitions have been fraught with pain and struggle, they have lost everything they hold dear, and have often thought about giving up. They bear many scars, both physical and emotional.

However, if they make it through, a Rogue will exit transition a completely changed individual, indistinguishable from the person they once were. Rogues will never take shit from anyone ever again.