How many of you are offended by the term trap?

Contributor: pleasurehunter pleasurehunter
I've recently been chatting in a lot of chatrooms where men refer to crossdressers and transgender people as "traps" I'm not sure where this slang started but i've noticed Americans and Europeans of different ages using it. I feel like its a derogatory term towards those who identify or dress as women who are not biologically born that way as they are deceivers who wish to trap or ensnare straight men. I know not all the people using it realize this or consider it homophobic but in my opinion these kind of terms have a negative effect through how they may cause young people who hear these slurs to perceive cd/tg people in a bad light.
Answers (private voting - your screen name will NOT appear in the results):
Yes
31  (38%)
No
30  (37%)
Other
20  (25%)
Total votes: 81
Poll is closed
09/16/2012
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Contributor: Trysexual Trysexual
never heard of it.
09/16/2012
Contributor: Lioncub Lioncub
Never heard the term before.
09/16/2012
Contributor: damnbul12 damnbul12
nope
09/16/2012
Contributor: Gone (LD29) Gone (LD29)
I've heard this too, and I do find it offensive.
09/16/2012
Contributor: JennSenn JennSenn
I had heard it before, but not in a way I considered derogatory, but I'll be on the lookout for that now. Know Your Meme says it's from Return of the Jedi originally. I've also heard it partially derived from a game (Guilty Gear) character named Bridget whom everyone believes is a girl, one character even continuing to believe so after he announced that he was male. Or something like that. Anyway, I guess I'm more familiar with the generalized "it's a trap" that is not gender issue related and then the anime related trap meme.

I hadn't realized it had spread past that. I would only use it for anime/games/whatever characters like Bridget. But I'll try to be more aware of any use I may make of it from now on.
09/16/2012
Contributor: Falsepast Falsepast
I'm not offended, I like it
09/17/2012
Contributor: butts butts
I'm totally fine with it if the person WANTS to be called that, but I am a bit offended when people refer to transfolk as traps.
09/17/2012
Contributor: Geogeo Geogeo
Quote:
Originally posted by pleasurehunter
I've recently been chatting in a lot of chatrooms where men refer to crossdressers and transgender people as "traps" I'm not sure where this slang started but i've noticed Americans and Europeans of different ages using it. I ... more
First I hear of it
09/18/2012
Contributor: epiphanyjayne epiphanyjayne
This is also my first time I heard that term. I'm not sure, I'm sure it could be used either way.
09/18/2012
Contributor: ghent529 ghent529
never heard of it.
09/18/2012
Contributor: MJ7 MJ7
never heard of it, but i do find that offensive. similar to a view an ex lover of mine had. needless to say, that relationship was ill fated
09/19/2012
Contributor: KrazyKandy KrazyKandy
Ive never heard of it.
09/19/2012
Contributor: GONE! GONE!
It plays into the ridiculous myth that transgender women are cross-dressing villains intent on taking over the world by tricking straight men into having sex with them.
If that's not offensive, I don't know what is honestly.
09/20/2012
Contributor: mamaseatspoop mamaseatspoop
never heard of it
09/20/2012
Contributor: MJ7 MJ7
Quote:
Originally posted by GONE!
It plays into the ridiculous myth that transgender women are cross-dressing villains intent on taking over the world by tricking straight men into having sex with them.
If that's not offensive, I don't know what is honestly.
Amen.
09/21/2012
Contributor: BlooJay BlooJay
I've never heard of this before.
09/21/2012
Contributor: KrissyNovacaine KrissyNovacaine
I never heard of that before, but I think it is offensive.
09/21/2012
Contributor: emiliaa emiliaa
Hah, not trans so I can't say, really. But I do think that it's offensive because of the notion behind it that trans-people are trying to trick someone.
09/21/2012
Contributor: pleasurehunter pleasurehunter
Yeah I can't stop thinking its offensive the more I hear it, especially after hearing it now from so many "chasers" its starting to annoy me as I hear it more frequently, i actually was dressed the other night and had someone ask me how long id been a trap. I have thick skin so i just let it go but I never heard this word until I came out more as a woman, and im kind of tired of being referred to as trap, id like to be treated like a woman not some sort of trap, tranny or anything else
09/21/2012
Contributor: RedKyuubi RedKyuubi
Not sure if the term is offensive
09/22/2012
Contributor: RonLee RonLee
Joking or not, anyone who refers to my GF in that manner, I will physically hurt them.
09/22/2012
Contributor: violets violets
It just feeds the thinking that trans women aren't 'real' women. And it's also a reflection of the stupid homophobic macho culture that seems big with a lot of younger men.

I think it's a horrible offensive term
09/23/2012
Contributor: RonLee RonLee
Quote:
Originally posted by violets
It just feeds the thinking that trans women aren't 'real' women. And it's also a reflection of the stupid homophobic macho culture that seems big with a lot of younger men.

I think it's a horrible offensive term
I agree.
09/23/2012
Contributor: tami tami
never heard it before
09/23/2012
Contributor: Boyqueen Boyqueen
I find it offensive.
09/23/2012
Contributor: Sam the Man Sam the Man
I've never heard this before, but I find it not only offensive but dangerous. This sort of terminology is what leads to attacks on transgender people (esp. on trans* women) and the subsequent legal justification of those acts.
09/24/2012
Contributor: Genderfree Genderfree
Traps are just hobbyists, in my experience, and many are not trans. They just happen to "pass" (I hate that word) while seeing themselves in their birth gender. They're just cross dressers, but you can't tell if they really are or not.

I believe the origins of the term are a bit offensive, but otherwise, the use of the word seems very positive and not have too many negative connotations.
10/09/2012
Contributor: alistair alistair
never heard of it
10/15/2012
Contributor: thisisadeletedaccount thisisadeletedaccount
I think it's a messed up term - it perpetuates the stereotype of trans* folks as predatory and deceitful, and can be used as justification for violence against them (look up "trans panic defense").
11/11/2012