One saying that many trans people unfortunately have to hear is, “You don’t look trans!” But what is trans even supposed to look like? The truth is that trans looks like many different things. Every person in each of these photos is transgender or non-binary. Some of these people are good friends of mine, and some are kind strangers I met at Pride festivals!
As these photos suggest, every trans or non-binary person looks and dresses differently. No matter what someone’s gender is or what their pronouns are, they should dress to be happy, comfortable, and confident. There’s this toxic idea that trans and non-binary people need to get surgeries and undergo hormone replacement therapy to “look” like their gender. Most people choose not to make physical changes to their body, though; some others can’t afford to transition or don’t have the resources to do so. With that being said, whether or not a person physically transitions doesn’t change who they are, nor does it make them any more or less trans than others. The concept that trans and non-binary people need to look or dress a certain way needs to end.
By Jay Trinh