By Meghan Serceki
In some of Cloud Dancers’ previous articles, we’ve used the term trans* to be inclusive of all identities along the gender spectrum. But what does it mean exactly? And why is it important?
The Oxford English Dictionary added the term in 2018, defining it as “originally used to include explicitly both transsexual and transgender, or (now usually) to indicate the inclusion of gender identities such as gender-fluid, agender, etc., alongside transsexual and transgender.”
Queer scholar Jack Halberstam expands on this, explaining that it is derived from the use of an asterisk in internet searches to account for all other terms associated with the word before it.
He says, “Rather than falling into the trap of replacing one system of classification with disciplinary effects with another vernacular but just as normalizing system, I prefer to use the term trans* and to leave the variability open as a question for any and all bodies.”
Helping people feel seen, represented, and comfortable can be as easy as using an asterisk.