twinfools

Hello!!! Yes I’ll be there all weekend (Friday-Sunday)! I didn’t know you were from Germany! If you are able to make it I’d love to meet you there ☺️

Being able to be your full self Cosplay is about expressing yourself, and for trans people it can be an extremely affirming space to express one’s gender in a way we may not feel safe or able to elsewhere. This is why preserving this safety is so important. And each and every one of us has a role to play in that. Be respectful. Call out transphobia. Uplift trans cosplayers.

Cosplay is about expressing yourself, and for trans people it can be an extremely affirming space to express one’s gender in a way we may not feel safe or able to elsewhere.

Be respectful.
Call out transphobia.
Uplift trans cosplayers.

Insulting the way post-op chests look. Keep in mind this is both horrific body shaming and also bringing someone down after they’ve invested enormous effort, emotion and money into feeling more affirmed in their body.

Asking invasive questions or making comments about someone’s chest. Even if they are positive or you mean them to be! As kids were all taught not to stare and not to ask personal questions. Trans people aren’t an exception to that social contract.

Rules or body policing at events that apply double standards to cis and trans people. This can look like con staff asking some people with flat chest to cover up because of how they look or how their chest looks. Even with a “cover-up policy” selective application of such a policy is just as discriminatory.

There are so many examples of trans masculine folks being affirmed after top surgery.
There are also cases of:

What is top surgery? Top surgery, formally bilateral mastectomy with chest contouring, is a surgery that some trans folks access to help align their body with their gender identity. There are different types of incisions that are used, including double incision (scars across the chest), periareolar (incision around the areola), keyhole (incision along bottom of areola) and other variations. There is no single way a top surgery chest looks.

What is top surgery?

Shirtless in cosplay: A big moment for some trans and non-binary cosplayers.

Like many trans masculine people, after I had top surgery I was STOKED to cosplay a shirtless character for the first time. Unfortunately, my initial experiences were filled with transphobia, harassment that caused truly life-long body image issues. To hear that this is still happening to trans masculine people 15 years after my experiences is deeply concerning. So let’s talk about it.

I’ve thought long and hard about making this post but after seeing posts they have echoed my experience over the years as well as reading responses from the ‘Experiences of Trans Cosplayers Survey’ I decided I wanted to share this.

#cosplay #transgender #trans #cosplayer #topsurgery

Squall holds his gun blade looking toward the camera. Rain fall around.

Squall holds his gun blade to his chest and looks at the camera. Rain falls around.

Brave the storm ⛈️

It was raining so we thought… mind as well

Photo by @echolight_photogroup

#cosplay #squall #finalfantasy #ffviii #squallleonhart

Officially closed on a new house! Moving into our first stand alone home this weekend— back to our hometown too!

I love me a good underdog story 👏🏻

Commit 🙂‍↕️

Right!? I mean why else would you go with someone 😂

Don’t go fabric shopping with me. I will point at every extremely inappropriate fabric for your costume, suggest you make your cosplay out of that, and wait for you to laugh.

Your lack of laughing will not deter me from doing this again and again.

Thank you kindly!!! It’s been a bucket list one for sure 😭

Squall holding a gun blade, facing the camera.

Squall extends his arm holding a gun blade in a fighting pose on stairs.

Squall from behind, gunblade pointed toward the ground

In like a lion 💥

Over a decade later I FINALLY re-did Squall 👏🏻 I’m just going though all the classic FF boys

Photo by @echolight_photogroup

#cosplay #squall #finalfantasy #ffviii #squallleonhart

Great reminder ☺️ thank you!!!

This next month is gonna be nuts.

Moving in a week or so, major work event to prep for, and prepping cosplays for at least one event in April… maybe one in March tbh 👀

I can do it 😤

Alhaitham (grey hair) and Kaveh (blonde hair) cosplayers pose for a selfie.

“Roommates” day out on Valentines Day 💕

#cosplay #genshin #genshinimpact #alhaitham #kaveh

Please consider donating to organizations working to support the community of Tumbler Ridge. Those dealing with such an enormous tragedy shouldn’t have to worry about anything but healing.

www.redcross.ca

One of my all time faves, mirror floor and picture frames do HEAVY lifting in cosplay photos hahah

I’m so excited to finally get to announce that I’ll be returning to Germany for aniMUC!!! 🇩🇪

I can’t wait to see ya’ll!!! 🩵🩵🩵

A significant amount of mine and @jennaoliverva.bsky.social ‘s online communication is just reels and images of things that remind us of our cats

I’m so sorry :( it really sucks they these amazing stories in games aren’t something everyone can experience in the same way

Please I just want to relax and be invincible

I’m not exactly sure who decided video games need to be hard??

Unpopular opinion(?) but I don’t think a game with an easy or “story” mode should ever put a player in a position where they’re progression locked due to a boss/level challenge.

they spilled his chocolate milk.

There are so many songs I love the SOUND of but hate the lyrics. Like fr the implications of “Drop the Girl” just suck but what a bop???

Takeaways Overall, many cosplayers find affirmation, belonging and space to express themselves through cosplay. That said, there is still a lot of work to do: 1. Just as we don’t assume people’s names, we shouldn’t assume pronouns or gender. 2. Conventions and events should have explicit policies related to trans inclusion. Trans people and topics should be represented in programming (guests, panels, staff etc). Convention facilities should ensure venues are safe for trans people. 3. Trans inclusion efforts in community must be intersectional. Racism, trans-misogyny, ableism, fat phobia and all forms of oppression must be addressed. 5. More conversations need to happen at individual and community levels to learn about the issues trans cosplayers are facing and find solutions.

Takeaways

1. We shouldn’t assume pronouns or gender.

2. Conventions and events should have explicit policies, trans representation in programming and safe venues.

3. Trans inclusion efforts in community must be intersectional.

5. More conversations need to happen.

Intersectionality Respondents noted important intersections of identity that impacted their experiences of cosplay and cosplay community. Racism compounded issues like harassment and inclusion for trans cosplayers of colour. “As a POC trans person it’s a bit harder when it comes to “acceptance” esp(ecially) on social media. I just wish people were nicer regardless”. Trans-misogyny (the specific oppression experienced was a noted theme throughout responses. Several respondents described a lack of representation of trans women in cosplay. “… As far as I’m aware there isn’t a single “big” trans women cosplayer, and that’s because biases still exist that prevent us from performing well…” Appearance-based discrimination was an issue raised by several participants. “I feel like the cosplay community only treats cosplayers who pass or are attractive well…” Cosplayers whose genders were outside the binary, and cosplayers whose genders may not be assumed, reported challenges being seen and respected.

Intersectionality

Respondents noted important intersections of identity that impacted their experiences of cosplay.

Racism compounded issues like harassment and inclusion.

Impacts of trans-misogyny was a noted theme.

Appearance-based discrimination was an issue raised by several participants.

Harassment based on gender presentation in cosplay is not uncommon… Over a quarter of cosplayers (41%) have experienced some form of harassment related to their gender. Respondents noted intensified harassment based on intersecting identities (racism, transmisogyny, fatphobia). “In my opinion, the cosplay community needs to address the rampant racism and misogyny that disproportionately impacts cis / trans WOC.” “Personally, I went from a skinny fem looking person to a plus sized man. Since I’ve grown into my body after HRT I have been ignored, treated like a creep, and been judged harshly for what I’m “allowed” to cosplay…”

Harassment based on gender presentation in cosplay is not uncommon…

Over a quarter of cosplayers (41%) have experienced some form of harassment related to their gender.

Respondents noted intensified harassment based on intersecting identities (racism, transmisogyny, fatphobia).

Conventions and events have some work to do to support trans people… Convention and event experience was more varied with 40% of respondents noting that they strongly agree/agree that cons are supportive and 34% strongly disagreeing/disagreeing. Notably, 25% of respondents were neutral. Respondents noted lack of explicit policy supporting trans people, gendered bathrooms, legal names of badges and lack of staff education as barriers. “For convention/event hosts: make sure your spaces and policies are safe for trans attendees. Some issues I’ve run into are printing legal name on con badges, not training staff on how to handle legal names/gender markers on IDs sensitively and not offering gender neutral options for restrooms/changing rooms.” Representation was another issue respondents noted, both related to panels/events for trans community and the presence of trans guests. “(What would be helpful are) educative signs like “Cosplay is not Consent”, panels and trans focused events (education, celebration). Inviting trans guests.”

Conventions and events have some work to do to support trans people…

Convention and event experience was more varied.

Respondents noted lack of policy supporting trans people, gendered bathrooms, legal names of badges,
lack of representation in programming and lack of staff education as barriers.