I’m curious what yalls expierence with this is

  • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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    5 months ago

    Please excuse me if I inadvertently offend. I am a 51 year old bisexual man. I have been an active bisexual man since the late eighties. My wife teases me because of twelve serious relationships I have had with persons born female, ten have been queer. Six of them would probably identify as trans men now but this was the nineties. I also casually dated a lot other queer women, some of which have now officially transitioned.

    Ok, all that preamble is in the service of this question. Is “having a type” the same as fetishing? If not, is fetishing like what some do to black men and “BBC hunting”?

    If this is an offensive question, please let me know and I will delete. As I said, I am 51. I am from such a different era (which sucked for bi men) that I might as well be from a different planet. I just hate being ignorant on a subject that has been such a big part of my life.

    • accideath@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Having a type and fetishizing definitely isn’t the same. The difference is, when you have a type, you date people with a certain appearance or with a certain style, etc. because you think they’re hot. Everybody has a type. The fact that they might be trans is not inherently part of that process, although of course, indirectly, it can be. If you’re attracted to masculinity, hang around other queer people a lot and don’t really care what’s in someone’s pants, masculine, queer women and trans men tend to show up in your dating pool.

      With fetishes, the most important thing to them is that the person is trans. If they weren’t, there’d be no interest. From what I understand, the main reason most trans ppl don’t like dating someone who fetishizes them is, that they aren’t seen as men or women but explicitly trans men or trans women. Sometimes not even that.

      Also, yes, “BBC hunting” is a form of fetishization.

      • davidagain@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        If I understand you correctly, it’s OK to find someone sexy irrespective of whether they’re trans, but not because they’re trans.

        • accideath@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Let‘s say it like that: If you find a trans person hot but you wouldn’t if they looked the same but had a different set of genitals, you‘re probably fetishizing, not just having a type.

          You are allowed to find different things attractive about different people. Them being trans or not just shouldn’t be the dealbreaker.

          • Match!!@pawb.social
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            5 months ago

            So wait, if I’m trying to find a dude that looks like Link and is a 5’2" twink, it’s not fetishizing trans men even though 99% of the guys who fit that bill are trans?

            • Dkarma@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Don’t overthink it. You like what u like. The other person is basically kink shaming and I’m not sure why. There’s nothing wrong with being attracted to trans ppl for being trans. It’s the same as liking someone for having big boobs. Just don’t make it weird and toxic for your partner and it’s usually all good.

            • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Fetishizing also comes with an element of objectification.

              There’s nothing wrong with being into short feminine men. Just be prepared for some of them to possibly be cis, treat them like fellow human beings, and be normal about a 6’2” broad shouldered trans guy too.