User blog:BiGnORoFaN!!!/Kanae or Karren?

I guess this is a bit of a rant of why I think Kanae/Karren is trans and should be refered to male pronouns.

"Yes. They were both born female. That's undeniable. That's canon." But that does not make them women. That does not make it okay to use female pronouns. That does not make it ok to call Kanae by his birth name. I know there's been all kinds of reasoning given as to why "oh they're not really trans because of this reason". Guess what? It doesn't f###ing matter. Both Kanae and Mutsuki have asked to be treated as and referred to as men. Kanae changed his name too. You should be calling them by male pronouns and chosen name (in Kanae's case) simply for the reason they asked. When a cis friend asks you to call them by a nickname over their birth name, you say "sure" and don't need a REASON to do so. You don't need your friend to give you full proof that you have to call them by this nickname, you just do it. It's only when it comes to trans and non-binary people that questions get asked, people decide trans or nb person in question doesn't actually NEED to be called by their chosen name/pronouns. There are all kinds of requirements and hoops that have to be jumped through and it's freaking bullsh#t. "But BigNoro!" you might be saying, "these characters are FICTION. Why does it matter?" It matters because the fandom's attitude toward's these characters (especially Kanae) is a reflection of how trans and nb people are treated in real life. You have no reason to analyze their pasts and try to look for a reason to say "well they're not REALLY this way, it's just because of circumstances/past/trauma/abuse/etc". No, no, and no. For Kanae, yes, there were circumstances that lead to the formation of his new identity. However, when we look at flashbacks of him before his family died, when he was a little kid, he still dressed more masculine. He was from a noble European family, and he did not dress like the daughter of a noble. He dressed like the son of one. This shows that even back then, he wasn't comfortable presenting femininely. He was quite young when the Tsukiyama family took him in, likely too young to fully understand his feelings and the concept of gender identity. Yes, the death of his brothers and father's wishes were the catalyst for him taking on a new identity, but the feelings of being wanting to be seen as a boy were very likely just beneath the surface. When he is older, he tries on the women's servent clothes and is incredibly uncomfortable. The ONLY time after arriving at the Tsukiyama household that he allowed anyone to call him by his birth name was at the moment at his death, and that was with Shuu alone. That was out of a desire to get rid of secrets between them, so that he could die knowing that Shuu accepted him as he was. That was not and indicator that "Oh yeah guys everyone can call me Karren/female now" No. That was at a private moment between him and the one person he truly loved. Again if Kanae is a trans guy, cis female (highly f###ing unlikely), or nonbinary (a genderfluid/bigender Kanae is quite plausible), HE STILL ASKED TO BE CALLED KANAE/MALE. You should be respecting this because it's a good habit to get into. Practice with fictional characters so you'll be better prepared with real life trans/nb people. If you think it's ok to make excuses for fictional characters, that'll start translating into real life as well. Just don't do it. Just call people by the names and pronouns they ask you to, not matter what. You don't need to justify it. Just be a decent human being and give them the respect they deserve.