Gearing up for battle

[MoonCat]

I thought I'd heard everything...well, most things...but honestly I'd never heard of "tranny" being used for a transgendered person. Around here it means 'transmission' and I've used it in car ads for the paper ('new tranny', etc.) Now that I know it's an offensive term, I'll abbreviate transmission as 'trans' --unless that's bad, too?--or just spell it out.

[dragon_wings]

I thought I'd heard everything...well, most things...but honestly I'd never heard of "tranny" being used for a transgendered person. Around here it means 'transmission' and I've used it in car ads for the paper ('new tranny', etc.) Now that I know it's an offensive term, I'll abbreviate transmission as 'trans' --unless that's bad, too?--or just spell it out.

My Facebook profile photo says 'trans ally' referring to me being a transgender ally.
Idk. Context might make a difference. *shrugs*

[Food Lady]

Wow. I've never known that term to mean anything but transgendered.

[SongsOfDragons]

For some reason I initially associated the term with radios. O.o No idea why.

But yay on the victory!!

[BeenThereDoneThat]

My former roommate and good friend is an amateur (but very good) auto mechanic and general know-it-all craftsman type...and after living with him I always think Tranny is short for Transmission I'm glad your group agreed to change its name though...that was just tacky.

[emt_cookies]

Wow, and no one in upper management who heard the group name said to change it? I would have instantly made them change their name since I wouldn't want anyone could be offended inside or outside the company.

[Beckpatton]

Here in Oz referring to a transmission as a tranny is common place and not offensive. Referring to a person as a tranny is.

It's all in the context. Motoring world ok, people world, not so much!

Glad you stood your ground, got your point across and got them to change it. You might not have changed their minds, but there's only so much you can do with stupid!

[Solumina]

Here in Oz referring to a transmission as a tranny is common place and not offensive. Referring to a person as a tranny is.

It's all in the context. Motoring world ok, people world, not so much!

Same here in the states.

Also I'm sadly not the least bit surprised that they did not get how the term could be offensive, I know plenty of people who have been shocked when I informed them that dyke was not an appropriate term for a lesbian and of course they needed to understand why it is offensive instead of just that it is offensive (but they couldn't be arsed to listen to any thing more than a quick one sentence explanation )

[ArcticChicken]

I know plenty of people who have been shocked when I informed them that dyke was not an appropriate term for a lesbian

I think at least some of the trouble with this, actually, with a lot of words like that, is that there are people who describe themselves with those words.

I grew up around lesbians who referred to themselves as dykes, and it took me awhile to figure out that it could be an offensive term at all, let alone that it usually is one.