Hey! I've done some Googling on my own, but it has been surprisingly useless, so I was hoping you could maybe help. I have a character that is FtM transgender. I've tried making him cis-male/-female, but I keep strongly going back to trans. It just *clicks

I read a book once that used “front hole” and that sounded weird and cringy. In porn (yeah, yeah, I know), most of the actors (both cis and trans) used female terms for the genitals (though I’ve heard both clit and dick when it comes to that particular part). I don’t want to use euphemisms that end up sounding weird or like I’m trying too hard, you know? 2/5

Issue #2 - This story is contemporary fantasy (human realm/faerie realm type thing). The trans character is fae (fox shifter). He asked his queen to help him with his hormones because his magic fought against traditional HRT. She granted him that wish, but he was on his own for surgery (top + hysterectomy). Would “skipping” over HRT seem hand wave-y? 3/5

Him being trans is just a tiny part of the story. Literally one scene when he reunites with his best friend who he hadn’t seen since before his transition, but who knew he wanted to transition. It would be mentioned then and that’s it. The story isn’t *about* this character and him being trans, it’s just a facet of who he is and the actual story is about saving the realm and helping the other two characters/building a (triad) relationship with them. 4/5 

Sorry for the word vomit! Thank you so much and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/Happy New Year! 5/5

These are great questions, and I’m really happy that you’re taking the importance of respectful, authentic representation so seriously. But these questions need to be directed to trans people - preferably FtM, like the character. As a cis-gendered author, I don’t feel qualified to give this kind of advice, especially on appropriate terminology for sex scenes.

When I was writing Kill Game, I read some resources written by trans* readers for cis authors so I could incorporate that advice into my representation of Carlos. Unfortunately, that was a couple of years ago, so those links have been lost to time. And I wouldn’t know where to point you for specific answers rather than general advice.

Any readers out there know of any helpful resources for this anon? For example, is there anything like Writing With Color that exists for writing diverse gender identities?