Era, outside of the internet, do you personally know someone who's trans?

[Blent]

Cis man.

I have one friend who came out to me and our mutual friend. I had absolutely no idea they were trans until they came out as having transitioned with a new name.

I'm glad to say her family have been nothing but supportive and she's in a really good place.

 

[BobbeMalle]

I didn't expect these percentages, wow

 

[Cien]

One of my best friend is trans, known them since college and spoke at their wedding.

 

[MechaMarmaset]

I don't know any people who are trans. Closest I've gotten is chatting with random trans people who were on grindr.

 

[Relix]

Cis man.
A co worker is trans, transitioned from man to woman. Only Trans person I know honestly, I do have a lot of gay/bi friends.

 

[Biggersmaller]

Cis man. I've been acquainted with trans men, but were never particularly close.

 

[Mr Jones]

I worked with one. She was amused that I was uncomfortable around her, yet treated her nicer than her other coworkers. I just thought it was bullshit how her boss acted around her. Let her do her job without being a dick to her. That's all she wanted.

 

[Diabolique Veridis]

I'm a cis man. My D&D dungeon master is a trans woman (in a group of exclusively dudes, unfortunately, it's hard to find any players around here). She's awesome. We're not close personally but she's a great gaming friend.

 

[Lukar]

I'm trans, and the only trans person I know offline is me.

EDIT: Actually I take that back. A friend of mine from middle and high school is a trans man. I didn't know until after he and I last saw each other though, and he and I don't really talk much anymore. It's been years lol. But still, he is someone I knew IRL, so he counts. And another friend (similar situation; haven't talked much in years, but used to know each other IRL) is enby.

 

[Holosmith]

Nope, seen many trans people around London but I don't know a trans person personally.

 

[Deleted member 3010]

Cis man here, a childhood friend of mine is trans and I don't mind the slightest, best way to show it is by interacting like we always did over the last 26 years we've known each others, which is by simply having fun when we're together.

 

[Valkerion]

I don't know what the qualifiers mean in the poll, but yes I am friends with 2 trans people, one of which I see regularly.

 

[Phabh]

I met a friend of a friend and he told me he was trans the same day we first met, after quite a bit of drinking admittedly. Very happy he told me openly because I think he saw I was genuinely interested in his life.

 

[acheron_xl]

Cis man. No. I know very few people, period.

 

[Osahi]

I have a non-binary collegue.

 

[Z-Beat]

A couple of people, yeah.

 

[Ruisu]

I know zero trans people personally. There are a couple I've met and am aware of, but I don't actually know anything about them. But I'm also kinda antisocial in general so there are few people I know personally overall.

 

[Deleted member 9241]

I knew two 20 years ago from the BDSM scene. I have not met or seen another trans person IRL that I know of since then until my kids went to middle school where there is a child currently transitioning.

 

[Deleted member 7082]

My girlfriend is trans. She is my soulmate and the most amazing person I have ever known.

 

[KuroNeeko]

I don't know anyone who is trans, but I'm starting to suspect I'm not truly cis.

This coming after feeling like I'm not heterosexual either. It's been an interesting time in my life.

 

[GMT Master]

Lived in NY my entire life. I'm not white, spent many years living in Manhattan, and I have a pretty diverse group of friends.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've directly interacted with a trans person. Just not that common based on percentage and population.

Honestly my main exposure is in media and on the internet. If it weren't for those two things, I could easily see many people going through life without ever even knowing what trans means in terms of people.

 

[OrangeNova]

Cis straight dude here, while you'd think that when I started following my local drag scene that's when I'd have met trans people, I'd say a good portion of my friend group is trans, and while it did increase after following my local drag scene, I still know more from friends I met in highschool/college.

 

[Psittacus]

Tons. My partner, their partner, their old housemate, one of the members of my game group, my ex. And then some acquantainces and friends/family of friends or ex friends.

 

[BigHatPaul]

I do. They were one of my good friends at one point, but we don't speak much anymore. Not related to their transition (I think?). They did go through a bit of a period where they didn't talk to many people that they used to, but from what I've heard that's gotten better. We do live in different places now, though, so that could certainly contribute. Anyway, they're really cool and I miss talkin' with them.

 

[Rune Walsh]

I had a student come out to me this past year. It was one of the most impactful moments I have had in a decade of teaching. I have a good rapport with many of my students but for him to trust me like that really meant a lot.

 

[dabbert]

Drinking buddy in college was trans. Wu Tang Shaolin Style and shitty dollar beers all night. She dropped out to start a business and I lost contact with her after Friendster (lol) died. I knew another person at college who I believe transitioned, but we weren't that close other then him dragging me to parties a couple of times he wasn't comfortable going to alone.

I know a couple of trans folks, but I'm not really friends with either of them beyond occasionally shooting the shit at a party. One acquaintance has the same Tarot tattoo as me and likes JoJo which usually leads to a long conversation haha

 

[Layell]

Cis and someone in my close family came out as trans within the past year.

In school, I had 2 people in my program who were trans, although I only knew one decently well.

 

[XaviConcept]

Yeah, I know a few, around 3 off the top of my head. Theyre awesome. Im sure I know way more though, they just havent come out yet. You all know trans people, you just havent been told yet.

 

[Orb]

Woof, that 44% explains a hell of a lot.

 

[Euphoria]

Cis male.

Yes I know someone who is trans. My sister who came out almost 20 years ago and told us.

 

[Torpedo Vegas]

No, but I only know a few people.

 

[HammerFace]

Cis Male

I have a cousin who is trans but we were never close. Beyond that I used to know a trans film major while I worked at GameStop. We were never particularly close but I would've called her a friend, she always had strong opinions about games or things in general. Had a few arguments once lol

 

[coldzone24]

Cis male. I briefly dated someone who identifies as trans now, before they came out and we still keep in touch through social media occasionally. Also I went clubbing with a trans woman and had the time of my life at a gay club. But other than that I have had no other personal experience with that community.

 

[Deleted member 2840]

I know someone who's bigender but I don't know if bigender is trans

 

[Mattakuevan]

Woof, that 44% explains a hell of a lot.

Click to shrink...

It makes sense, trans people make up 0.5% of the population.

Even people with large friend groups on average wont know one.

Edit: Cis male, I have a non-binary friend but thats all

 

[SkyOdin]

I've had online acquaintances who are trans for a few years now, but I recently learned that one of my mother's cousins is trans.

 

[Patsy]

Well, I'm non-binary myself (albeit not out & probably never will be, because Germany is shit when it comes to non-binary people or at least where I live I guess), but I don't know anyone else who's trans or LGBT in general for that matter who doesn't live at least a couple of hours away. :( 99% of my friends I made online are LGBT with a big part of them being trans, but I'm just a lonely non-binary lesbian out here where I live, it's awful. It just fucking sucks. So much.

 

[HylianSeven]

To be honest, I do not, and I really wish I did. Trans people are valid, full stop. I honestly don't meet many people outside the internet period (and especially not right now being in Texas with COVID being rampant). Most of my friends are on the internet.

 

[WhateverItTakes]

Friends of friends/family, who I'm cool with but not personally. I'm sure there must be some acquaintance of mine who's gone on that journey before/since I knew them, statistically.

Thought it was important to respond as such to help build the picture of ERA users. Definitely interesting to see 45% vs the 80% quoted in the OP, does that say something about who the site attracts, or what being online can do to perceptions?

 

[Byakura]

Yes my cousin is trans. Haven't really spoken in a few years tbh but we were fairly close as kids

 

[Mariolee]

Yup, was one of my first best friends in college.

 

[shnurgleton]

I have worked with some trans people

 

[GrantDaNasty]

I'm cis, and I don't personally know anyone that is trans, but I want to offer my support whenever possible.

 

[Deleted member 13370]

4 people that I'd say are more than acquantances, one of them a childhood friend who transitioned a few years back.

 

[Davidion]

Cis. At least two industry colleague and a distant co-worker, 2 women and 1 man. Two of them came out (is that the right term?) in the past couple of years.

I read it as a positive sign of people feeling comfortable enough to be in their own skins.

 

[Everyday Math]

Yup, work with him.

 

[Epiphyte]

I don't know anyone who identifies as trans offline, but I'd be surprised if there wasn't someone who identifies as something other than their assigned at birth gender in my circle of acquaintances

Is there a terminology for people who identify specifically as trans vs just their gender?

 

[Amnixia]

I don't, but that I don't doesn't mean I avoid them. I have a small social circle as it is, and iirc the estimate of world population that is trans is less then 1%?

 

[FantaSoda]

My cousin is trans. We both loved video games and we very close growing up. My family is from the rural south and when she announced she was transitioning it was a big shock to the family. Her mother even called me to try to get me to talk to her and "talk some sense" into her considering how close we were. I remember honoring my aunt's request to talk to her, not to try to talk her out of it but mainly to try to make sense of it myself. I wasn't negative about it but I wasn't encouraging either. It was my first exposure to anything like this and I wished that I had handed it better.

Years later, I reached out to her and apologized for not being more encouraging when she first let everyone know. I was honest with her because I knew how much she looked up to me and I should have been there for her. She told me no hard feelings, that I remembered our talks much more harshly than she did and we reconciled. Now we chat online and I get to have someone to talk to about jrpgs again. I love my cousin and that love drives me to support a world that is better for her.

 

[CommodoreKong]

Have a couple of trans coworkers. One had already transitioned before getting hired, the other transitioned after getting the job. I was actually the direct supervisor of one of my trans coworkers and she was one of the better employees I've worked with though unfortunately she moved to a different department.
I'm not best friends with either of them but I do consider myself friends with both of them.