General Discussion

muriel_volestrangler

(106,152 posts)

98. Dictionaries - Australian and British

Tue Apr 17, 2012, 09:58 AM

Apr 2012

Macquarie Dict: "trannie Colloquial - 1. a transsexual. 2. a transvestite. Also, tranny"
Collins English Dict: "trannie or tranny - a transvestite"
Penguin English Dict: "tranny or trannie - informal = transvestite"

All 3 dictionaries list when a word is considered derogatory (eg for 'Jap', which, in another discussion, was pointed out as another offensive shortening), and none do for this word.

I cannot find an American dictionary online (Urban Dicionary doesn't count) that list the word, to see what the general usage in the USA has been. But, in other English-speaking countries, it has not always been regarded as offensive. Here's the Oxford English Dictionary:

trannie

slang.

A transvestite.

1983 The Mag. Apr. 23/3 Guys needn't worry‥unless they look as if they're cruising or mistake a ‘trannie’, most of whom are a lot more glamorous than the real girls.
1984 B. McConville & J. Shearlaw Slanguage of Sex (1985) 256/1 Trannie, transvestite. An affectionate abbreviation, in vogue amongst sections of the gay community.
1990 Gay Times July 47 By 11pm they seem drunkenly immune to the influx of trannies, trendies, and other creatures of the night.

It is clearly offensive now, but it has not always been so. And it was largely used to mean 'transvestite'. Here is an article about a discrimination case:

Trans woman wins complaint against newspaper for ‘tranny’ headline

Keira McCormack complained she had been deeply insulted by the November 1st 2009 article in the Sunday Life which described her as “burly”.
...
The article, titled ‘Tranny worked in rape centre’, was found to be discriminatory and in breach of Clause 12 (Discrimination) of the Editors’ Code of Practice.
...
McCormack said that the term ‘tranny’ was generally used by transvestites or cross-dressers but was deeply insulting to transgender people.

The PCC considered that the use of the word ‘tranny’ was a needless abbreviation which many found offensive.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/01/04/trans-woman-wins-complaint-against-newspaper-for-tranny-headline/

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

111 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

P.S.A. 'Tranny' is incredibly offensive to the LGBTIQ community. [View all] xchrom Apr 2012 OP

Kick for visibility hedgehog Apr 2012 #1

'Tranny' is slang for an auto transmission KamaAina Apr 2012 #2

I agree with you... I just hope... hlthe2b Apr 2012 #3

Why don't you just post a video? Video's work better snooper2 Apr 2012 #4

+1 TalkingDog Apr 2012 #7

In video, she makes a point about natural tendency to shorten, use slang, etc. hlthe2b Apr 2012 #9

"Trans" is frequently used as a catch all Fearless Apr 2012 #36

Thanks for the information. Staph Apr 2012 #5

And some say that the term "transgendered" is questionable as well ProgressiveProfessor Apr 2012 #19

Sorry about that. Staph Apr 2012 #37

I would not apologize... ProgressiveProfessor Apr 2012 #85

I had no idea, so don't sell DUers short. MelissaB Apr 2012 #6

Me, either. That's why I hang out at DU! Iris Apr 2012 #17

Not did I and I am incredibly involved with the LGBT community Dragonbreathp9d Apr 2012 #29

My apologies as well. I wasn't certain... OneGrassRoot Apr 2012 #31

Neither did I. Maybe because I frequent the San Francisco Tranny Shack shows and events. Luminous Animal Apr 2012 #35

I find that usage incredibly offensive, altho I've only seen it in print, not heard it spoken. CTyankee Apr 2012 #8

What date was that? Perhaps it is archived as video on their website? hlthe2b Apr 2012 #10

It was on yesterday. Go to msnbctv.com and click on her show. The segment should be on CTyankee Apr 2012 #13

thanks... Good on her for tackling some of these subjects. hlthe2b Apr 2012 #14

She is utterly cool, in the best sense of the word. CTyankee Apr 2012 #18

here is the link and hope everyone takes a look maddezmom Apr 2012 #32

Since the only places outside of car repair shops I've ever hard the term used... TreasonousBastard Apr 2012 #11

Yup. It's another offensive, bigoted expression. MineralMan Apr 2012 #12

You might want to sit this one out tkmorris Apr 2012 #16

Nope. I've been supporting LGBT rights strongly for several years MineralMan Apr 2012 #20

I agree - we need an equal rights amendment. Initech Apr 2012 #33

It's going to be on the ballot in Minnesota in November. MineralMan Apr 2012 #46

I just wanted to ask again. This exchange where you said 'decades' of support for Bluenorthwest Apr 2012 #97

And yet last year you said to me.... Bluenorthwest Apr 2012 #45

"For Decades" UN.Mitigaded.Gaul Hassin Bin Sober Apr 2012 #90

Hey, I just don't think this is a good topic for you tkmorris Apr 2012 #67

Good grief. EFerrari Apr 2012 #26

lol obamanut2012 Apr 2012 #75

Poke, poke, poke. woo me with science Apr 2012 #49

Tell me about. Could there really be a DUer who does not read that message that does... Poll_Blind Apr 2012 #54

It's one thing to genuinely not know that a term is offensive. NYC Liberal Apr 2012 #15

^^^^^^this^^^^^ maddezmom Apr 2012 #101

Honestly, I did not know. But then, it is a term I never used to begin with. ChairmanAgnostic Apr 2012 #21

K&R dbackjon Apr 2012 #22

I didn't know. EFerrari Apr 2012 #23

As far as I'm concerned, a "tranny" is a slang term for a car or truck transmission. BoWanZi Apr 2012 #24

That was what I thought. When I rebuilt my Chevy Monte Carlo's engine madinmaryland Apr 2012 #43

Depends entirely on context ProgressiveProfessor Apr 2012 #88

Thanks for this MadrasT Apr 2012 #25

Gotta keep the people agitated. RC Apr 2012 #27

Aren't you supposed to be for education and against censorship? The Philosopher Apr 2012 #41

Good point! n/t demmiblue Apr 2012 #52

Will racism go away on its own? Will sexism? Will people suddenly wake up one morning and share? yardwork Apr 2012 #71

LOL. yes, that's exactly how bigotry works. you ignore it, and magically it goes away La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2012 #74

Give it a rest and it will go away on its own? maddezmom Apr 2012 #96

The difference between "tranny" and "nigger": bigots do not use the former. ieoeja Apr 2012 #28

I have heard it used pejoratively. Fearless Apr 2012 #38

I've heard it used pejoratively, but only by people in the gay club milieu 30 years ago. Never HiPointDem Apr 2012 #56

I sure have obamanut2012 Apr 2012 #76

Okay, but there needs to be a rule. bluedigger Apr 2012 #30

Fine - call them people n/t FreeState Apr 2012 #65

And if wishes were horses everybody would ride. n/t bluedigger Apr 2012 #66

The only time I use the word "tranny" Warpy Apr 2012 #34

What does the Q libodem Apr 2012 #39

Queer or Questing. xchrom Apr 2012 #40

And I remember when "queer" was verboten. Luminous Animal Apr 2012 #42

Me too. A word you only used if you meant to insult someone. HiPointDem Apr 2012 #72

During the planning of the 1993 San Francisco Pride Parade, there Luminous Animal Apr 2012 #81

which kinda illustrates the point: older people tended to still feel the sting of the word; younger HiPointDem Apr 2012 #82

or Questioning ProgressiveProfessor Apr 2012 #91

Just looked it up on Urban Dictionary WhoIsNumberNone Apr 2012 #44

You're confusing transgendered w/ transvestite. xchrom Apr 2012 #47

I'm not confusing it- that's the reason for the question WhoIsNumberNone Apr 2012 #48

Bullshit. Never, ever has it been the same. xchrom Apr 2012 #53

Wait... ElboRuum Apr 2012 #55

... demmiblue Apr 2012 #57

OMG obamanut2012 Apr 2012 #77

Am I talking to the wall here? WhoIsNumberNone Apr 2012 #58

Wiki is major Lame authoritative link for xchrom Apr 2012 #59

My memory accords with the poster's. I remember when Christine Jorgenson was front-page, HiPointDem Apr 2012 #62

Up until two years ago, the Transgender Film Festival was called Tranny Fest... Luminous Animal Apr 2012 #63

It was offensive then too. xchrom Apr 2012 #64

Dictionaries - Australian and British muriel_volestrangler Apr 2012 #98

Is 'Tranny' Offensive? xchrom Apr 2012 #99

I always thought Tranny was short for that thing that makes a car go forward & backward. donheld Apr 2012 #84

There are those who like the term T* ProgressiveProfessor Apr 2012 #87

Respectfully... hlthe2b Apr 2012 #94

When I was a kid quakerboy Apr 2012 #104

In my generation, I'm 45, queer was a slur. However, TriMera Apr 2012 #50

Here's at least a partial answer to your question about "queer" Ms. Toad Apr 2012 #92

It should be offensive to any adult Tom Ripley Apr 2012 #51

RuPaul has a song called TRANNY CHASER derby378 Apr 2012 #60

1st Ru can be & is wrong in this instance xchrom Apr 2012 #61

And some black people use the n word. That doesn't mean that white people get to use it. yardwork Apr 2012 #70

There's no comparison between the words though. The "n" word evolved specifically as a pejorative HiPointDem Apr 2012 #73

I was a bit surprised to learn how far back the word "transgender" dates WhoIsNumberNone Apr 2012 #80

I read the word "tranny" long before the 80s -- I keep thinking in some book along the lines of HiPointDem Apr 2012 #83

I got corrected one time for using the term transvestite and cross-dresser Rozlee Apr 2012 #110

Point taken WhoIsNumberNone Apr 2012 #111

There have been times when it was certainly a slur, used by gays against T*s. ProgressiveProfessor Apr 2012 #88

The word is a slur, and the fact that its a slur used by some gay people is no excuse. yardwork Apr 2012 #102

not disputing that's how it's often used now. just curious about how the use has evolved, as HiPointDem Apr 2012 #103

The "gay community" is not monolithic. yardwork Apr 2012 #105

That's kind of my point. Not in space, not in time. The original poster's claim was that the HiPointDem Apr 2012 #107

You'll have to discuss that with the OP. I speak for myself only. yardwork Apr 2012 #108

Not interesting in debating it or offending the poster, only in teasing out the history. HiPointDem Apr 2012 #109

I had no idea at all that tranny was considered offensive. nt Lucky Luciano Apr 2012 #68

Thank you. yardwork Apr 2012 #69

I'm puzzled. I've only heard "tranny" used to mean a transvestite, but in looking over this... Poll_Blind Apr 2012 #78

I didn't know - TBF Apr 2012 #79

K&R Vanje Apr 2012 #86

Should be, but it is not so people are learning Rex Apr 2012 #93

Shows what I know. JNelson6563 Apr 2012 #95

Bump & comment RT Atlanta Apr 2012 #100

One would certainly think so. LanternWaste Apr 2012 #106