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Twenty Hallmarks Of Fake Trans Personae


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Guest Neuro

Thank you for this article. I have encountered many fake people over the course of the interwebs from people pretending to be Japanese to people pretending to be homeless to people pretending to be gay--! o___0 I have learned the hard way that trust is NOT a gift, it is earned with trust....

This is a great article, I hope everyone reads it. Lots of hard facts!

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Guest nymphblossom

Fuuny, this instantly reminded me of the end of the first chapter of Miss Fiorella's So You Want to Be a T-girl

Courtesy http://www.mtftransition.com/t-girl.htm

You Shouldn't Transition If…

you are a crossdresser, transvestite, or drag queen… if you have pictures of yourself on the net that are sexual in nature or of you in a hotel room… if female clothing turns you on… if you go to meetings at a crossdresser club, a transsexual club, or a gay rights group… if you are "out and proud" (lesbians don't count)… if you took a bastardization of a male name for your female name…if you took something like "Luvs" or "Aphrodite" or some other overly-feminine, ridiculous, childish word or name as part or all of your new name… if you hang out in drag bars… if your friends hang out in drag bars… if you have a "drag mother"… if you go out in 6" heels and mini skirts… if you own 6" heels and mini skirts… if you do not own a pair of jeans and sneakers… if you penetrate men in the anus during sexual intercourse… if you "dress up" to self gratification… if you can't have sex naked… if you think playing with your breasts after they grow would be "cool"… if you want to be a porn star or an escort after you transition… if you can't visit with every single one of your co-workers, friends, family, children, parents, or anyone else on the planet for that matter, afterwards… if you still own a single item of male clothing… if you display photos of the "old" you… if you still have a single piece of your male life intact… if you still go out as a male for any reason now… if you do not plan on, are working towards, or already have tried to get GRS… if you do not have a plan that will see you through to stealth and beyond… if you think your voice doesn't need work… if you consider yourself a "transgender", "gender love", or label yourself as anything other than a woman… if you describe yourself as "sexually confused", a "freak", or un-definable… if you plan on being a transsexual rather than a woman… if you want to keep your penis… if you think it will be easy… if you start a fight when you get clocked… if you haven't seen a psychiatrist, a doctor, and a lawyer yet… if you get your hormones without a legitimate prescription while under a doctors care… if you want more out of the transition than what any other woman out there has now… if you think transitioning will make you happy… if you want to become a transsexual, or, if you want to become a woman.

Women are born, they are not created.

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Guest Martin

While I'm deeply disturbed that a hoax-character managed to become a moderator, I think it also important to remember not everyone who has some of the "hallmarks" is a fake.

For example, I am young (22), I started to transition while I was even younger (came out to my family and school at 17, started hormones at seventeen, had top surgery at 18), am half-way through surgeries, am on livejournal (http://martin-quin.livejournal.com/profile - and "Quin" is no longer my last name, so I think it's fine for the world to see it), have a disability (various mental illnesses, mostly relating to depression and anxiety, for which I use a service dog), and spend too much time online (because I have a problem with procrastination and because trans groups interest me). But I'm a real person who is transsexual. If I go into the chat room for crisis support, I expect to be believed and helped.

And I can't possibly be the only one who matches several of the hallmarks. What if someone IS brutally attacked and then manages to drag him/herself to the support room later? He/she should believe by the moderators, at least to the extent of empathetic listening, help with finding resources, and whatever else moderators do to be helpful in crisis situations. I believe that victims and people in crisis should ALWAYS be given the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it's because I was sexually assaulted and then punished for it rather than believed (oh, no - is that another hallmark?). That hurt. It made it much harder to heal and in fact added to the trauma. Similarly, if someone was attacked and the not believed, they'll have an even harder time helping themselves. Or if someone is suicidal and not believed. It's better for a moderator to later find out he/she "helped" a fake than for a real person die because he/she did not get the help he/she needed.

However, public announcements of attacks, deaths, victories, lawsuits, etc. should wait until they are verified. These things won't change because someone took the time to verify, and misinformation about them can be harmful to our community.

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Martin pretty much said everything I was thinking after reading that. I don't know that this is necessary at all because there are A LOT of us who fit those "hallmarks" who are real people.

Let's look at me, for instance.

1. Transwomen

Fakes are almost never trans guys. The fake character created is almost always a trans woman.

I am a transwoman. Female, not male. MtF.

2. "Transkids"

Fakes almost always claim to be college age or younger, typically between 14 and 19. In some cases, they claim they are older now but transitioned at that age. See the tsroadmap.com section on the transkids.us hoax for details.

I'm a transgender teenager. I am 15. I turn 16 in October.

3. Passable

Fakes almost always claim to be 100% passable.

The first one that I don't meet. I am not very passable at all and have a lot of work left to do before I'll get there. Especially my voice <_< .

4. Intersex

Fakes often claim to have intersex traits.

Second one that I don't meet. I am not intersexed; unless you want to give the argument that all transsexuals are some form of 'intersex' due to the brain/body incongruence :P .

5. "Post-op"

Fakes frequently claim surgical intervention as minors.

Okay, another that I don't meet. I haven't had surgery and I doubt I will before I'm 18. Heck, I doubt I'll afford it then so probably in my 20s (and that's not counting SRS, which this is actually about so that one may not ever happen and if it does it'll be way aways from now).

6. Not known in person

Our community is pretty tight-knit, so at some point, we are all connected through someone with an established identity who uses their real name. The key goal of a hoaxer is to gain the confidence of a credible and well-known person. For this reason, anyone who is out and who uses their real name needs to be extra careful about vouching for or giving a platform to anonymous or pseudonymous people. They look for the weakest link, the easiest target. Fakers seek to establish their credibility at the expense of your credibility.

Here's one more that I meet. Do any of you know me in person...? Nope.

7. Disability

Fakes frequently claim to be disabled: either a developmental disability (like autism), a psychiatric disability (like post-traumatic stress disorder) or a physical disability (like legal blindness). They might also claim to be disabled in order to receive welfare. These alleged disabilities are frequently self-diagnosed and often not visible/verifiable. They often claim they are unable to work but are nonetheless able to spend most of their waking lives online. See my tsroadmap.com essay on disability for more.

I don't meet this one.

8. Online constantly

Fakes frequently live much of their lives online, spending extraordinary time on transgender forums or in other role-playing situations like Second Life, World of Warcraft, etc.

I definitely meet this one. I spend TONS of times online. I've made more than 520 posts in less than 2 months on here. I play a few online games. I pretty much spend every waking hour of every day online. It's not because I'm some weirdo, a pervert, a predator or a hoax, it's because I am pretty much "homeschooled: kept home without school" as oniichan once put it.

9. LiveJournal and other online interests

For reasons that are not clear, LiveJournal is the service of choice for attention-craving fakes, followed closely by DeviantArt. Other key hallmarks include an interest in Japanese animation, involvement in the furry community, posting on the chans, and posting on transgender fiction websites.

I sort of fit this, but only really the Japanese animation one. I LOVE anime! (look at my avatar- a drawing I did of myself, but it is manga-style and it's with me in a girl body). I may do DeviantArt in the future because it looks cool. I don't really like LiveJournal, most online blogs, or pages like MySpace, Facebook, etc. and I'm almost not really that into furries, chans or TG fiction (most TG fiction is just pervy IMO. I've tried to find some good stuff just because I'd like to read a story I can relate with but haven't found a whole lot except for like Venus Envy and Kaos Comix X_X).

10. Posting on sites primarily for older transitioners

Older transitioners and crossdressers are especially vulnerable to being taken in by fakes, because the fake often represents something they idealize/fantasize about, too. They end up living vicariously through each other in a feedback cycle of codependent validation.

I'm not really sure. Does having older friends on here count? If so then I fit this. Otherwise; no not really.

11. Seeking out vulnerable people

Fakes often seek out vulnerable people and try to draw them into their confidence. They want to hear details about the vulnerable person's life. Sometimes these details are then incorporated into their own hoax to lend credibility. They are especially interested in communicating with people who are in crisis, because it makes the hoaxer feel loved and valued. It also mitigates the response when they are caught. The people who were betrayed have invested their trust and emotion in the hoax, so they want to believe the story even as it unravels. After it unravels, they often blame themselves instead of the hoaxer.

I don't really know. I mean, obviously I'm not looking to "prey" on anyone or anything - or create a hoax or whatever, but I guess since I'm a curious person constantly seeking information, you could probably find a way to make the stretch to say that those are my "real" intentions. (So even though I personally know I don't fit this, it's possible for anyone else to speculate that I actually might).

12. Family

Fakes often claim a remarkable family history. This can be extreme tragedy (runaway, homelessness, abuse, etc.), or extreme good fortune (wealth, prestige, influence, etc.).

I fit this. I have lived a life filled with drama, and the people who know me and have read many of my posts will know that it has been quite horrific and traumatic. My life has been filled with both physical and emotional abuse. I have had people say that they flat out don't believe me (not on here, though), so apparently I must have lived an "unbelievable" life. Does that make me a liar/hoax? You decide.

13. Remarkable accomplishments

Fakes frequently claim they are very talented at something (won a competition, attend an exclusive school, work as a model, hold a state/national record).

Maybe. I don't really "brag" (well I will here just to make the point) but I definitely take pride in having intelligence and maturity. I had very high grades in school when I was in it, and I especially excelled academically when my mother was the one homeschooling me. I'm a sci-fi nerd; I do research all the time (mostly on biology and things relating to medicine and technology) and I think that I am talented at things that require an intellectual mindset. I guess you could say that I fit this one.

14. Sexual/erotic elements

There is often an erotic/sexualized component: obvious ones like stories of sexual abuse from a relative or sexual assault, and less obvious ones like a wedding, loss of virginity, or new/first boyfriend. Sometimes it doesn't seem erotic to most people, like cheerleading or a slumber party, but has an erotic element in how it is reported. Some hoaxers claim to be sex workers or porn stars, or they exaggerate their involvement in these occupations. Overfocus on a specific aspect, like clothes, anatomical development, or detailed accounts of a sexual experience are common.

I have my boyfriend who is my first real love and I bring him up kind of often. So maybe this falls into the "less obvious" category?

15. Photos

Fakes take one of two paths with photos. The first path is to steal or manipulate photos. Some steal from either non-trans models or real trans porn stars, preferring glamorous or sexualized images. In some cases they add their own faces to a model's body. These stealers are the easiest ones to catch. Others steal images (trans and non-trans) that look plain or girl-next-door in order to be more believable and harder to catch. The other path is to avoid photos altogether, because there's a high risk of getting caught when using photos.

I don't have any photos up and doubt I will for awhile. I'm too embarrassed to show myself right now <_< - not that I'm so bad it's just... I don't want anyone having a mental image of me as a guy. Maybe I'll post some in the future (be it months or years from now) after I've undergone HRT and some transition and things like that to show where I started (now) and where I end up (then), but there aren't any pictures right now and I don't think there will be for a looong time.

16. Escalating drama

In order to maintain the level of attention they crave, fakes frequently escalate the tragedy or problems in their lives past the point of credulity. This tends to happen over time, with the story starting off fairly plausible and getting less and less credible. However, those who make an emotional investment in the hoaxer early on are willing to believe the story as it gets more and more elaborate, even if it goes far beyond what most people would consider believable. A classic example is the "transkids.us" hoax which escalated far past the point of believability, but is still repeated as true by a few lazy/gullible academics.

I ... don't think so? From my perspective I know I don't but I'm trying to imagine it from others'... and I'm not sure so I'll just say "no" to this one.

17. Inconsistencies

As the hoax gets more elaborate, inconsistencies will appear: age, location, year in school, medical history, names of friends and relatives, details in stories, stolen photos which show a different person. When confronted, they often resort to the two options below.

Nope.

18. Sockpuppets

Fakes often have defenders appear out of nowhere for the first time when inconsistencies come out. The defenders are often friends or family who vouch for the faker, claim to know the faker in person, and provide additional details. Sometimes the fake will get in a conversation or even an argument with the sockpuppet to make it seem like a different person.

Nope.

19. Persecution/need for secrecy and privacy

If they continue to be challenged about inconsistencies, fakes often move past sockpuppets. They will claim they can't confirm details of their story because they are being stalked, are under police protection, are not out at work/school, work for the government, or are in fear for their lives. A key to perpetuating the hoax is avoiding any details that can be independently confirmed, so they will prey on your respect for their privacy.

Nope.

20. Death

The final stage in the hoax is usually the murder or suicide of the fake persona. Sometimes the person dies of a disease, usually suddenly. Sometimes this is preceded by the death of a friend or relative, to test the waters. The "death" can be triggered by being on the verge of being caught or by a need for the highest amount of attention possible. The death of the hoax persona is the ultimate fantasy for many fakers, because the outpouring of attention and the eulogies are the most distilled form of the validation they seek.

Seeing as I'm not dead... Nope.

So I "definitely" meet like 9/20 and there are a few more I could meet if you stretched it a bit. I really am who I say I am (but of course you have my word to take for that) and yet I meet around half of the "hallmarks". I for one know that I'm real so that tells me that it is possible for real people to meet most of those hallmarks or to even just appear as if they meet them due to other people's perceptions. If we go by this all the time and become suspicious of everyone who shows any of these qualities, we'll end up being suspicious of everyone. Also, like Martin said: "it's better to 'help' a fake person than it is to deny a real one". I would feel absolutely horrible if people started calling me a fake or a hoax because I have a tragic past. Just because I led a harder life than most people means I should be shunned and not believed?? That'll only make things WORSE! We cannot turn our backs on real people because we've had two acknowledged fakes in... how many years?

Point is- let's trust each other. Let's be friends with each other. Let's show love and support to each other. Let's be a strong, thriving community despite the scum who lie and cause problems for us. Why put ourselves through even more suffering and hardships? At the same time- be safe. Be smart. You should realize that not everyone will be who they say they are and that there is a risk of them being a hoax or a predator. Treat everyone as if they are innocent until proven guilty, but don't do anything stupid. It's not healthy to be suspicious of everyone and to shut yourself out from them (what'd be the point of a community, then?) but it's equally not healthy to be super-trusting of everyone and to like, give up private/personal information or agree to meet somebody. I say be trusting, but use better judgement and don't do anything you know you shouldn't do.

愛 Eth

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I agree. Just take a look at the "apology" posted in the General Forum, it fits like a glove.

My feeling is it's another author working on her next novel.

Laura

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Guest ashley4623

Great post, it reminds us how we really need to keep our eyes open for this kind of stuff. A couple of times I've been in the chat and someone completely random that I've never seen before will bombard me with personal questions via PM without asking me to PM first... and I just can't help but feel that they're lying about who they are in order to somehow take advantage of me. But then again... I do have a very strong "self-defense" mode in that respect.

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I'll just follow Leah around and remind everybody that we need to move on - read the article it is very good - learn from the past or you are doomed to repeat it.

But there is no need to reply to this information - I am the site's most prolific poster and I have refrained from adding comments because this bit of information was posted as just that - information so let's read it, absorb some knowledge and move on.

Love ya,

Sally

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest MrAwesome

I know one faker that was claiming to be a school teacher that was accused to sexually assaulting a girl... or something to that nature, and wasn't able to work then committed "Suicide" I like to trust people, I like to say "Plausible" but I have doubts about people very easily. There's someone else too, that I think might be a "Faker" kind of person... She just sounds soooo unbelievable. I want to believe her, but she just seems like she wants a lot of attention, some of the stuff she says, I just don't think anyone can have that many problems. I want to believe her. but a part of me doubts... sigh... but if she is a faker she's only a teenage girl wanting attention... IDK... I believe in giving people a chance...

btw, I actually fit into some of that, I am a teenage Transsexual, seeking treatment at an early age, though I am FTM. oh and my B-day is in October too!! and I do have an extreme sorta, I have a very supportive mother and a great therapist! XP and I spend most my time on the internet, cause I cyber school and don't get out much. And I do like Japanese Animation, and manga, and all that good stuff. Not at much anymore, but I still appreciate it and get in the mood to spend time watching it/reading it. Consistency... my behavior and things of that nature... maybe not... but otherwise... :P and the only doctoring I've done of pics is I took a pic of my head and stuck it on a male porn stars body... I want my chest to look like that. T.T the rest is boring... okay it's almost 7am... how did it get that late?! It felt like 15 mins ago It was 5am... @_@ night night.

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btw, I actually fit into some of that, I am a teenage Transsexual, seeking treatment at an early age, though I am FTM.

There are some generaliztions I don't agree with. Don't worry Lewis the Wpath Standards of Care actually advocates early treatment for transgender teens. :)

Closing the thread to move on.

Laura

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