Transfic

Transfic is a term used to denote fan fiction about transgender characters, usually characters who are not stated as transgender/transsexual/gender diverse in canon. The genre It is considered relatively new due to the few representations found previously from the 2000s, with the earliest story on record being Jane Sehrn-Ta's Star Wars fic, Changes, first posted to the Master and Apprentice mailing list in 2004.Jane Sehrn-Ta, Changes, September 30, 2004 (Accessed 2 October 2008) The term transslash appeared previously as the name of the mailing list TransSlash, which was focused on transfic. 
Since then the number of transfics has been steadily growing, especially in bandom, Harry Potter, and Stargate: Atlantis. The majority of the authors are trans or genderqueer themselves, many of whom are dissatisfied with traditional genderswap.thepurpleswitch, , May 10, 2007 (Accessed 2 October 2008) Homestuck also has a notable portion of its fanbase that produce transfic or artworks with trans characters, with a blog named Transstuck that compiles a suitable majority of the works on Tumblr and AO3. Much like its fellow fandoms, most of these works are produced by trans authors and artists.
Kyuuketsukirui maintained a multi-fandom transfic masterlist, originally on Delicious and later on Pinboard . The masterlist, which contains over 500 fics in more than 100 fandoms, ceased updating in late 2012.
==Controversy==
===Stereotypes in choosing characters===
Some fans allege that many trans headcanons feature male characters displaying characteristics associated with femininity or twinkiness-- slight stature, thinness, and apparent youth. Similarly, some fans feel that characters treated as woobies receive disproportionate focus in transfic. Examples of this are the characters Walter Beckett from Spies in Disguise and Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds. Some believe that these perceived trends betray an association between trans men and femininity, which they find troubling.
In addition to these concerns about associating feminine traits with trans men, many fans have objected to a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in transfic.
===Works by cisgender authors===
Some fans take issue with certain types of transfic, usually the ones written by cis authors whose fics they feel are formulaic, cliché, and an overly narrow view of the trans community. One major point of contention is how many of these fics have a trans character forcibly outed via a "shocking discovery" rather than having them come out on their own.
In a post on the subreddit /r/asktransgender where the OP was asking what the other users think about genderbends in relation to a specific tumblr post, answers strayed into discussion of transfic, fanart, and headcanons. 
Transfics written by trans authors tend to have a better reception by trans readers, due to the fics being constructed based on the author's experiences rather than fetishistic stereotypes. Although some readers prefer to opt out of reading any fic featuring trans renditions of established characters, many readers find reading an accurate trans representation of a character they already love or relate to to be healing or transformative, and many readers express a sense of relief to have finally found a transfic - or any fiction at all, for that matter - that reflects their own experiences without being stereotyped or fetishized.
Readers from Mogatrat's Life is Strange fic Bloom, for example, have written:
Many trans transfic authors have also expressed that they feel that, since they couldn't find a transfic that truly reflected them, they would simply have to write one themselves.
==Fanworks Examples==
Ace Attorney:
* Measure for Measure by cteranodon, a Clay/Apollo fic where Clay is a trans man.
Animorphs
* The Word of Your Body and Your Body Is Not An Apology by Poetry. Companion pieces to each other, wherein all the Animorphs are transgender or intersex. 
Assassin's Creed:
* a work in progress by Cards_Slash, an AltMal modern AU where Altaïr is a trans man
Attack on Titan:
* The Rest of Their Lives by zhedang, a reincarnation fic in which Levi is a trans man
Inception:
* a man had a dream about a woman and then he met her, a Arthur/Eames fic, where Arthur is trans.
Harry Potter:
* I'll paint a mural of your smile by magelesbian, a marauders Coffee Shop AU, where Remus and Sirius are trans.
* Paper Birds by nevermindgrantaire, a Wolfstar fic where Remus is trans.
* Succession of Halos, a Wolfstar Bookshop AU, where Remus is a trans man and Sirius is genderfluid.
* the girl who lived (again) by dirgewithoutmusic, an AU where Harry is a trans girl
* Trans Boy Percy Weasley by wtchpnk, an AU where Percy Weasley is a trans boy
Life is Strange
* Bloom by Mogatrat, an Amberpricefield Everybody Lives AU where Max Caulfield is a trans woman.
Hawaii Five-0
* Where Waters Do Not Curve by emphasisonthehomo, a series where Danny is a Private Investigator and Steve still works at H50
*Transformative by boxparade, a long series about Danny in love with Steve but hiding a big secret 
Marvel Cinematic Universe
* Known Associates by thingswithwings, a epic-length fic focused on Steve Rogers' sexuality and gender identity before, during, and after the main events of the first two Captain America movies. Steve is genderqueer.
* Red by sebastianL, a post-Captain America: Civil War AU told through the POV of Red (Wanda Maximoff), a trans male character.
ProtoCreed:
* Most Beautiful Princess, a highschool AU where Alex is a trans girl
Revolutionary Girl Utena:
* Miki is Miki is Miki, where Miki Kaoru is a trans girl.
Star Wars
* juxtaposition, a college AU where Kylo Ren is a trans man.
Supernatural
*D'Arc, by Xenerik, a character study of Sam Winchester as a genderqueer trans person.
Teen Wolf:
* Prince Among Wolves, a Derek/Stiles kidfic, where one of the kids is trans.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (Marvel 616):
* Too Many Tequila, or, Doreen Green and Nancy Whitehead Do the Authentic College Experience, a get together fic where Nancy is trans. (Doreen Green/Nancy Whitehead)
Voltron: Legendary Defender
* SPECTRUM, a zine "composed of art and fics centering around the theme of living transgender", predominantly by trans creators.
Yuri!!! on Ice:
* Chain of Surprises, set in the canon universe; Yuuri and Victor and Yuri are all trans
==Fan Events and Challenges==
* Fire Emblem Trans Week, an event that encouraged creators to create art and fic featuring trans headcanons of Fire Emblem characters, with an emphasis on Fire Emblem: Three Houses. A collection of fic written for the event is available here on Archive of Our Own.
* HP Trans Fest We're a multi-ship, multi-era, multi-media fest, created to celebrate all non-cis characters in the Harry Potter extended universe!
* DC Trans Week, A DC fandom event to celebrate transgender creators and characters.
* Fancake's 159th round, which ran in February 2024, was themed "trans & non-binary characters"
==Resources==
* transfic masterlist on Pinboard
* Trans fanworks on Archive of Our Own
* Trans Fiction is an open prompt meme on AO3 for trans headcanons, stories, and positivity.
* Recs tagged Trans & Non-Binary Characters at Fancake
==Meta==
* Transfic, and why I have given up reading it. by pitseleh (Apr 2011)
* Transfic: A History (Feb 2016)
* Fan Activism: Trans Interventions in Fandom and Beyond (Mar 2016) details the impetus which led to the distinction between transfic and genderswap fics. References the following meta posts by fans:
** META: Five+ Ways Being Transgender in Fandom Really Sucks, and Why I Stick With It Anyway by Aopt(2010)
** A rant, about "genderswap" by thepurpleswitch (2007)
* How To Write Trans Men: A Guide by hunted(Apr 2020)
* t4t: trans fic by and for trans friends (acernor, roland, & soph in conversation) for FanWorks Con (2023)
==References==
Category:Glossary
Category: Queer