History Main / TransEqualsGay

*** This is especially odd as many of them are hanging out with Iva, who has the demonstrated ability to turn them into actual hot women with [[EasySexChange some kind of cloud of magic hormones]]. Ivanov has only used this once, [[UnfortunateImplications as punishment on an annoying cisgender guy]].
** Bon Clay's crazy monologue in one of his early appearances invoked the idea that he was either bigendered or genderless. Given Oda's heavyhanded
* Kamatari of ''RurouniKenshin'' is a ([[DroppedABridgetOnHim very convincing]]) crossdresser who is in love with his male boss, Shishio, but he's actually a fairly sympathetic character and undergoes a HeelFaceTurn. Note that he is both gay and a VillainousCrossdresser, but ''not'' transgendered, and flashes Misao when misidentified as a woman; he seems to find her mistake and her reaction both hilarious, despite having the crossdressing skills of a kabuki onnagata (which it has been theorized he once was).

** They are also hideously and offensively bad at it, being ugly men who apparently have never heard of shaving regularly. This is especially odd as many of them are hanging out with Iva, who has the demonstrated ability to turn them into actual hot women with some kind of cloud of magic hormones. Ivanov has only used this once, as punishment on an annoying cisgender guy.

* Kamatari of ''RurouniKenshin'' is a ([[DroppedABridgetOnHim very convincing]]) crossdresser who is in love with his male boss, Shishio, but he's actually a fairly sympathetic character and undergoes a HeelFaceTurn. Appropriately, the one who came up with Kamatari was none other than Eiichiro Oda, of ''OnePiece'', who used to be Watsuki's assistant.

* In an episode of ''TheVentureBrothers'', Hank believes Al to be transgender, who corrects him by telling him that just because he is gay, he still has a normal "dingus."

** On the flipside, etiquette is to use the pronoun of the gender being presented, so any guy in drag is "she" and out of drag is "he." This tends to add to the confusion, but it does prevent errors when an "obviously cross-dressing guy" turns out to be a transgender female.

In RealLife, being gay and being transgender are entirely separate, as they relate to two different things. Being gay relates to ''sexual attraction'', and means being attracted to others of the same sex. Being trans relates to ''gender identity'', and means identifying as a different gender from one's assigned physical sex. This can be expressed (in an oversimplified way) as being "a woman trapped in a man's body" or vice versa. However, this distinction is all too often overlooked by straight cisgender writers wanting to insert a little LGBT-ness into their stories.

In RealLife, being gay and being transgender are entirely separate, as they relate to two different things. Being gay relates to ''sexual attraction'', and means being attracted to others of the same sex. Being trans relates to ''gender identity'', and means identifying as the opposite gender of one’s physical sex. This can be expressed (in an oversimplified way) as being "a woman trapped in a man's body" or vice versa. However, this distinction is all too often overlooked by straight cisgender writers wanting to insert a little LGBT-ness into their stories.

The root of this confusion is probably the cultural attitude that "boys like girls and girls like boys" as a rule, and anything else is an "unnatural" aberration. Faced with the existence of gay people, using this assumption some might think the two are linked: "Well, the only reason ''these'' boys like other boys is because they ''want'' to be girls". Similarly, in trying to understand transgender people, they might think "The only reason these boys want to be girls is because they like other boys."

But gay men and lesbian women still perceive themselves as being men and women respectively (and while a CampGay or ButchLesbian may ''act'' according to the opposite gender’s stereotype, they don't identify as actually ''being'' the opposite gender). Not only that, but transgender people may have ''any'' sexual orientation. Because of this trope, transgender people who are gay in their target gender often take perhaps a greater amount of flak from people ("Why can't you just be straight?") For example, a lesbian transwoman may be questioned why she can't simply live as a straight man.

* Molina in the (non-musical) stage version of KissOfTheSpiderWoman constantly references being the wrong sex, but the distinction between homosexual and transgender is never addressed.

* {{Averted}} in ''WanderingSon'', where the transgender characters are shown to be of various sexual orientations which don't relate to their identities; one of the crossdressers is gay, another (who is a female crossdresser) is apparently straight, and the M-t-F protagonist seems to be interested in girls. Referred to in-story, where a few characters mock him and think he's a gay boy.

* Parodied in ''Kinou Nani Tabeta?''. Trying to be supportive of her gay son, Shirou's well-meaning but ignorant mother tries to educate herself on the subject of homosexuality. Unfortunately, she hasn't quite figured out the difference between transgender and gay, and thus spends an uncomfortable phone conversation with her son talking about how she just watched ''TransAmerica'' and went to a meeting for parents with transgendered children.

* Parodied in ''Kinou Nani Tabeta?''. Trying to be supportive of her gay son, Shirou's well-meaning but ignorant mother tries to educate herself on the subject of homosexuality. Unfortunately, she hasn't quite figured out the difference between transgender and gay, and thus spends an uncomfortable phone conversation with her son talking about how she just watched ''Trans-America'' and went to a meeting for parents with transgendered children.

* Played with in ''ASofterWorld'', comic [[http://asofterworld.com/index.php?id=389 389]].

* EddieIzzard has sometimes dealt with the assumption that he's gay because of his cross-dressing stand up even though he identifies as heterosexual, and addresses this by saying that even though people tend to equate gay men and drag queens there's a bit of "a crowbar of separation."

* The usage of "gay rights" to mean the same thing as "LGBT rights," automatically implies that bisexuality and the state of being transgender are both synonymous with being gay. There are some who ''do'' recognize that they aren't the same thing but do this for simplicity's sake, but unfortunately, some people who do this do indeed subscribe to this view.

** Fandom was quick to invert this trope by suggesting Kurt is actually F-t-M transgender. Seeing as he is more comfortable with the girls (female upbringing); bears a female second name (Elizabeth); and was shown as severely out of touch with his sexual side (which often happens with transgender individuals), yet is quick to remind even his own father that he is indeed a male?

* All of the gay (Okama) characters in ''OnePiece'' are drag queens. No exception. There are a few who are explicitly trans gender like Iva, and one who seems to be gay but not transgender (Bon Clay who ends up being butch by the standards of Iva and the Okama Island characters) - but most of them seem to regard cross-dressing as something they have to do.

But gay men and lesbian women still perceive themselves as being men and women respectively (and while a CampGay or ButchLesbian may ''act'' according to the opposite gender’s stereotype, they don't identify as actually ''being'' the opposite gender). Not only that, but transgender people may have ''any'' sexual orientation. Because of this trope, transgender people who are gay in their target gender often take perhaps a greater amount of flak from people ("Why can't you just be straight?") For example, a lesbian trans woman may be questioned why she can't simply live as a straight man.

* The husband and wife of FamilyCompo (with the wife being the husband and the man being the wife) are clearly pre-op transsexuals, but are otherwise quite devoted to one another and very monogamous. Their daughter (or son.....even they don't seem to be sure) is still undecided in the transsexual department (as he or she likes to be one or other on a whim), but is apparently bisexual.
* All of the gay (Okama) characters in ''OnePiece'' are drag queens. No exception. There are a few who are explicitly trans gender like Iva, and one who seems to be gay but not transexual (Bon Clay who ends up being butch by the standards of Iva and the Okama Island characters) - but most of them seem to regard cross-dressing as something they have to do.

* Averted in ''TheDayOfRevolution'' as the intersexed and transexual protagonist proves to be just as confused about her sexuality as she is about her gender and it quickly becomes apparent that she decided to re-identify as female (to conform with her genetic sex) without even giving the matter any consideration. She may have been in denial or she may have just been a later bloomer.

* In ''{{Friends}}'', Chandler's father is referred to as gay, but is played as a trans woman.

* Possible aversion: in ''{{Superjail}}'', Alice is an MTF transexual. In her {{Backstory}}, it's revealed that, at her old job, it was her love for the warden that led her to realize that she was transgender. However, the warden is revealed to be gay. Despite this, she doesn't regret becoming a woman, and her being a woman is treated as separate to her liking men.

The root of this confusion is probably the cultural attitude that "boys like girls and girls like boys" as a rule, and anything else is an "unnatural" aberration. Faced with the existence of gay people, using this assumption some might think the two are linked: "Well, the only reason ''these'' boys like other boys is because they ''want'' to be girls". Similarly, in trying to understand transgendered people, they might think "The only reason these boys want to be girls is because they like other boys."

* {{Averted}} in ''WanderingSon'', where the transgendered characters are shown to be of various sexual orientations which don't relate to their identities; one of the crossdressers is gay, another (who is a female crossdresser) is apparently straight, and the M-t-F protagonist seems to be interested in girls. Referred to in-story, where a few characters mock him and think he's a gay boy.

* Picture above is from a photo project called "A Series of Questions" made to draw attention to questions that alienate transgendered people.

** On the flipside, etiquette is to use the pronoun of the gender being presented, so any guy in drag is "she" and out of drag is "he." This tends to add to the confusion, but it does prevent errors when an "obviously cross-dressing guy" turns out to be a transgendered female.

* Fire Emblem in TigerAndBunny shows some signs of this tropes. He's very, very flamboyantly gay and likes referring to himself as a "girl."