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* Characters.ControlZ: (Pablo Garcia) TransEqualsGay: After Isabela is outed as transgender, her boyfriend's [Pablo's] friends ask whether this means that he's gay. '''This is questioning whether the cisgender male boyfriend of a trans woman is "gay", implying they think Isabela still counts as a man.'''
* Characters.{{Emmerdale}}: (Matty Barton) TransEqualsGay: Discussed. Matty explains to Victoria that he initially assumed he was "just" a lesbian, but later figured out that he was a straight man.
* Characters.{{Emmerdale}}: (Matty Barton) TransEqualsGay: Discussed. Matty explains to Victoria that he initially assumed he was "just" a lesbian, but later figured out that he was a straight man.
to:
* Characters.ControlZ: (Pablo Garcia) TransEqualsGay: '''TransEqualsGay''': After Isabela is outed as transgender, her boyfriend's [Pablo's] friends ask whether this means that he's gay. '''This is questioning whether the cisgender male boyfriend of a trans woman is "gay", implying they think Isabela still counts as a man.'''
* Characters.{{Emmerdale}}: (Matty Barton)TransEqualsGay: '''TransEqualsGay''': Discussed. Matty explains to Victoria that he initially assumed he was "just" a lesbian, but later figured out that he was a straight man.
* Characters.{{Emmerdale}}: (Matty Barton)
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* ''Literature/AStudyInMoonlight'': TransEqualsGay: Viviane's mother, in a moment of supreme cluelessness, asks why her CelibateEccentricGenius trans girl kid can't just be a gay guy.
to:
* ''Literature/AStudyInMoonlight'': TransEqualsGay: '''TransEqualsGay''': Viviane's mother, in a moment of supreme cluelessness, asks why her CelibateEccentricGenius trans girl kid can't just be a gay guy.
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* ''Webcomic/{{Exiern}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Denver tries to invoke this when Tiffany finally reveals that she was gay before her GenderBender but Tiffany's DeathGlare makes it plain she's having none of it. '''Tiffany's gender identity has been subject to DependingOnTheWriter a little bit, but the example is valid nonetheless.
to:
* ''Webcomic/{{Exiern}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Denver tries to invoke this when Tiffany finally reveals that she was gay before her GenderBender but Tiffany's DeathGlare makes it plain she's having none of it. '''Tiffany's '''Typhan-Knee/Tiffany's gender identity has been subject to DependingOnTheWriter a little bit, but the example is valid nonetheless.'''
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* Characters.{{Gravitation}}: (Yoshiki Kitazawa) '''TransEqualsGay''': She uses the term ''okama'' to describe herself at one point and Tokyopop chose to translate this as "gay". The terminology used by both Yoshiki herself and the characters to describe her is especially jarring since Yoshiki behaves more or less like a straight woman and not like a gay man at all. '''Seems to be misused for ShesAManInJapan. "Okama" is a Japanese slang term (considered offensive by queer people) that is used to refer both to male crossdressers and to trans women. The example writer also seems to think that gay men "must" act a certain way.'''
to:
* Characters.{{Gravitation}}: (Yoshiki Kitazawa) '''TransEqualsGay''': She uses the term ''okama'' to describe herself at one point and Tokyopop chose to translate this as "gay". The terminology used by both Yoshiki herself and the characters to describe her is especially jarring since Yoshiki behaves more or less like a straight woman and not like a gay man at all. '''Seems to be misused for ShesAManInJapan. "Okama" is a Japanese slang term (considered (now considered offensive by queer people) that is used to refer both to male crossdressers and to trans women. The example writer also seems to think that gay men "must" act a certain way.'''
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* ''Series/HitAndMiss'': TransEqualsGay: Played with. This is assumed by Wendy's children and Ben; defied by Mia.
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* ''Series/HitAndMiss'': TransEqualsGay: '''TransEqualsGay''': Played with. This is assumed by Wendy's children and Ben; defied by Mia.
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* Characters.TengenToppaGurrenLagannSecondaryCharacters: (Leeron) {{Expy}}: Of ''Anime/TekkamanBlade'''s Levin, both effeminate gay engineers who maintain the heroes' equipment (though compared to Leeron, Levin '''[[TransEqualsGay seems much more like a trans woman]]'''). '''Speculative.'''
to:
* Characters.TengenToppaGurrenLagannSecondaryCharacters: (Leeron) {{Expy}}: Of ''Anime/TekkamanBlade'''s ''Anime/TekkamanBlade''[='s=] Levin, both effeminate gay engineers who maintain the heroes' equipment (though compared to Leeron, Levin '''[[TransEqualsGay seems much more like a trans woman]]'''). '''Speculative.'''
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The correct definition of TransEqualsGay, [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17056000880A73317100 so this thread believes]], is the (false) stereotype that gay characters wish to be the opposite gender from how they were assigned at birth, essentially arguing that trans characters are just taking being gay a step further.
!Wick check, checking 222/50 ≈ every 4th wick beginning at top of page, for 60 wicks altogether.
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* AlternativeJokeInterpretation: In the TrollFic ''Fanfic/SupperSmashBrosMishonhFromGod'', one of the plot twists is that Michelle Obama is actually Michael Jackson, and that Barack Obama is gay. Is this meant to suggest the in-universe author is a ConspiracyTheorist, a transmisogynist who thinks '''[[TransEqualsGay transgender women are gay men]]''', and/or a racist who [[RacialFaceBlindness thinks all black people look alike]]?
* CreepyCrossdresser: (description) Sometimes coincides with both '''TransEqualsGay''' and DepravedHomosexual, for a lethal combination of stereotypes.
* GayCruising: ''Series/WireInTheBlood'': The opening two-parter "The Mermaids Singing" has a serial killer apparently preying on closeted gay men and dumping their bodies in cruising spots. This leads the police to put Don undercover as a cruiser to try and see what the world on the street is. While cruising is depicted, [[spoiler: it is actually a misdirection by the real killer, a '''[[TransEqualsGay gay man who "believes" he's a woman]]''' and sexually tortures straight men.]]
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday:
** (description) This trope sometimes accompanies various GenderBlendingTropes (e.g., WholesomeCrossdresser) as a way of lampshading that the character does ''not'' conform to stereotypes like '''TransEqualsGay''', is ''not'' a DragQueen, etc.
** Klinger from ''Series/{{MASH}}'' spent much of the series crossdressing in an attempt to appear insane and get a psychiatric discharge from the army. When an actual psychicatrist comes to the MASH in one episode, Klinger spends the entire episode following him around and acting as crazy as possible in the hopes of getting a Section 8. The guy isn't fooled, but he eventually gets so sick of Klinger's harassment that he offers to file a report stating that Klinger is a homosexual '''[[TransEqualsGay transvestite]]''', which would be an [[ValuesDissonance automatic discharge]]. Klinger refuses to go along with it, insisting he is straight, just "crazy".
* LipstickLesbian: (description) Lipstick lesbians tend to be found a lot in works with lesbian characters; the reasons for this over-representation can include {{Fanservice}} (because GirlOnGirlIsHot), wanting to [[StopBeingStereotypical avert the stereotype]] of ButchLesbian (and the implication that non-heterosexuals are '''[[TransEqualsGay "gender-inverted"]]'''), wanting to present a lesbian character that won't "intimidate" viewers, and wanting to depict a woman who "just happens to be attracted to other women" rather than other aspects of LGBTQ cultures and identities.
* QueerMedia: ''Literature/TheWellOfLoneliness'' is a 1928 novel about a woman named Stephen diagnosed with "sexual inversion" (an old theory that stated that '''[[TransEqualsGay gay people are mentally the opposite gender]]'''). Stephen falls in love with a woman named Mary during World War 1. [[spoiler:It doesn't end on a particularly happy note. Stephen decides that she cannot make Mary happy and helps her fall for a male friend of hers]].
* TransEqualsHypersexual: Description: Similarly to how '''TransEqualsGay''' is the assumption that transgenderism is the "next step up" of homosexuality or crossdressing, Trans Equals Hypersexual is the assumption that trans or gender-nonconforming people are more sexually "out there" than cisgender gay people, and even more so when compared to the general heterosexual population.
* UndeadHorseTrope: '''TransEqualsGay''': What with more awareness of what being transgender actually is, the internet allowing more people to get the information when creating a trans character, and more trans characters being portrayed in media -- the world is at least aware that gay and trans are not mutually exclusive. Although as it's possible for one to be both trans and gay, and some writers not doing their research, it does occasionally show up.
* Analysis.ValuesDissonance: Anime and manga have many {{Wholesome Crossdresser}}s, {{Bifauxnen}}s, [[DudeLooksLikeALady androgynous men]], and [[LadyLooksLikeADude androgynous women]]. Many of these characters might dress, act, or even speak a certain way but they're intended to be cisgender.[[note]]Some Western fans may headcanon some of these characters as trans, especially if a gender identity is neither confirmed nor jossed.[[/note]] There are comparatively far fewer explicitly UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} characters. Fans, especially western fans, often get confused on these characters gender identities due to a combination of Values Dissonance, mixed messages in the writing (including making the mistake that '''TransEqualsGay'''), and language barriers. This can lead to characters having an AmbiguousGenderIdentity. After [[spoiler:Lily]] from ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'' was revealed to be trans, there was a controversy about whether the episode meant to imply she was a trans girl or whether, similarly to Ryo from ''[=iDOLM@STER=]'', she was intended to be an effeminate cisgender boy.
* Characters.BoysAbyss: (Gen Minegishi) '''TransEqualsGay''': For most of the series, up until the final arc, Gen's been portrayed as a masculine figure and more or less a [[spoiler:guy attracted to another guy]]. This changes slightly when Gen explains that [[spoiler:they were already interested in femininity even as a child, wearing Yuko's clothes to prove it]], with Gen's second solo cover being that incident. Despite that, he's usually referred to and acknowledged as a guy, and which is retained in the live action (where it never comes to that point) and the WhatIf romcom universe (where he is simply Reiji's closest male friend).
* Characters.ControlZ: (Pablo Garcia) TransEqualsGay: After Isabela is outed as transgender, her boyfriend's [Pablo's] friends ask whether this means that he's gay. '''This is questioning whether the cisgender male boyfriend of a trans woman is "gay", implying they think Isabela still counts as a man.'''
* Characters.{{Emmerdale}}: (Matty Barton) TransEqualsGay: Discussed. Matty explains to Victoria that he initially assumed he was "just" a lesbian, but later figured out that he was a straight man.
* Characters.{{Wentworth}}: (Reb) '''TransEqualsGay''': As with his undeniable antecedent Maxine, this is convincingly subverted. A fellow prisoner calls him a lesbian for his relationship with Lou only for him to (understandably) outburst that he is a man who loves a woman, and is thus no lesbian.
* Creator/SuzyEddieIzzard: '''TransEqualsGay''': She's had to deal with the fact that many people assume she's attracted to men because of her being trans when in fact she identifies as being closer to a lesbian. One routine had her pointing out that even though people like to equate gay men and drag queens, there is "a crowbar separation" between the two.
-->Most transvestites fancy girls, you can tell people that. "Most transvestites fancy girls." "Who told you that?" "A transvestite told me that!"
* FairForItsDay.{{Film}}: ''Film/BoysDontCry'' is a notable example of cis-washing (casting cisgender actors to play transgender characters) and '''[[TransEqualsGay it was misinterpreted by a lot of people as a lesbian love story]]''' -- but it dealt with transgender issues in a sincere and honest way in the 90s. Hilary Swank and Kimberly Peirce continue to get thank you letters from trans fans who could relate to the story.
* ''Film/BoysDontCry'': '''TransEqualsGay''': When people discover Brandon Teena's secret, they first assume he is a butch lesbian instead of a straight transgender man. He bursts into tears when called a "dyke" by his friend.
* ''Film/InAndOut'': '''TransEqualsGay''': {{Parodied}}. After the not-wedding, once Howard's come out, his father asks if he's going to "have an operation" (i.e. a sex reassignment), to which Howard replies, "Excuse me?"
* Fridge.VictoriaANovelOf4thGenerationWar (ugh): FridgeHorror: What happens to UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} people in Victoria? The book never really says (unless they just '''[[TransEqualsGay count them as homosexuals]]'''), but given how consistently conservative the Retroculturists who are Victoria's dominant cultural force are on all other social issues, it would seem unlikely that they would be very accepting of them. '''Speculation but using the trope correctly.'''
* GenderBender.{{Literature}}:
** ''Literature/LordOfLight'': The original Brahma was a lesbian whose birth name was Madaleine; she '''[[TransEqualsGay chose to get transferred into a supremely masculine body]]'''[[note]]it is likely that Zelazny didn't see the UnfortunateImplications in this[[/note]] time and again, but still had a nagging fear of not being man enough to attract women.
** The premise of the ''Literature/SexGates'' trilogy by Darrell Bain & Jeanine Berry: Portals appear at random all over the world. If they don't make you vanish when you pass through them, they cause you to emerge as a [[AttractiveBentGender flawlessly healthy 18-year-old... of the opposite gender]]. HilarityEnsues. Well, not so much hilarity as ''extreme'' societal upheaval. The Middle Eastern response -- namely, chucking various imams and abusive husbands through, was ''highly'' [[TakeThat amusing.]] Other aspects, like the '''TransEqualsGay''' implications of homosexuals lining up for their Gender Bender or women eager for the chance to be the "superior" sex, may be less amusing.
* ''Literature/AStudyInMoonlight'': TransEqualsGay: Viviane's mother, in a moment of supreme cluelessness, asks why her CelibateEccentricGenius trans girl kid can't just be a gay guy.
* ''Literature/{{Luna}}'' (commented PCE): '''TransEqualsGay''': Discussed. Luna is repulsed at the mere mention of this misconception, which fuels her hatred for Hoyt.
* ''Literature/WeWalkTheNight'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Discussed and Defied. Sophie was kicked out of the army under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. When her newest co-worker notes that army is "OK with gays now," Sophie replies that she's trans, not gay.
* ''Manga/BlazBlueRemixHeart'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Falling in love with a guy is definitive proof to Mai that she's [[SecondLawOfGenderBending completely become a girl in mind, not just body]]. The idea Mai could identify as a boy anyway, or have already liked guys when she was male, is never considered.
* ''Manga/KanojoNiNaritaiKimiToBoku'': '''TransEqualsGay''': In-universe, most of Akira's classmates gender her as male and call her gay behind her back.
* ''Manga/WanderingSon'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Several bullies mock Shuuichi about her 'crossdressing', saying that she's gay.
* MisaimedFandom.AnimeAndManga: The ''Manga/WanderingSon'' fandom can be this at times. A lot of the fandom seems to be under the impression that either, or both, of the protagonists '''[[TransEqualsGay are just gay]]''' despite the fact that the manga explicitly states several times that they are UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}}, and has a post-op trans woman like Yuki who they compare to (Nitori has mostly shown attraction to girls as well). Similarly, many OtokonokoGenre fans are drawn to the series. Other fans think it's a romance shojo where PlatonicLifePartners Takatsuki and Nitori are going to end up in the end, despite it being marketed as ''{{seinen}}'' instead. They have ShipTease [[spoiler:(though nothing becomes of it),]] however, it is a ComingOfAgeStory instead of a romance.
* Recap/ColdCaseS2E3Daniela: '''TransEqualsGay''': Daniela is a MTF transgender woman who is attracted to boys and falls in love with Christopher. Christopher's homophobic father finds out about Daniela and accuses his son of being "a fag".
* Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E17TheOutcast: '''TransEqualsGay''': A major part of the reason the episode's Aesop is garbled. The episode uses gender identity as a sci-fi stand-in for sexual orientation, but that means that the actual subject of gender identity gets lost in the mix.
* ''Series/{{Equal}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': The confusion of being transgender with gay is {{discussed}} in ''Transgender Pioneers'', which trans people interviewed refute, explaining the difference.
* ''Series/{{Mental}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': In "House of Mirrors", Dr. Chloe Artis consults on a teenager with gender dysphoria, on the assumption that she has special insight because she's a lesbian.
* UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}}: "All {{Drag Queen}}s are transgender." Not necessarily. Drag queens and kings--or drag artists in general--are performers who dress as a caricature of gender for the purpose of entertainment. The performer's gender in their day-to-day life has no bearing on their stage persona, and the archetypal drag queen who lipsynchs to pop songs in {{gay bar}}s is more-often-than-not a cisgender man by day. Since he's most likely CampGay to boot, this contributes to the perception that '''TransEqualsGay'''. That being said, trans people have been present in drag culture since day one. In some cases it might even be their only outlet to safely express themselves whether circumstances make transition impossible or not. But if someone does drag, it doesn't automatically denote a transgender identity.
* ''Webcomic/{{Exiern}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Denver tries to invoke this when Tiffany finally reveals that she was gay before her GenderBender but Tiffany's DeathGlare makes it plain she's having none of it. '''Tiffany's gender identity has been subject to DependingOnTheWriter a little bit, but the example is valid nonetheless.
-->'''Denver''': Well, at least now that you're a woman, that sorts out your other issues...right?\\
'''Tiffany''': You think it's that simple, do you?\\
(The rest find his/her reaction to be ''extremely'' annoying.)
* ''Webcomic/TalesToBehold'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Defied in one comic where a reporter brings up Captain Perfect's relationship with Jeanette and asks if the fact that he's dating a trans woman means he's gay. Gary's response is to ask if a gay man would grope Jeanette's breasts as much as he does.
* ''Website/TheOnion'': '''TransEqualsGay''': "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhKa-NVWEg8 Conservatives: Sex Change Only Barrier Between Gays/Marriage]]".
* YMMV.GlenOrGlenda: FairForItsDay: It manages to avert '''TransEqualsGay''', a trope that is still persistent to this day, but does so in a way that implies that homosexuality isn't "normal," but crossdressing is.
* YMMV.TheJerrySpringerShow: ValuesDissonance: The show's insistent use of tropes like '''TransEqualsGay''' and UnsettlingGenderReveal didn't age well, sounding ''very'' transphobic nowadays.
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* Characters.AzureStrikerGunvoltTheSumeragiGroup: (Zonda/Pantera) '''TransEqualsGay''': Zonda shows quite a fascination for Gunvolt when they meet each other. [[spoiler:{{Averted}} with TheReveal Zonda is actually female, albeit [[CreepyChild very young-looking]]]].
* Characters.{{Gravitation}}: (Yoshiki Kitazawa) '''TransEqualsGay''': She uses the term ''okama'' to describe herself at one point and Tokyopop chose to translate this as "gay". The terminology used by both Yoshiki herself and the characters to describe her is especially jarring since Yoshiki behaves more or less like a straight woman and not like a gay man at all. '''Seems to be misused for ShesAManInJapan. "Okama" is a Japanese slang term (considered offensive by queer people) that is used to refer both to male crossdressers and to trans women. The example writer also seems to think that gay men "must" act a certain way.'''
* Characters.LupinIIITheWomanCalledFujikoMine: (Lt. Oscar) '''TransEqualsGay''': Oscar wearing dresses comes up a lot. Posing as a schoolgirl could be excused (he's undercover and can pass as a schoolgirl, fine), dressing as Fujiko while framing her is excessive (isn’t the point of being a master thief not being seen in the first place?), but ''wearing a wedding dress in his (not) DyingDream where he flies into Zenigata’s arms'' just goes too far, overlapping with CreepyCrossdresser. '''Complaining about a CampGay character crossdressing.'''
* Characters.MonsterPop: (Percy) '''TransEqualsGay''': Averted. It's pretty obvious that Percy's transgender (and WordOfGod has confirmed), but he's in a steady relationship with Franny. '''Non-notable aversion.'''
* Characters/RurouniKenshinTheTenSwords: (Honjou Kamatari) '''TransEqualsGay''': Played with. Kamatari ''is'' male-assigned, presents (very convincingly) like a woman, and is in love with the male Shishio. But rather than a trans woman the story treats as a man, Kamatari specifically identifies as male, and even corrects Misao for assuming otherwise. '''Non-notable aversion: Kamatari is a gay VillainousCrossdresser who is initially mistaken for a woman, but is explicitly cisgender.'''
* Characters.TengenToppaGurrenLagannSecondaryCharacters: (Leeron) {{Expy}}: Of ''Anime/TekkamanBlade'''s Levin, both effeminate gay engineers who maintain the heroes' equipment (though compared to Leeron, Levin '''[[TransEqualsGay seems much more like a trans woman]]'''). '''Speculative.'''
* ''Fanfic/TheChangelingOfTheGuard'': '''TransEqualsGay''': An inversion is Invoked with Merry, a gay stallion who becomes a mare when exposed to Poison Joke and eventually decided he was happier as a mare. It's implied that the disdain of his homophobic parents may have played a part in it. '''LGBTAwakening by way of SupernaturallyValidatedTransPerson'''
* ''Literature/TheColdestGirlInColdtown'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Averted. [[spoiler:Valentina is a trans woman with a crush on Jameson, a cis man. The narrative makes it clear that while Valentina worries Jameson wouldn't like her if he knew, Jameson is already in love with her and wouldn't care at all.]] '''TransTribulations'''
* ''Series/AllInTheFamily'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Beverly [=LaSalle=], a recurring gay character, is a cross-dresser. The show also averted the trope with an earlier episode featuring one of Archie's pals as a ManlyGay man. '''Non-notable aversion.'''
* ''Series/{{Transparent}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Subverted with Maura, who [[spoiler: after returning from Idlewild has her first sexual encounter with a woman since transitioning]]. '''No indication of confusion between homosexuality and transgenderism.'''
* Recap/TwoAndAHalfMenS1E18AnOldFlameWithANewWick: '''TransEqualsGay''': Discussed in the episode. When Bill admits to Charlie that he always felt like "a man trapped in a woman's body", Charlie debates that if Bill were really a man, he would've participated in a threesome with him and a cocktail waitress. '''Denying that a trans man is a man on the grounds that AllMenArePerverts doesn't seem like this trope.'''
-->'''Charlie:''' I ''begged'' you!
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* ''Series/HitAndMiss'': TransEqualsGay: Played with. This is assumed by Wendy's children and Ben; defied by Mia.
* ''Series/{{Transparent}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': However, it appears that is not the case for [[spoiler: Marcy]], who appears to have have some reconciled feelings for Maura.
* ''WebVideo/ContraPoints'': '''TransEqualsGay''':
** Debated on "The Freedom Report" in the episode "Tiffany Tumbles".
** Deconstructed in the "Are Traps Gay?" video.
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* NoBisexuals: ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': After Matsuri is [[GenderBender turned into a girl]], the sexual tension Suzu perceives between him and Soga makes her worried Matsuri will '''[[TransEqualsGay "fully become a girl"]]''' who's only attracted to guys. Considering Suzu's attraction to both boy and girl Matsuri never makes her question her own gender, it's quite a DoubleStandard.
* Characters.DragonQuestBuilders2: (Jules) AmbiguousGenderIdentity: It's implied that Jules is either CampGay or UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}}. '''[[TransEqualsGay The polari cant slang Jules uses is also stereotypically associated with LGBT culture, and historically it was specifically used by the British gay subculture]]'''. This isn't helped by the fact that like most monsters in the franchise, Goodybags lack SecondarySexualCharacteristics (even if they did, it wouldn't account for gender ''identity'') and it's ultimately never properly clarified whether or not Jules identifies as male or female.
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* Characters.PuyoPuyoCompileRecurring: (Zoh Daimaoh) MistakenForGay: By way of '''TransEqualsGay''' in ''15th''. Dapper Bones thought Zoh was one because he wears a bindi, which is typically worn by married women.
* ''DarthWiki.{{Helix}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Victoria ran afoul of this assumption when she was young, and her dad saw his "son"'s feminine tendencies as the reason to make a CureYourGays attempt. Never mind that Victoria's never actually been romantically interested in guys.
* ''Film/ThreeGenerations''': '''TransEqualsGay''': Ray is a straight trans boy, so his grandmother Dolly wonders aloud why he can't be a lesbian like her, much to her daughter Maggie's annoyance. '''Not sure if this is just the grandma not ''wanting'' Ray to be a trans man or not understanding what that means.'''
* ''Series/TalesOfTheCity2019'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Inverted. Jake's family are overwhelmingly accepting of his trans identity - because he's in a relationship with Margot, and they'd rather have a straight trans son than a cis lesbian daughter. Mrs. Rodriguez even says how happy she is that any potential future kids will grow up in a "normal" family with a mother and father.
* Trivia.{{Roseanne}}: WhatCouldHaveBeen: Blog: '''[[TransEqualsGay Leon has a sex change op.]]''' (Leon never appears, strangely enough.) EW: Leon and Fred run a Starbucks and adopt three daughters.
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!Wick check, checking 222/50 ≈ every 4th wick beginning at top of page, for 60 wicks altogether.
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* AlternativeJokeInterpretation: In the TrollFic ''Fanfic/SupperSmashBrosMishonhFromGod'', one of the plot twists is that Michelle Obama is actually Michael Jackson, and that Barack Obama is gay. Is this meant to suggest the in-universe author is a ConspiracyTheorist, a transmisogynist who thinks '''[[TransEqualsGay transgender women are gay men]]''', and/or a racist who [[RacialFaceBlindness thinks all black people look alike]]?
* CreepyCrossdresser: (description) Sometimes coincides with both '''TransEqualsGay''' and DepravedHomosexual, for a lethal combination of stereotypes.
* GayCruising: ''Series/WireInTheBlood'': The opening two-parter "The Mermaids Singing" has a serial killer apparently preying on closeted gay men and dumping their bodies in cruising spots. This leads the police to put Don undercover as a cruiser to try and see what the world on the street is. While cruising is depicted, [[spoiler: it is actually a misdirection by the real killer, a '''[[TransEqualsGay gay man who "believes" he's a woman]]''' and sexually tortures straight men.]]
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday:
** (description) This trope sometimes accompanies various GenderBlendingTropes (e.g., WholesomeCrossdresser) as a way of lampshading that the character does ''not'' conform to stereotypes like '''TransEqualsGay''', is ''not'' a DragQueen, etc.
** Klinger from ''Series/{{MASH}}'' spent much of the series crossdressing in an attempt to appear insane and get a psychiatric discharge from the army. When an actual psychicatrist comes to the MASH in one episode, Klinger spends the entire episode following him around and acting as crazy as possible in the hopes of getting a Section 8. The guy isn't fooled, but he eventually gets so sick of Klinger's harassment that he offers to file a report stating that Klinger is a homosexual '''[[TransEqualsGay transvestite]]''', which would be an [[ValuesDissonance automatic discharge]]. Klinger refuses to go along with it, insisting he is straight, just "crazy".
* LipstickLesbian: (description) Lipstick lesbians tend to be found a lot in works with lesbian characters; the reasons for this over-representation can include {{Fanservice}} (because GirlOnGirlIsHot), wanting to [[StopBeingStereotypical avert the stereotype]] of ButchLesbian (and the implication that non-heterosexuals are '''[[TransEqualsGay "gender-inverted"]]'''), wanting to present a lesbian character that won't "intimidate" viewers, and wanting to depict a woman who "just happens to be attracted to other women" rather than other aspects of LGBTQ cultures and identities.
* QueerMedia: ''Literature/TheWellOfLoneliness'' is a 1928 novel about a woman named Stephen diagnosed with "sexual inversion" (an old theory that stated that '''[[TransEqualsGay gay people are mentally the opposite gender]]'''). Stephen falls in love with a woman named Mary during World War 1. [[spoiler:It doesn't end on a particularly happy note. Stephen decides that she cannot make Mary happy and helps her fall for a male friend of hers]].
* TransEqualsHypersexual: Description: Similarly to how '''TransEqualsGay''' is the assumption that transgenderism is the "next step up" of homosexuality or crossdressing, Trans Equals Hypersexual is the assumption that trans or gender-nonconforming people are more sexually "out there" than cisgender gay people, and even more so when compared to the general heterosexual population.
* UndeadHorseTrope: '''TransEqualsGay''': What with more awareness of what being transgender actually is, the internet allowing more people to get the information when creating a trans character, and more trans characters being portrayed in media -- the world is at least aware that gay and trans are not mutually exclusive. Although as it's possible for one to be both trans and gay, and some writers not doing their research, it does occasionally show up.
* Analysis.ValuesDissonance: Anime and manga have many {{Wholesome Crossdresser}}s, {{Bifauxnen}}s, [[DudeLooksLikeALady androgynous men]], and [[LadyLooksLikeADude androgynous women]]. Many of these characters might dress, act, or even speak a certain way but they're intended to be cisgender.[[note]]Some Western fans may headcanon some of these characters as trans, especially if a gender identity is neither confirmed nor jossed.[[/note]] There are comparatively far fewer explicitly UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} characters. Fans, especially western fans, often get confused on these characters gender identities due to a combination of Values Dissonance, mixed messages in the writing (including making the mistake that '''TransEqualsGay'''), and language barriers. This can lead to characters having an AmbiguousGenderIdentity. After [[spoiler:Lily]] from ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'' was revealed to be trans, there was a controversy about whether the episode meant to imply she was a trans girl or whether, similarly to Ryo from ''[=iDOLM@STER=]'', she was intended to be an effeminate cisgender boy.
* Characters.BoysAbyss: (Gen Minegishi) '''TransEqualsGay''': For most of the series, up until the final arc, Gen's been portrayed as a masculine figure and more or less a [[spoiler:guy attracted to another guy]]. This changes slightly when Gen explains that [[spoiler:they were already interested in femininity even as a child, wearing Yuko's clothes to prove it]], with Gen's second solo cover being that incident. Despite that, he's usually referred to and acknowledged as a guy, and which is retained in the live action (where it never comes to that point) and the WhatIf romcom universe (where he is simply Reiji's closest male friend).
* Characters.ControlZ: (Pablo Garcia) TransEqualsGay: After Isabela is outed as transgender, her boyfriend's [Pablo's] friends ask whether this means that he's gay. '''This is questioning whether the cisgender male boyfriend of a trans woman is "gay", implying they think Isabela still counts as a man.'''
* Characters.{{Emmerdale}}: (Matty Barton) TransEqualsGay: Discussed. Matty explains to Victoria that he initially assumed he was "just" a lesbian, but later figured out that he was a straight man.
* Characters.{{Wentworth}}: (Reb) '''TransEqualsGay''': As with his undeniable antecedent Maxine, this is convincingly subverted. A fellow prisoner calls him a lesbian for his relationship with Lou only for him to (understandably) outburst that he is a man who loves a woman, and is thus no lesbian.
* Creator/SuzyEddieIzzard: '''TransEqualsGay''': She's had to deal with the fact that many people assume she's attracted to men because of her being trans when in fact she identifies as being closer to a lesbian. One routine had her pointing out that even though people like to equate gay men and drag queens, there is "a crowbar separation" between the two.
-->Most transvestites fancy girls, you can tell people that. "Most transvestites fancy girls." "Who told you that?" "A transvestite told me that!"
* FairForItsDay.{{Film}}: ''Film/BoysDontCry'' is a notable example of cis-washing (casting cisgender actors to play transgender characters) and '''[[TransEqualsGay it was misinterpreted by a lot of people as a lesbian love story]]''' -- but it dealt with transgender issues in a sincere and honest way in the 90s. Hilary Swank and Kimberly Peirce continue to get thank you letters from trans fans who could relate to the story.
* ''Film/BoysDontCry'': '''TransEqualsGay''': When people discover Brandon Teena's secret, they first assume he is a butch lesbian instead of a straight transgender man. He bursts into tears when called a "dyke" by his friend.
* ''Film/InAndOut'': '''TransEqualsGay''': {{Parodied}}. After the not-wedding, once Howard's come out, his father asks if he's going to "have an operation" (i.e. a sex reassignment), to which Howard replies, "Excuse me?"
* Fridge.VictoriaANovelOf4thGenerationWar (ugh): FridgeHorror: What happens to UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} people in Victoria? The book never really says (unless they just '''[[TransEqualsGay count them as homosexuals]]'''), but given how consistently conservative the Retroculturists who are Victoria's dominant cultural force are on all other social issues, it would seem unlikely that they would be very accepting of them. '''Speculation but using the trope correctly.'''
* GenderBender.{{Literature}}:
** ''Literature/LordOfLight'': The original Brahma was a lesbian whose birth name was Madaleine; she '''[[TransEqualsGay chose to get transferred into a supremely masculine body]]'''[[note]]it is likely that Zelazny didn't see the UnfortunateImplications in this[[/note]] time and again, but still had a nagging fear of not being man enough to attract women.
** The premise of the ''Literature/SexGates'' trilogy by Darrell Bain & Jeanine Berry: Portals appear at random all over the world. If they don't make you vanish when you pass through them, they cause you to emerge as a [[AttractiveBentGender flawlessly healthy 18-year-old... of the opposite gender]]. HilarityEnsues. Well, not so much hilarity as ''extreme'' societal upheaval. The Middle Eastern response -- namely, chucking various imams and abusive husbands through, was ''highly'' [[TakeThat amusing.]] Other aspects, like the '''TransEqualsGay''' implications of homosexuals lining up for their Gender Bender or women eager for the chance to be the "superior" sex, may be less amusing.
* ''Literature/AStudyInMoonlight'': TransEqualsGay: Viviane's mother, in a moment of supreme cluelessness, asks why her CelibateEccentricGenius trans girl kid can't just be a gay guy.
* ''Literature/{{Luna}}'' (commented PCE): '''TransEqualsGay''': Discussed. Luna is repulsed at the mere mention of this misconception, which fuels her hatred for Hoyt.
* ''Literature/WeWalkTheNight'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Discussed and Defied. Sophie was kicked out of the army under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. When her newest co-worker notes that army is "OK with gays now," Sophie replies that she's trans, not gay.
* ''Manga/BlazBlueRemixHeart'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Falling in love with a guy is definitive proof to Mai that she's [[SecondLawOfGenderBending completely become a girl in mind, not just body]]. The idea Mai could identify as a boy anyway, or have already liked guys when she was male, is never considered.
* ''Manga/KanojoNiNaritaiKimiToBoku'': '''TransEqualsGay''': In-universe, most of Akira's classmates gender her as male and call her gay behind her back.
* ''Manga/WanderingSon'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Several bullies mock Shuuichi about her 'crossdressing', saying that she's gay.
* MisaimedFandom.AnimeAndManga: The ''Manga/WanderingSon'' fandom can be this at times. A lot of the fandom seems to be under the impression that either, or both, of the protagonists '''[[TransEqualsGay are just gay]]''' despite the fact that the manga explicitly states several times that they are UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}}, and has a post-op trans woman like Yuki who they compare to (Nitori has mostly shown attraction to girls as well). Similarly, many OtokonokoGenre fans are drawn to the series. Other fans think it's a romance shojo where PlatonicLifePartners Takatsuki and Nitori are going to end up in the end, despite it being marketed as ''{{seinen}}'' instead. They have ShipTease [[spoiler:(though nothing becomes of it),]] however, it is a ComingOfAgeStory instead of a romance.
* Recap/ColdCaseS2E3Daniela: '''TransEqualsGay''': Daniela is a MTF transgender woman who is attracted to boys and falls in love with Christopher. Christopher's homophobic father finds out about Daniela and accuses his son of being "a fag".
* Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E17TheOutcast: '''TransEqualsGay''': A major part of the reason the episode's Aesop is garbled. The episode uses gender identity as a sci-fi stand-in for sexual orientation, but that means that the actual subject of gender identity gets lost in the mix.
* ''Series/{{Equal}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': The confusion of being transgender with gay is {{discussed}} in ''Transgender Pioneers'', which trans people interviewed refute, explaining the difference.
* ''Series/{{Mental}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': In "House of Mirrors", Dr. Chloe Artis consults on a teenager with gender dysphoria, on the assumption that she has special insight because she's a lesbian.
* UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}}: "All {{Drag Queen}}s are transgender." Not necessarily. Drag queens and kings--or drag artists in general--are performers who dress as a caricature of gender for the purpose of entertainment. The performer's gender in their day-to-day life has no bearing on their stage persona, and the archetypal drag queen who lipsynchs to pop songs in {{gay bar}}s is more-often-than-not a cisgender man by day. Since he's most likely CampGay to boot, this contributes to the perception that '''TransEqualsGay'''. That being said, trans people have been present in drag culture since day one. In some cases it might even be their only outlet to safely express themselves whether circumstances make transition impossible or not. But if someone does drag, it doesn't automatically denote a transgender identity.
* ''Webcomic/{{Exiern}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Denver tries to invoke this when Tiffany finally reveals that she was gay before her GenderBender but Tiffany's DeathGlare makes it plain she's having none of it. '''Tiffany's gender identity has been subject to DependingOnTheWriter a little bit, but the example is valid nonetheless.
-->'''Denver''': Well, at least now that you're a woman, that sorts out your other issues...right?\\
'''Tiffany''': You think it's that simple, do you?\\
(The rest find his/her reaction to be ''extremely'' annoying.)
* ''Webcomic/TalesToBehold'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Defied in one comic where a reporter brings up Captain Perfect's relationship with Jeanette and asks if the fact that he's dating a trans woman means he's gay. Gary's response is to ask if a gay man would grope Jeanette's breasts as much as he does.
* ''Website/TheOnion'': '''TransEqualsGay''': "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhKa-NVWEg8 Conservatives: Sex Change Only Barrier Between Gays/Marriage]]".
* YMMV.GlenOrGlenda: FairForItsDay: It manages to avert '''TransEqualsGay''', a trope that is still persistent to this day, but does so in a way that implies that homosexuality isn't "normal," but crossdressing is.
* YMMV.TheJerrySpringerShow: ValuesDissonance: The show's insistent use of tropes like '''TransEqualsGay''' and UnsettlingGenderReveal didn't age well, sounding ''very'' transphobic nowadays.
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[[folder:Misuse [=(11/60, 18%)=]]]
* Characters.AzureStrikerGunvoltTheSumeragiGroup: (Zonda/Pantera) '''TransEqualsGay''': Zonda shows quite a fascination for Gunvolt when they meet each other. [[spoiler:{{Averted}} with TheReveal Zonda is actually female, albeit [[CreepyChild very young-looking]]]].
* Characters.{{Gravitation}}: (Yoshiki Kitazawa) '''TransEqualsGay''': She uses the term ''okama'' to describe herself at one point and Tokyopop chose to translate this as "gay". The terminology used by both Yoshiki herself and the characters to describe her is especially jarring since Yoshiki behaves more or less like a straight woman and not like a gay man at all. '''Seems to be misused for ShesAManInJapan. "Okama" is a Japanese slang term (considered offensive by queer people) that is used to refer both to male crossdressers and to trans women. The example writer also seems to think that gay men "must" act a certain way.'''
* Characters.LupinIIITheWomanCalledFujikoMine: (Lt. Oscar) '''TransEqualsGay''': Oscar wearing dresses comes up a lot. Posing as a schoolgirl could be excused (he's undercover and can pass as a schoolgirl, fine), dressing as Fujiko while framing her is excessive (isn’t the point of being a master thief not being seen in the first place?), but ''wearing a wedding dress in his (not) DyingDream where he flies into Zenigata’s arms'' just goes too far, overlapping with CreepyCrossdresser. '''Complaining about a CampGay character crossdressing.'''
* Characters.MonsterPop: (Percy) '''TransEqualsGay''': Averted. It's pretty obvious that Percy's transgender (and WordOfGod has confirmed), but he's in a steady relationship with Franny. '''Non-notable aversion.'''
* Characters/RurouniKenshinTheTenSwords: (Honjou Kamatari) '''TransEqualsGay''': Played with. Kamatari ''is'' male-assigned, presents (very convincingly) like a woman, and is in love with the male Shishio. But rather than a trans woman the story treats as a man, Kamatari specifically identifies as male, and even corrects Misao for assuming otherwise. '''Non-notable aversion: Kamatari is a gay VillainousCrossdresser who is initially mistaken for a woman, but is explicitly cisgender.'''
* Characters.TengenToppaGurrenLagannSecondaryCharacters: (Leeron) {{Expy}}: Of ''Anime/TekkamanBlade'''s Levin, both effeminate gay engineers who maintain the heroes' equipment (though compared to Leeron, Levin '''[[TransEqualsGay seems much more like a trans woman]]'''). '''Speculative.'''
* ''Fanfic/TheChangelingOfTheGuard'': '''TransEqualsGay''': An inversion is Invoked with Merry, a gay stallion who becomes a mare when exposed to Poison Joke and eventually decided he was happier as a mare. It's implied that the disdain of his homophobic parents may have played a part in it. '''LGBTAwakening by way of SupernaturallyValidatedTransPerson'''
* ''Literature/TheColdestGirlInColdtown'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Averted. [[spoiler:Valentina is a trans woman with a crush on Jameson, a cis man. The narrative makes it clear that while Valentina worries Jameson wouldn't like her if he knew, Jameson is already in love with her and wouldn't care at all.]] '''TransTribulations'''
* ''Series/AllInTheFamily'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Beverly [=LaSalle=], a recurring gay character, is a cross-dresser. The show also averted the trope with an earlier episode featuring one of Archie's pals as a ManlyGay man. '''Non-notable aversion.'''
* ''Series/{{Transparent}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Subverted with Maura, who [[spoiler: after returning from Idlewild has her first sexual encounter with a woman since transitioning]]. '''No indication of confusion between homosexuality and transgenderism.'''
* Recap/TwoAndAHalfMenS1E18AnOldFlameWithANewWick: '''TransEqualsGay''': Discussed in the episode. When Bill admits to Charlie that he always felt like "a man trapped in a woman's body", Charlie debates that if Bill were really a man, he would've participated in a threesome with him and a cocktail waitress. '''Denying that a trans man is a man on the grounds that AllMenArePerverts doesn't seem like this trope.'''
-->'''Charlie:''' I ''begged'' you!
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[[folder:Partial/Zero Context [=(4/60, 7%)=]]]
* ''Series/HitAndMiss'': TransEqualsGay: Played with. This is assumed by Wendy's children and Ben; defied by Mia.
* ''Series/{{Transparent}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': However, it appears that is not the case for [[spoiler: Marcy]], who appears to have have some reconciled feelings for Maura.
* ''WebVideo/ContraPoints'': '''TransEqualsGay''':
** Debated on "The Freedom Report" in the episode "Tiffany Tumbles".
** Deconstructed in the "Are Traps Gay?" video.
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[[folder:Sinkhole [=(2/60, 3%)=]]]
* NoBisexuals: ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': After Matsuri is [[GenderBender turned into a girl]], the sexual tension Suzu perceives between him and Soga makes her worried Matsuri will '''[[TransEqualsGay "fully become a girl"]]''' who's only attracted to guys. Considering Suzu's attraction to both boy and girl Matsuri never makes her question her own gender, it's quite a DoubleStandard.
* Characters.DragonQuestBuilders2: (Jules) AmbiguousGenderIdentity: It's implied that Jules is either CampGay or UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}}. '''[[TransEqualsGay The polari cant slang Jules uses is also stereotypically associated with LGBT culture, and historically it was specifically used by the British gay subculture]]'''. This isn't helped by the fact that like most monsters in the franchise, Goodybags lack SecondarySexualCharacteristics (even if they did, it wouldn't account for gender ''identity'') and it's ultimately never properly clarified whether or not Jules identifies as male or female.
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[[folder:Unclear [=(5/60, 8%)=]]]
* Characters.PuyoPuyoCompileRecurring: (Zoh Daimaoh) MistakenForGay: By way of '''TransEqualsGay''' in ''15th''. Dapper Bones thought Zoh was one because he wears a bindi, which is typically worn by married women.
* ''DarthWiki.{{Helix}}'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Victoria ran afoul of this assumption when she was young, and her dad saw his "son"'s feminine tendencies as the reason to make a CureYourGays attempt. Never mind that Victoria's never actually been romantically interested in guys.
* ''Film/ThreeGenerations''': '''TransEqualsGay''': Ray is a straight trans boy, so his grandmother Dolly wonders aloud why he can't be a lesbian like her, much to her daughter Maggie's annoyance. '''Not sure if this is just the grandma not ''wanting'' Ray to be a trans man or not understanding what that means.'''
* ''Series/TalesOfTheCity2019'': '''TransEqualsGay''': Inverted. Jake's family are overwhelmingly accepting of his trans identity - because he's in a relationship with Margot, and they'd rather have a straight trans son than a cis lesbian daughter. Mrs. Rodriguez even says how happy she is that any potential future kids will grow up in a "normal" family with a mother and father.
* Trivia.{{Roseanne}}: WhatCouldHaveBeen: Blog: '''[[TransEqualsGay Leon has a sex change op.]]''' (Leon never appears, strangely enough.) EW: Leon and Fred run a Starbucks and adopt three daughters.
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