Note: As time goes on, I will likely update this. Thank you so much to all the wonderful people who looked over this during the writing and revision process. Updated 7/23/19 to expand a bit on genderplay

CONTENT WARNING

For the sake of brevity and ease of understanding, I will be MASSIVELY oversimplifying/overlooking several gender related topics. I will be discussing terms people use for their anatomy, gender related slurs, as well as touching upon negative stereotypes, sexual assault, and other sexual violence.

DISCLAIMER

I’m not a writer, I’m just a trans woman who is a performer. These are not rules, just guidelines. This is not the only way to write for a trans audience, just the way I adapt things. This is by no means an exhaustive exploration of the trans experience, a primer to the fact we exist, or an explanation of the complexities of gender identity, expression, etc. The purpose of this is to just be a resource for those looking for assistance when writing erotic stories for trans folx.

My views do not reflect the views of all trans folx, just me at the time of writing these tips.

MOST IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS

I feel the most important things one should take away from these tips are:

1.) Trans men are men, trans women are women, and nonbinary folx are neither.

2.) Listing genital terms used (if any) in your content warning, as well as types of gendered words used and a brief summary of what happens is very helpful.

3.) There is no one size fits all approach.

4.) When keeping things ambiguous, trust the listener to fill in the gaps with what makes them comfortable.

5.) Futa content is NOT trans content, and should not be labeled as such.

MEET THE GENDERS

While gender is a very diverse spectrum, I've currently been focusing on 4 VERY BROAD categories based on what I've been looking for, and what I've seen requests for: gender neutral, feminine, masculine, and nonbinary. The way I adapt scripts, I start with deciding which of these over simplified gender categories I’m adapting (if necessary) the audio for.

Gender neutral adaptations are ones where both the gender identity of the listener’s character, and their anatomy are irrelevant. I avoid gendered words, gender signifiers, and leave the listener character's body configuration ambiguous.

In feminine adaptations, to be IMMENSELY reductive, the target audience is a woman, whose genitals may or may not stick out from her body. One should use she/her pronouns if gendered pronouns are called for.

In masculine adaptations, to be IMMENSELY reductive, the target audience is a man, whose genitals may or may not stick out from his body. One should use he/him pronouns if gendered pronouns are called for.

The dichotomy of male and female tends to be referred to as the gender binary, so to be IMMENSELY reductive, nonbinary genders are ones that aren't female or male. A nonbinary person's gender might fall between those two identities, might not exist, or might be something else entirely. Nonbinary is often shortened to enby. One should probably use they/them pronouns if gendered pronouns are called for, though some nonbinary people find neopronouns fit better. One way to write for a nonbinary audience is to work in a few references to the listener’s gender identity, but keep their anatomy ambiguous. State Secrets by u/theseusinthemaze is an excellent example of this.

DIVERSITY OF ANATOMY

When writing for as wide a trans audience as possible, you can't take anatomy, how it functions, or what people call it for granted.

Some examples, your listener may be: someone who's currently exploring their gender identity, someone who is more sure of their gender identity but has not pursued any medical assistance due to lack of interest or a variety of other reasons, someone who has started hormones but not pursued surgery due to lack of interest or a variety of other reasons, or someone who has had any number of procedures.

In regards to names, I've seen trans masc people with innie genitals refer to that part as their front hole, their vagina, something else, or wanting to avoid acknowledging it all together. I've also seen folx who refer to the exterior part as their clit or their dick. Similarly, I've known trans feminine people with outie genitals refer to them as their clit, their girl dick, their hen, something else, as well as ones wanting to avoid having it acknowledged at all.

Moving up the body, most trans masculine people (though not all) I've known prefer to have their chests avoided if they haven't had top surgery. Many trans feminine people find having their breasts referenced and played with to be immensely affirming.

If you're creating something for someone who's nonbinary, none of this can be taken for granted, so it is especially important to list terms used and, a brief summary of what happens.

When a person starts hormones, they essentially undergo a second puberty. Relevant to the matter at hand, people taking testosterone will often find what might be identified as their clitoris will become larger, they will often have an increase in facial and body hair, an increased libido, and increased muscle mass. People taking estrogen will often find that what might be identified as their phallus will shrink, will no longer be as firm when erect, will still produce a minor amount of fluid, but will no longer ejaculate when orgasming, and may experience a decrease in libido. They will begin to develop breasts, which will often be quite sensitive, and their skin in general will become softer (which will have an effect on the mouthfeel of their genitals). This does not reflect the experiences of all trans folx. These effects can be experienced to differing degrees depending on the person. There is no one size fits all approach.

DECIDING WHAT MATTERS FOR YOUR SCRIPT

So, one of the first things I would determine is if the gender identity of the listener matters in the story you're wanting to tell. Once that's decided, does the listener's anatomy matter? After that, does the kinds of things their anatomy can do matter?

u/msa_andeh has several audios I'm very (blushingly so) fond of that I feel are excellent examples of the listener’s gender identity mattering, but their anatomy does not other than them having a place to be penetrated. u/sadgrrl39 wrote an amazing script where both the listener’s gender identity and anatomy are important to the story.

In the case of what u/msa_andeh wrote, the most important thing was being able to penetrate the listener’s character, and making her feel feminine, vs. u/sadgrrl39's story is about celebrating specifically trans women who have not had bottom surgery.

So, things to ask yourself might be is it important the face you're sitting on is the face of someone whose genitals stick out of their body? Is it important that the person you're cumming in can get pregnant? Is it important if the nipple you just bit is on a breast? Is it important the ass you just beat black and blue is attached to someone who uses binary pronouns?

FETISHIZATION, OBJECTIFICATION AND SEXUALIZATION

So, you're writing a story and it's important to you that this story is something that can be enjoyed by trans guys, but you're worried that you're fetishizing or objectifying the character. Here are some questions that I find helpful.

1.) What is so sexy about the character? Is it because he's trans, or is it because he's a hot boy who makes you think "oh, wouldn’t he look even hotter on the floor, hands tied behind his back, covered in bite marks, crying, and ready to be used as a footstool"?

2.) Are you treating him like this because that's where all good boys belong, or are you doing this to him because he's trans?

In this scenario, the boy is sexualized (something most of our audience is looking for), objectified (metaphorically and literally), and fetishized, but my motivation for doing this would be "this boy was good and deserves a reward". Whether or not he's trans doesn't enter into why I'm doing this.

If his nipples enter into this scenario, I would just reference those, and not mention the configuration of his chest. Since his genitals don't enter into this scenario, I would tag it as [no genital mentions]. Even though him being trans is not explicitly mentioned in the audio, I would still tag this as [TF4TM]. In my content warning I would mention that nipples were brought up, but that the chest configuration was left ambiguous, and that there are no genital mentions. I would trust the listener to fill in the gaps with what makes them comfortable because I'm letting people know who may find enough space there to fit themself in.

This doesn't mean it's bad to bring up the character’s transness. In fact, if done properly, it can help people get even further into the story, however I would suggest this be done delicately if you have no experience.

POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING CONTENT

I am strongly of the belief that no topic is off the table in art, and that includes what we do. However, it's important to temper this with the understanding that the ultimate goal, at least in my opinion, is to create an enjoyable erotic experience for our listeners.

One question some writers/performers may be asking themselves right now is "can I make something for trans people that includes general potentially triggering content (rape, age play, snuff, beastiality, etc)". The answer is "if it's something you'd feel comfortable recording for a cis audience, you should feel comfortable recording it for a trans audience". A lot of the existing content for trans folx is based around validation, and it is amazing and wonderful people made those recordings. However, that doesn't mean there isn't a desire from some people for darker content.

Still, things I would avoid talking about would be topics relating to dysphoria, genderplay, or transphobia. I’m not saying DON’T if it’s really important to the story, just that these are riskier topics, and would require a very light hand if you want to avoid causing dysphoria or appearing insensitive. u/msa_andeh has recorded some audios that are REALLY helpful when I’m feeling dysphoric, however I personally found the one he made where he addresses dysphoria directly to be not for me. There are other trans ladies who find this audio to be immensely validating. There is no one size fits all approach. This audio was specifically requested by a trans woman, and the things he says are things she specifically asked him to.

On the other hand, u/SamuelEnderby created an audio entitled Babydoll which directly addresses autogynephilia, misgendering, and uses the word clit in reference to the listener’s genitals. Even with such potentially triggering subject matter, I find this one to be quite comforting and validating. There is no one size fits all approach.

I can only speak for myself when getting to specific words to use for genitals. Personal preference, as well as what some people might find distressing, is rather varied. Because of this I generally try to leave what’s between someone else’s legs ambiguous. However, technically nothing is off the table anymore than if you were writing for a cis audience. What matters most would be having a content warning in there to let people know if you’ve used language that doesn’t work for them. As mentioned previously, using the terms clit and pussy can be really affirming to some ladies. I, however, am not one of them, and there are some that might find doing so causes them dysphoria. I like to use the term girl cock for what’s between my legs, but this can be a problematic term for other trans ladies, so I always mention in my content warning when I’ve used it.

For trans guys, same deal. I’ve seen a guy who calls what's between his legs his dick, but also refer to that area as his front hole. I’d avoid using vagina, or most words people might call that configuration on a cis woman, though I have seen a boy who finds his genitals being called his boy pussy (in the right context) to be sexy. Whatever terms you use, just make sure you warn people what you’re using.

There is an audio I've listened to a few months ago which was about the performer's character picking mine up at a bar, and only learning about her being trans after getting into bed. This is a potentially problematic scenario due to when this happens in real life, it can easily result in the woman being brutalized and/or murdered. However, the description included the discovery aspect, so I was well aware that it was that kind of scenario, and that the performer's character was into it. What took me out of the story, though, was the use of the word clitty to describe what was between my legs. While it is rarer than the word clit in this context, that word has a LOT of emotional baggage. The description did not warn of the use of the word, and I would have known that this audio was not for me if it had been.

Clitty tends to be associated with sissy porn, and forced feminization. In that content, it's a popular word to use to describe the phallus of the person being emasculated. I've personally known only 1 lady who used it for herself, and far more people who are under the impression it's a very popular term for trans women to use. It is not. Sissification/forced feminization, and the relationship some trans people have with it, is a difficult, and complicated topic. I may write about this at a later date, but suffice to say it would fall under genderplay. The basics are that while this CAN be trans related content, it is NOT trans related by default. I would recommend treading very carefully if you choose to write something down this path.

In regards to slurs, it would be best to avoid terms like trap, tranny, futa, ladyboy, shemale, transvestite and sissy. Remember trans men are men, trans women are women, and enbies are neither.

IN CONCLUSION

Basically, my philosophy comes down to it's ok to use any word or touch on any topic as long as the proper warnings are applied. Genital terms are important to list. To reach the widest possible audience, keep it ambiguous, and trust the listener to fill in the gaps with what makes them comfortable. If you want to get more specific, just include what terms and words you use. Keep in mind, though, like with cis folk, there is no one size fits all.