“Trans” originated as a shortened form of “transgender,” which includes myself and all other non-binary identities. However, in the activist community, trans has largely become a more politically correct form of the word transsexual; touted as more inclusive, but yet still as exclusionary. Because of this, in saying that I am a trans woman, the listener usually forms the assumption that I am both transitioning and binary-identifying. If we accept the true meaning of trans as being all of us under the umbrella term, then saying that I am a trans woman does not exclude my being a feminine-of-center transgender person transitioning towards a physiology that more closely matches but does not thoroughly encompass my identity. I am non-binary in a world where male and female are just two terms that sit on opposite ends of a line. I exist upon that line, at the high end of the female spectrum. My presentation generally reflects this. However, while some non-binary people identify more towards either male or female, others exist more towards the center, at various points along the line, or don’t identify as a gender at all. The increasing use of trans and transgender when writing solely about those who are in transition or who have transitioned is inadvertently damaging the umbrella and erasing identities. —When Being Trans Is Not Trans Enough | Kelsie Brynn Jones for the Huffington Post Gay Voices (via gaywrites)