This chapter explores how deadnaming, the practice of calling a trans person by a name they have discarded, can be harmful. Using resources due to Ishani Maitra and Talia Mae Bettcher (and others), we argue that deadnaming functions to subordinate its targets. We explore how the practice can both cause and constitute this subordination, and argue that it often distinctively draws its ability to do so from broader societal transphobia. We enrich our view by highlighting some important differences…
Read moreThis chapter explores how deadnaming, the practice of calling a trans person by a name they have discarded, can be harmful. Using resources due to Ishani Maitra and Talia Mae Bettcher (and others), we argue that deadnaming functions to subordinate its targets. We explore how the practice can both cause and constitute this subordination, and argue that it often distinctively draws its ability to do so from broader societal transphobia. We enrich our view by highlighting some important differences between deadnaming and misgendering.
