Why The Internet Slang Word "TRAP" Is Not A Slur Against Trans

The word “motivation” is defined as meaning or purpose. Anime Motivation isn’t just about inspiration, quotes, or life lessons. It’s also about touching on sensitive, important, and triggering topics.

One sensitive topic that no one else will touch with a 6-foot pole is:

Trans.
The word TRAP.
How it’s judged as a slur by some.

And the fact that in reality, it’s not a slur at all, and most platforms censoring the term (like Reddit) are playing the game of political correctness and people pleasing.

What is a TRAP?

The phrase “it’s a trap” comes from Star Wars and can be used as a meme when a person realizes they’ve been tricked.

The word trap itself comes from anime and a certain set of anime characters in the industry who look, behave, and often end up in certain situations. Male characters with feminine traits and can be mistaken for being women.

Sometimes it can be crossdressing men as well, and one character or another is usually shocked when they come to discover it’s a man and not a woman as they thought.

One of the earliest examples of a trap is from the anime You’re Under Arrest. That anime first released back in 1996 with the manga starting in 1986.

A character called Aoi is considered a TRAP as she’s a male character with feminine qualities, one of the definitions of what makes a trap character a TRAP.

Haku is another version of a TRAP who showed up in the 2000s. And his disguise was so elaborate that he had the majority of the fanbase fooled into thinking Haku was a genuine woman.

Naruto’s shock spoke for itself.

You have other characters like:

Astolfo (Fate Apocrypha).
Felix (Re:Zero).
Chihiro (Danganronpa).

And others who are more modern-day versions of what a trap looks and feels like.

Where did the “trans is a slur” accusation come from?

According to Urban Dictionary, the word TRAP was used as a slur sometime back in 2019. A small minority (or loud minority if you word it that way) weaponized the word into a slur against the trans community.

It’s also possible it was used in 2018 as well.

Over time, probably because of the pandemic when everyone was indoors, this so-called “slur” gained attention and then was censored from platforms like Reddit, Anilist, and other platforms.

It caused a stir on Reddit and the internet was talking about it at the time.

Why TRAP is not a slur against trans:

1. The term inherently relates to anime or feminine Men

As pointed out with anime like You’re Under Arrest, the term TRAP and its implications have been around since the 1980s. Only later down the line was it used to refer to Men who dress or look a certain way in general outside of anime.

Even then, this was only occasionally and hardly anyone is aware the term could be used that way (outside of anime that is).

Thanks to the internet as is the case with a lot of slang terms, TRAP became very popular because of back alley websites like 4Chan, and of course was popularized by Reddit, social media, and other forums.

2. The intention behind the word is completely different

When all is said and done, it’s the intentions behind a person’s words and actions that matter the most. It’s true that intentions can be overshadowed by the reaction itself, but it doesn’t change what the intent is.

Anime fans and everyone else uses the term TRAP intending to talk about anime characters only, and the almost comical reveals of these characters’ true identities or mistaken identity).

One good example of this is Astolfo from Fate Apocrypha.

In the famous scene from the anime, Jeanne D’Arc is talking to Sieg. As she is, Astolfo comes out of the shower pretty much naked.

Jeanne thought she was a woman but looks in horror as the truth brutally reveals itself.

TRAPS in general are nowhere near this extreme in nature, but the intent is always related and connected to this outcome in general.

It has nothing to do with trans people at all.

3. A few bad apples don’t replace the many good ones

With the way the internet is these days and how people are seemingly becoming less empathetic and more willing to take things out of context, not to mention shame and insult others, it’s not surprising why TRAP was used as a slur.

People weaponize all kinds of words online. Including:

Misogyny.
Incel.
SJW.
Sexist.
Anti-white.
Homophobic.

And the many buzzwords I can’t be assed getting into.

TRAP was just another word weaponized by a group of people who hate Trans in particular. But it doesn’t replace the real meaning of the term.

It’s as simple as that. The misuse of a word doesn’t change what that word actually is UNLESS it becomes so misused that it becomes mainstream and accepted.

This is not one of those cases. Not even Wikipedia dares to list the word “trap” as a slur, or any other so-called credible source. Including dictionaries.