transplain

English

Alternative forms

• trans-splain
• transsplain

Etymology

trans +‎ -splain, after mansplain.

Verb

transplain (third-person singular simple present transplains, present participle transplaining, simple past and past participle transplained)

1. (colloquial, usually derogatory, chiefly Internet) To explain transgender issues to a cis person (as a trans person or ally), especially in a condescending, heavy-handed, or preachy manner.
   • 2015, Rhys Ernst, quoted in Mehera Bonner, "Rhys Ernst on the Pop Culture Trans Movement", Marie Claire, 21 August 2015:

     When you lead with story instead of education, then it becomes absorbed emotionally and intuitively so you don't really have to explain things. I don't think people respond as well to being transplained.

   • 2018 October 1, Lucy Bannerman, “Trans movement has been hijacked by bullies and trolls”, in The Times, UK:

     The “they” I’m referring to is not transgender people. (Though the bullies will pretend that it is.) I’m referring to the “trans activists” — some sinister, most joyless, and more than a few who don’t even identify as transgender themselves — who delight in “transplaining” to the rest of us the rules of this new, glittering utopia, where spaces must be shared, safeguards dismantled, disagreement decreed to be hate speech, and women must not be allowed to gather to discuss laws that will affect them.

   • 2021, Cole Escola, quoted in Meredith Blake, "Contains Multitudes", Los Angeles Times, 21 January 2021:

     "It's all about the lens to me," Escola continues. "A lot of culture and art is created with the straight audience in mind, gay-splaining and transsplaining to a straight audience. Like, 'We are human. Look, we cry just like regular people! And you're a good person because you cried when we cried.'"

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:transplain.

Coordinate terms

• femsplain
• mansplain
• whitesplain
• womansplain
• straightsplain

Related terms

• transplainer
• transplaining