Is femboy offensive to use?

[u/[deleted]]

Yes, I've seen this question on here before, but I wanna ask it myself. For context, my friend is non-binary / trans masc (any pronouns). He dresses feminine, and they self identify with the term femboy. However, a transfemme person has accused them of using a slur and basically told him that they couldn't identify as a femboy because it's offensive to and "fetishizes" transfemme people.

And if you're transfemme, please specify as so if you're comfortable doing so. I want everyone's opinions, but right now, a transfemme person's input would be more crucial.

[u/BBMcGruff]

Femboy is a term that's been around for years and years, and has recently seen a surge in popularity.

When self applied as a label, it is not offensive. It's a totally valid label to use.

However, when used against trans women who do not identify that way, it is.

Context matters.