Neil Gaiman

The official Neil Gaiman Tumblr, but honestly no better than the unofficial Neil Gaiman Tumblrs out there. Will sometimes have stuff about my dogs or my wife in it.

Archive You can ask things here. Sometimes I answer. (I don't answer things sent as "Fan Mail" here though.)

September 13th, 2012 at 8:01PM

stealingfirefromprometheus asked you:

I’ve been nervous about approaching you with this question for a while now, not because you scare me but because people scare me. Anyway, I’ve been a fan of your books since I was young and I’ve always admired you, and in a way you inspired me as an aspiring writer. But I recently read a few things wherein you were accused of transphobia, and as a trans* person this upset me obviously. And I wasn’t sure if you’d said anything regarding this issue. I don’t want to sound accusatory, but are you?

I very much hope I’m not transphobic.

I would never be intentionally so — for over a quarter of a century I’ve done my best to listen to the trans people I have known (and still know) and loved (and still love), and have done my best to ensure that their experiences have informed my own writing about trans characters and issues.

I am cisgender myself, which means I’m never going to be an authority on transphobia, or have first-hand experience of the struggles and joys of being trans, but I love and respect the many trans folk in my life and continue to learn from them.

(I’m sorry that people scare you. I hope I haven’t added to the fear.)