Erasure

Trans erasure refers to an ongoing sociohistorical process whereby cis people, individually and collectively, deny, ignore, dismiss, minimize, or otherwise render invisible the existence and experiences of trans people. Even though trans people have existed in every documented historical and [Page 237]cultural moment, although named in various ways over time, trans erasure allows cis people to experience social life unaware of trans experience while also referring to any observation of trans life as something “new,” “unusual,” or otherwise “unexpected” whenever such examples slip into mainstream social and political discussions (e.g., media, religious, scientific) over time. In this way, cis people are allowed to inhabit a “cisgender reality” predicated upon the marginalization of trans lives, knowledges, and experiences.

Importantly, this is not an uncommon process in social ...