The T-Slur on TikTok Is an Offensive, Transphobic Word That Should Be Avoided

In addition to being a great source of entertainment, TikTok can occasionally be educational and help users avoid making offensive comments. Recently, T-slur references started trending on the platform.

While some people seem to know what word is being referred to, others are confused about what the T-slur is and why it might be offensive to those who hear it. Here's what the T-slur means.

The T-slur is a reference to the word "tranny," which is a transphobic slur used to denigrate transgender people. It should rarely be used, and Urban Dictionary suggests that only trans women should be allowed to say it at all. That's why so many people don't even reference the word itself in their videos, instead referring to it only as the "T-slur."

One of the reasons that the T-slur has been trending on TikTok is because of Cardi B's use of the term both in her music and in her personal life. The claim that the rapper is transphobic, or at the very least uses transphobic slurs, isn't new. In 2019, Cardi hit back at those suggesting she was transphobic by saying that her sister was gay, she had two trans people on her glam team, and she herself was bisexual.

“How many tweets and videos have I made supporting LGBT? PLENTY! How much I support 2 [people] on my glam team who I been experiencing they Transition? HARD! So don’t label me something that I’m not!" she wrote in tweets which have since been deleted. “DO you know the real definition of Transphobia? [When] you can’t even be next to trans or gays, people literally fight for them not to have equal rights."

“[I’m] in [an] industry that until this day male rap artists get uncomfortable when I come thru wit my team and I still don’t GIVE A F--K!" she continued.

Clearly, the accusations of transphobia don't sit well with Cardi, although that hasn't stopped her from continuing to use a word that many in the LGBTQ+ community consider to be a slur.

As the T-slur trends across the platform, many are pointing out that Cardi B has used it in the past. Not all the videos about the slur that are trending involve Cardi B, but it seems like a healthy portion of them do. Most people don't seem to approve of Cardi's continued use of the term, regardless of how many trans people she may know.

Others, though, are simply using TikTok to raise awareness about the T-slur and why you should never use it. For all of its many faults, TikTok can also be a place that helps people better understand why the language they use may come across as offensive or outdated to those around them, and help them avoid what could be costly errors.