Podcaster Leads Movement to Normalize Relationships Between Cis Men and Trans Women

With the transgender community under constant assault from politicians, preachers and aggressive media, there has been little space provided to explore the positive, healthy relationships that are flourishing. Chris Patterson, host of the “Men Like Us” podcast wants to change that.

Launched last year across social media and podcasting platforms, Patterson acknowledges that the transgender community is typically so immersed in survival mode that little time has been afforded to have important conversations about establishing strong partnerships between men and transgender women. The topic of love when it comes to adult relationships between men and transgender women is still considered largely taboo. Often our very identities as LGBTQ+ individuals are so mired in politicizing by the upper echelons of society that it is easy for bystanders to forget we are also human beings who deserve more than just an ally, but to be seen and valued for the myriad of experiences ensconced in the human condition that cis people have, just without the resistance or persecution.

But the conversation behind the walls of the community with respect to men who openly date transgender women is still deeply controversial and divisive- even the term, “Trans amorous,” is considered by some to be inappropriate, citing the threat of it unwittingly re-centering the conversation on men instead of transgender women while others believe it to be a shield for men who fetishize or prey upon trans women.

However, some who use the term do so as an identifier rather than an insult- a way to signal to the world their openness to dating transgender people. In 2019, Rupaul’s Drag Race star Bob The Drag Queen, explored the topic briefly when sharing that they openly and proudly date transgender men.

The television star received moderate backlash on Twitter from their transgender fans and trans allies for using the “trans amorous” label.