Any or other or whatever seems to be the usual.

One way I've seen it done is 'Gender TF(mtf)' or '(ftm)' It doesn't help that most sites, including FA, still equate sex and gender in tagging.

Interesting, I tend to use the "starting form" as the basis, but have to admit that a few of my uploads had made me think of this exact "dilemma".

Usually I just shrug and pick the one that seems to fit better, not sure to which extend the public pays to much attention to it really.

Historically I've used "Trans(female)" for my content. Operating on the notion that a transition had occurred with the subject becoming female at the end. I guess by my logic the designation is meant to clarify in fewer words that a character underwent two states in the image.

I also use "tf/tg" as the category. Again, this is all mostly to benifit those searching for content in the browser.

Yeah, that was basically my logic too. Still I thought I would ask because I could totally be wrong and I wanted to hear what others thought.

You've actually opened my mind a little with your muse, because even im starting to see some holes with that logic.

Plenty of "trans(female)" or "trans(male)" content out there that exists mainly to shed light on purposeful transitions. OCs/characters meant to represent or symbolize those transitioning in reality. I'd say the worse we're doing is flooding the category a bit with content that isn't what some associate with the term.

I've avoided the issue entirely by just... not tagging genderbending stuff at all. I'll just tag it as "transformation" (or use very generic terms like "genderbending"). It's definitely a cop-out, and likely pretty annoying for folks trying to search it out, but I've never been hugely comfortable with putting that type of content into specific categories anyway.

So you wouldn't even lable it under TF/TG?

I don't believe I've used the category since it's been introduced, and in fact I've been trying to get out of the habit of using "TG" altogether. I feel like the meaning and context around that word has changed so much in the last decade, idk it feels weird using it for fetish art (even if the art could ostensibly be considered to be empowering or affirming).

And again, it's a weird personal thing that I get uncomfortable when categories get too specific haha.

That's fair. Might be better if I generalize it and use more tags if I want better search results.

trans in either direction implies the character wants to be the gender they’ve transformed into. For characters that are unintentionally or unwillingly sex-changed, their gender remains in line with the original sex they were.

apply basic tagging logic and just tag what's visible on the pic while disregarding everything else cuz that's how it works??

normally tagging only serves to find a pic so the rest is irrelevant.

No point in even using the gender tag since anything but any will probably upset someone and make them begin to bitch... hell even any may upset these weirdos...

I personally don't pay much mind to the gender category for mtf content in my own work I just ask myself which tag combo allows me to reach my intended audience most efficiently. and quite frankly gender tags for those kinds of works are kinda irrelevant when the audience just puts in tf/tg and doesn't filter for gender. a point about tags: there's no objectively right tag there's just whatever tags a site uses to class content. the fusion of transformation and transgender tag was just a quick shorthand to filter a certain kind of subgenera of tf stuff. so I say just pick whatever you want or whatever you think your audience will filter for.

It's probably best to be less specific, since the more you specify the more arguments you get about it.
The goal of the tagging is so that people who have interest in the stuff can find it more easily.
Whenever I post anything transformation related I just state the tags; <original species>, <species they became>, <original gender>, <Gender they became>, as well as <TF/TG> that one is fairly clear.

The fact of the matter is, unless you're supplying an indepth story to go along with an image, most people will not infer the implied mental state from looking at an image. Not to mention there's general disagreement about what is what on this topic.

That's why I personally go with a neutral stance on the matter, and just dot down any relevant tags in such a way that they aren't loaded with subtext.

Hope this helps

P.S. you also need to consider what's the most likely search term someone would use to find your work. Being too specific will mean you'll get less hits.

It's a complicated issue. My personal approach is that I see the Trans() gender options as being intended for transgender characters and experiences, so I avoid using them for TFTG content unless the character is trans. I'd personally set the gender to Male or Female and use the TFTG category. Or maybe I'd just not set the gender at all, the gender options are so fragmented that anyone using the Browse feature to look for TFTG art would probably have their searched gender set to Other/Any anyway.

Personally I avoid the gender category a lot and reserve the trans tag for characters that I know are intended to be transgender because I don't want trans folks trying to find representation in furry art to be confronted with a ton of genderbending porn.

I know a fair amount of trans clients and friends that enjoy this content but feel a meaningful divide between the way it's portrayed in fetish stuff and the lived experience of being trans so I've always been inclined to respect that distinction. That said I've seen a whole host of feelings on it and don't want to speak outside my lane. If anyone comes up with a good best practice here I'd love to know. Basically my guiding principle is that I don't ever want anyone looking at my stuff to see something that makes them feel bad.

Stepping back and doing less categorization seems to be the consensus. That concern for people finding things that they can relate to is what made me reconsider my approach.

That category is how I find tf/tg stuff by artists I don't already follow.

I lean towards what it currently resembles the most. Consider browsing features for these things aren't so much a philosophical question, and more of a utility one. People are looking for porn, so if it's a post-tg female, I just put female. If it's a post-tg male, I put male. If it's in between I am more inclusive, it's male and female.

There is no tag or classification for "this character is in between genders" so I select multiple genders. With both or a transition between on display I think that's the best way to do it.

If this were clearly a "what actually is it" question, it would definitely be an interest philosophical question that would have to treat each image as uniquely. Is the character resistant to their physical changes? Is a male that gets changed into a female any less a male in their own mind? Sometimes, probably. So mental changes and how the tg is received are probably a big part of whether or not that character would still be male or female to themselves.

If you think about it, having trans categories at all is a bit of a weird situation, unless they specifically identify as a trans character, they'd probably just prefer to be male or female. Identifying as trans specifically because you'd prefer to be trapped between the physical and mental space of different genders seems like it would be very rare and most people (and their characters) would probably just prefer to be the gender they identify as.

This is kind of funny because japanese artists don't use gender transformation, they use TSF which is shorthand for "transsexual transformation" which is actually more accurate than english shorthand for the fetish. The gender isn't changing, or that isn't the part you "see" - the gender transformation in most are is completely independent of the physical sex transformation.

A character could be transformed physically into a girl and still regard themselves as a guy. That opinion could shift over time and the gender transformation is more of a mental acceptance. transgender/gender shifting is not an accurate way to describe what we do at all, TG really should be TS :V

In the end, I classify the gender category for what I imagine most people will use it for though, browsing for characters that either have a penis or vagina because that's what they like to look at.

(Interesting conversation to think about btw, thanks for making it!)

Yeah, TSF makes a lot of sense. Should probably include that in future tags.

Seems smart to use the TSF tag.
The question is to aknowledge all Westerns to use it here too.
Maybe by starting with us?

I tend to list the gender as the one the transformation ends on. Male to female TFTG gets TF/TG Female

I just stick with any if it's at all ambiguous. I would hate for one of my dumb porn posts to make somebody feel bad about themselves or their identity. And I also don't want to subject someone to my stuff if they aren't looking for it. So I generally just ignore the gender option and try to be specific in the tags. I do use the tf/tg category though, as that seems to be the place people go for TF's that explore gender.

More tags, more ambiguous categories. Got it