For trans people, gender-swap photo filters are no mere game

Snapchat’s new photo filter that allows users to change into a man or woman with the tap of a finger isn’t necessarily fun and games for transgender people.

Some say it reduces their very real and often painful experiences to folly.

Thirty-one-year-old Bailey Coffman is a transgender woman from New York. She says that “my gender is not a costume.”

But some others see the potential for such tools to lead to self-discovery among people struggling with their gender identity.

Elliott Wheeler, a 16-year-old high school student in Michigan, goes by the name Ellie. She says she hopes “this does help some people better recognize their gender.”

Snapchat maker Snap Inc. says in a statement that its design team continues work to ensure its filters are diverse and inclusive.

Cis people playing with that gender swap filter. Imagine you woke up tomorrow and that pic actually was you, and everyone you met interacted with you as though you actually looked like that. How would that make you feel? Would that cause some discomfort?

Welcome to being trans.

— Faith Naff?? (@FaithNaff) May 12, 2019