They obvious are speaking philosophically- but in general no human is a fetish. The word fetish is used improperly a good deal of the time to its casual definition and certainly to its clinical definition . One can’t have a “Latin fetish” or a “gay fetish.” A fetish- in common sexual terms- is when sexual gratification is linked to a specific object or body part that isn’t the genitals. Other abstracts technically fall under other forms of paraphilia or other categories.
So being intensely attracted to transgender people isn’t a “fetish” because they are living- and being attracted to a certain type of person is called... your type, or preference. You could have a fetish for... hairy legs- in theory, a fetish for broad shoulders or for long necks or for fake breasts. An entire person can’t be a fetish even if you are very specific in what a person must posses for you to receive gratification.
Another key here is the word gratification- not arousal. Getting aroused by a sculpture doesn’t mean you have a fetish for sculptures- it is through the link to gratification which the fetish exists.
Clinical terms are more strict and there are some disagreements in literature based on The manual. It used to be but is rarely now that to be considered a true fetish one must be incapable of achieving gratification without an object as opposed to merely having such a desire for gratification through an object that it cause problems and distress. That is also key- clinically there must be some level of distress or disfunction caused through the link to the object beyond some shame or social stigma- in which case other personality or impulse issues etc. would be indicated not fetishism.
In casual and improper usage “fetish” is usually just meant to refer to anything sexual a person is interested in- usually implying something beyond penetrative sex of anal, oral, or genital orifices. That use is either inherently self defeating, or reduces human sexuality to a system of preferences.
A “straight” man would have a “woman” fetish, a “vagina” fetish, a “breast fetish” and so on and on. In other words- using “fetish” in that manner makes it so everything is a fetish. He isn’t gay- he has a “penis fetish” and a “man fetish” and so on. And since most sexual people have many things that arouse them- and “fetish” in this sense is used to define that which is perhaps... “out of the ordinary” then it becomes very subjective and everyone ends up with a list of 600+ “fetishes.”
So by no relevant definition can we say that a trans person is a fetish- save if one wanted to try and define them as sexual objects- inherently disrespectful and disprovable- but they likely mean from the standpoint that trans people don’t exist for you “bucket list” and their place in society shouldn’t be limited to that of filling a “taboo” sexually- which is the closest we come with trans folk to a fetish- where it isn’t the PERSON but the idea of some stigma or novelty or counter cultural expression of sexuality that is the turn on and they are the vehicle.
The “straight male/female” relationship to the idea of transgenderism or especially partial transgenderism is aged and complex. Transsexual pornography is a popular category even for “straight” males who claim (perhaps honestly so,) they wouldn’t actually have sex with a trans person.
There are links to the penis as a symbol of virility or sexual aggression- and a common male fantasy is that of a woman who experiences or seeks to experience the levels of excitement, desire, aggression, and satisfaction with sex as a man. Likewise- to those who think of their partners pleasure- it is almost always invariably simpler and more sure that one with a penis will be satisfied by sexual encounter. So the idea of a woman who is sexually like a man is a fantasy of many men and women- both of whom likely are more familiar and skillful pleasing a penis than a vagina.
There are also ideas in both genders that one whom has had experience as their own gender but now has diametrically opposes genitals would have more knowledge of how to please a person of their own gender. Throw in a natural arousal many have at the “taboo,” “forbidden” etc- and there are many factors at play there. Obviously from the female perspective a penis simplifies logistics- no risk of being impregnated, no periods, easier to clean and so forth. The penis is also often associated psychologically in many cultures with dominance and power.
The great majority of sexualization and pornography concerning transgender people and consumed by non transgender people is of M-F transgender. And there is an odd relationship with the penis for “straight” men- I don’t know many of any straight men who exclusively watch “girl on girl” or “softcore” porn and find it completely satisfies them always. Penises tend to be integral to “heterosexual” porn and the “big dick” etc. categories are universally dominated in consumption by “self identified straight” males.
For many this is a way of relating- picturing themselves as the performer in the scene, transposing themselves- and often of also fantasizing they are their idea self- muscular, big penis, pleasing many women repeatedly- in their fantasy their inadequacies or perceived inadequacies are shown. But one can likewise do the same with a trans performer.
And there in lies the rub. Trans people or ideas and concepts relating to have been fantasies of people for thousands of years. In the modern age trans people are stigmatized and mocked- often by people who have or have had fantasies or even sexual encounters with trans people often in secret. Statistics show a large number of people who do watch trans porn- but most of those people would be ashamed to admit it, or more ashamed than to admit any of the other porn they watch.
You don't actually get to DECLARE a thing as "not a fetish." You don't have to LIKE being fetishized. But people are going to have fetishes that include you whether you like that or not.
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The only fetishes that are actionably impermissible are the ones declared as illegal, and that is almost always due to the harm they inflict, such as the fetishization of children, cannibalism (yep, don't Google that), etc.
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Outside of that literally just about every category you can think of is fetishized. By people who actively seek these people out and get off about them. Overweight people are fetishized; Asians are fetishized; feet are fetishized; criminals are fetishized; women-who-look-like-they're-12 are fetishized; slaves are fetishized; redheads are fetishized to hell and back;
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No one has to LIKE it, but in that scenario you simply don't date or engage with the people that make you uncomfortable. Unless they're actively harassing YOU, but that's an entirely different matter
For posterity- xvarnah was replying to me. I had several posts I deleted because due to a combination of being on my phone and being at work, they ended up here and were not part of this discussion but were created in part from my confusing and conflating several threads. This is what xvarnah is referencing as they seem to come out of nowhere and make no sense in the continuity of this thread. Also- this should answer @xvarnah ‘s question.
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The only fetishes that are actionably impermissible are the ones declared as illegal, and that is almost always due to the harm they inflict, such as the fetishization of children, cannibalism (yep, don't Google that), etc.
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Outside of that literally just about every category you can think of is fetishized. By people who actively seek these people out and get off about them. Overweight people are fetishized; Asians are fetishized; feet are fetishized; criminals are fetishized; women-who-look-like-they're-12 are fetishized; slaves are fetishized; redheads are fetishized to hell and back;
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No one has to LIKE it, but in that scenario you simply don't date or engage with the people that make you uncomfortable. Unless they're actively harassing YOU, but that's an entirely different matter