Super Straight or Super Fake?

By: Shakailah Allison

Super Straight Flag and hashtag / Google Photos

TikTok logo / Google Photos

Kyle Royce, a name in which will not be forgotten, as he has sparked outrage across many communities. Many groups of people including the LGBTQ+ community have found support on TikTok. The LGBTQ+ community is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning that describe a person’s sexual orientation and or gender. So, what is super-straight? In the Urban Dictionary, super straight means a straight person who only dates people that were born with the opposite gender.

Transgender Flag / Google Photos

Kyle Royce via TikTok / Google Photos

Super-straight was a term developed by TikTok user Kyle Royce. Super straight was coined by Kyle Royce to explain why he would not date trans women and why he would not view them as women. The point of the video was to troll the LGBTQ+ community and justify transphobia. The video has now been deleted but the term continues to linger in many vocabularies. Tiktok has also banned the movement from its platform but an issue remains. Why did Kyle Royce create this new sexuality?

"Mark: Would you date a Trans person? David: No man, I'm super straight." - Urban Dictionary

To start, to be deemed as transphobic, one must have or show dislike and or prejudice against transsexual or transgender people. Transgender people face many issues such as violence, stigmas and lack of legal protection. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), “at least 44 transgender or gender non-conforming people were fatally shot or killed by other violent means in the year 2020.” “I created it(super-straight) because I was sick of being labelled with very negative terms for having a preference,” says Royce. A feeling in which many non-LGBTQ+ members feel about their preferences being shunned.

Irma Settembrini / Irma Settembrini

Irma Settembrini is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, identifying as bisexual. Speaking with her, insight was learned that not all members of this community are feeling the same.

“What were your first thoughts on the term “super straight”?

Irma: "I honestly laughed at it at first since I saw it on TikTok, but then after I thought about how stupid it was for him to say that. I get it though.”

“What do you think the point of his video was?”

Irma: "I think his video had the right idea but it was just gone about the wrong way. Everyone is allowed to have their preferences no doubt. I agree that some percentage of this community can be harsh towards some people’s preferences.”

“Would you have done anything differently if you were Kyle Royce?”

Irma: "I definitely would have found a way to better address the situation, you know, this is a very sensitive topic. I am a part of this community, but I can’t relate on that level. I can get away with laughing about it but for trans people, they can’t. I feel like boundaries should be set to understand both sides. I don’t think your transphobic if you don’t prefer trans women, but his video leads him otherwise as well as his new “super straight”."

“What would you like to emphasize from this topic?”

Irma: "I want to emphasize that everyone has a preference, and we all need to respect people’s preferences. If someone chose not to date someone from the LGBTQ+ community for a logical reason, you can’t call them homophobic, they just prefer not to. There are millions of people in the world to love, so why stress about the one who doesn’t love you?"

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) says that "public education, policy change and community efforts" are important to help change stigmas and protect transgender people. The NCTE also emphasizes that saying certain slurs such as "faggot" or "queer" are considered hate crimes and people should avoid discriminating against others. As social media persists and the world continues to change, many will have to learn to adapt to this new society.

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