Random Things Turn Out Professor Snape Is Transgender (14 items)

• (#2) The Identities Of Other Characters Were Complex

  The theory that Snape is trans is not so outlandish when you consider that Rowling revealed Dumbledore to be gay in 2007. The Trans Snape community points to this example as evidence supporting their argument.
• (#7) Snape's Interactions With Harry Mirrors A Mother-Daughter Relationship

  Snape's undying love for Lily Potter led him to an arrangement with Dumbledore, in which he agreed to always look over and protect Harry.

  "Snape is, thematically, a stand-in for Lily (Sirius is a stand-in for James)," Fatuma said.

  Ensnapingthesenses reinforced this idea, saying, 

  "Symbolically, boys grow up to replace their fathers; the father prepares them for it, while the mother has a different role and weight in their lives, having a lot to do with managing emotions and seeing things from another perspective... Harry and Snape's relationship reminds me more of the interactions between a teenage girl and her mom, where both have anger management issues because they literally reflect it from each other."
• (#13) Trans People Identify With Snape

  Ensnapingthesenses said of Snape, "We see ourselves reflected in such a complex, interesting, and polarizing figure—which we don't usually get to do, as transgender fans."

  This phenomenon is very similar to how fans reacted to Wonder Woman, specifically female fans. Many women experienced a powerful emotional response to seeing a woman finally get the chance to be a real hero, a superhero no less, and the protagonist of such a story. Women were finally able to see themselves as the hero.

  "I like the idea of a teenage Snape researching and modifying potions. Not for the fame and money—but to be able to make a potion that can help her transition without side effects," Fatuma said.

  This is a very telling statement: "I like" indicates that Fatuma, who identifies as agender, finds comfort in the possibility that this character might experience something similar to their experiences and, what's more, that Snape is not driven by avarice, but simply the need find a true identity. 
• 

  (#4) Snapes Affinity For Potions Is Further Proof

  Snape reverently speaks of "the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins." Maltese points out that this is an invocation of feminine witchcraft symbolism, a literary staple predating Shakespeare.

  Tumblr user and 26-year-old trans man Ensnapingthesenses echoed this sentiment: 

  "Potion-making and poisons have a long and fascinating history of being associated with femininity. But Snape's affinity to potions and her incredible talent have also been interpreted as an effort to find a magical way to transition."
• (#14) Each Year, The Community Has A "Trans Snape Week"

  Ensnapingthesenses founded Trans Snape Week in 2015, which takes place the first week of August, and spoke about it in an interview with Broadly:

  "Within the Harry Potter fandom on Tumblr there's a slowly growing community of people who believe Snape was trans, or choose to explore this possibility; some of us just couldn't stop typing, drawing, or thinking about it, and so Trans Snape Week was born. Trans Snape Week is really just a place to get together and celebrate, explore, and share: It's spawned all sorts of fanfiction, fanart, literary analysis."
• (#6) Potions Themselves Offer A Solution

  Ensnapingthesenses argues that "[there are potions that] alter one's appearance, and others change physical attributes potentially forever, so how could this not be a very strong contender for magical HRT?"

  This is consistent with Fatuma's assertion that Snape's initial interest in the field was to find such a potion.

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