Moving past something; temporary or brief; achieving a satisfactory standard. As a noun, it refers to someone's death or the act of moving by.
From Old French 'passer,' from Vulgar Latin 'passare,' related to Latin 'passus' (step). Originally meant 'to step' or 'to go by steps.'
The euphemism 'passing away' for death reflects the ancient metaphor of life as a journey - we 'pass through' life and eventually 'pass on' to whatever comes next. The word beautifully captures both movement and transition.
In transgender contexts, 'passing' implies trans people are deceptive ('passing as' their true gender) and encodes requirement for invisibility to be acceptable. The term's structure privileges cisgender perception over trans authenticity.
In trans discourse, prefer 'presenting as,' 'living as,' or simply the person's stated identity. If discussing historical 'passing narratives,' center trans agency and self-determination, not successful deception.
["presenting","living as","identifying","being recognized as"]
Trans scholars and autobiographers (like C. Riley Snorton, Susan Stryker) have reframed transition as authentic self-expression, actively challenging 'passing' as the metric of trans validity.
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