Danny Fenton is a trans boy

Danny Fenton is transgender

           Not very many people write essays in their free time. But I like to write and I'm very passionate about the transboy Danny headcanon. 

        Danny Fenton is canonly a trans boy. Simple and blunt to the point, that's all I'm trying to convince the reader. The point of this essay is to literate the various canon implications and show that this headcanon is more than such, and Danny is canonly transgender. 

        Danny Fenton being trans is never stated outright, but there is a massive amount of evidence to support this headcanon. If you argue that the creator Butch Hartman has stated Danny Fenton is cis, then leave me alone. Hartman is transphobic and homophobic, I really could care less about his input.

       Let's review the facts. First we're going to look at spoken references that Danny is trans. In one episode where Danny and his mother are stranded in the wilderness and come into contact with the main villain of the story, a man named Vlad, Danny's mother makes him wear a belt that protects him against ghosts. 

       She says: "I know it's girly, but it's for your own good." This could mean she is aware Danny feels dysphoria by wearing anything remotely feminine. People who insist Danny isn't trans may claim "but no guy likes to wear girly clothes! Why wouldn't Danny?" This is a true statement that applies to the majority of cis boys because of toxic masculinity. However, this statement could also support the theory of trans Danny Fenton.

      One thing I've seen pointed out on both sides is how deep Danny's voice is. One very possible explanation for this is Danny practicing voice acting to deepen his voice. I saw one person claim that it was impossible to deepen your voice to that extent even with voice acting. Another possibility is that Danny has already begun his hormone treatment. Even if he hasn't undergone top surgery yet, Danny can still begin his hormone treatment with the permission of his parents.

         Another theory regarding the pitch of Danny's voice is that the audience hears Danny the way he wants to be heard: with a deeper more masculine voice. This theory honestly doesn't provide a whole lot of proof to support how Danny is a trans boy, but it is a nice addition to the theory. However, it makes more sense to go with the fact that Danny may be on testosterone, or that the audience hears his voice the way he wants it to sound.

         Another piece of evidence takes place in the episode 'what you want' . In this episode, a ghost who gets stronger by granting wishes tempts Danny to make a wish by saying: "there must be something you desire". Desiree (the ghost) touches Danny's chest as she says this, as if she is aware of Danny's wish to be flat-chested without wearing a binder. Danny freaks out and backs away. There's no denying this is definite evidence to support how Danny isn't cis.

        In episode four, Danny states: "I know what it's like to be invisible." This statement could have a dual meaning. It could mean Danny is stating how he knows what it's like to be invisible when he's in ghost form, but it is also likely that he is speaking of his trans identity being erased.

     In addition to this, why would Danny speak of his power of invisibility in a negative light? Invisibility is an asset to Danny that helps him hide. If Danny isn't referencing his ghost power of invisibility, it's very possible he is referencing how the creator of Danny Phantom denies he is transgender.

       When Sam asks about Danny showering in the boys' locker room, Tucker responds: "Danny showers alone." Danny would have to shower alone for privacy of his body.

     In the last episode where Danny's parents find out about his ghost powers, they state: "we'll always love you, no matter what you are." I personally haven't seen this episode, so the quote may not be word for word, but this is an obvious hint to Danny's parents accepting him and loving him even if he's transgender, ghost, or human.

      These spoken statements compiled together provide a strong argument alone that Danny Fenton is transgender, but let's also review the physical evidence to reinforce the theory that Danny is trans.

      Scattered among the episodes are many shots where Danny is shown with a bulging chest. Even throughout the intro I can pull up at least three shots where Danny is shown with a bulging chest. If you pay attention, you can spot different scenes where Danny is shown without a flat chest. There would have had to have been a conscious effort put in by the animators to add this detail.

      One popular theory the Danny phantom fandom has considering this theory is that Danny's ghost form matches his gender identity. If we look at the following two pictures, we see how the differences in his anatomy support this theory.

[photo]

        In Danny's human form, he's shown with much wider hips, and narrow shoulders. In his ghost form, Danny's shoulders are much broader and his hips are much more narrow. If Danny's hips were as narrow as they are in his ghost form, it wouldn't make any sense for his pants to fit him that way. This is no fluke. 

      The animators had to have have made an effort to portray Danny this way. It is also worth noting how much more confident Danny looks in his ghost form because his body matches with his gender identity. The only problem with this theory is that Danny's chest sometimes bulges in his ghost form as well. However, this can be explained by suggesting that perhaps Danny's body is adjusting to switching forms, and literally switching between two bodies. Of course there's going to be some physical errors while he's switching bodies.

      In the same episode where Danny and the other characters are at the swimming pool, he is the only boy who isn't shirtless. This supports the theory that Danny uses a chest binder.

[photo]

      If Danny were transgender, of course he wouldn't be able to go shirtless in the pool. He would reveal his sex and open the door to discrimination and transphobic comments.

      One point made by many people who insist Danny Fenton isn't transgender is that in one episode, we see Danny shirtless. Not every person designated female at birth has visible breasts. If we look at the screenshot where Danny is shirtless, it is worth pointing out how Danny's chest is visibly pointed. When the others invade Danny's privacy, he covers up immediately not only out of embarrassment, but out of fear of his birth sex being revealed.

[photo]

      There is also the possibility of hormone blockers which halt the growth of breast tissue, as well as all other pubic growth. The problem with this theory is when Danny's chest bulges. Even if the animators drew Danny with a bulging chest every now and then on purpose, portraying him with such a flat chest would go against the theory Danny Fenton is a trans boy. 

      Nonetheless, all the other evidence is present and the sheer amount of it should overrule this screenshot. The fact that Danny's chest is still visibly pointed does support the fact that he is transgender, even if for the rest of the series Danny is shown with a bulging chest. The way Danny's chest is portrayed when it bulges implies that his chest is much more prominent than shown in the shirtless scene. In the end, we have two conflicting theories that still support the same headcanon, that Danny Fenton is a trans boy.

Danny says he has hit puberty when he yanks out one of his chest hairs.

[photo]

        The original explanation for this was justifying that dfab people are capable of growing chest hair as well. I'd like to go with the fact that Danny has begun on hormones. The testosterone in his body has likely influenced the growth of hair on his chest as well as other masculine traits such as a deeper voice, or other hair growth.

      In one episode, the villain clones Danny to fight against him. One major detail is that Danny's clone is female. You physically cannot clone something to be the opposite sex as the clone. This is one of the pieces of rock solid evidence supporting the trans Danny theory.

      In conclusion, there is so much canon evidence that supports the theory that Danny is a trans boy, it is nearly undeniable that he is in one. I am likely missing other mentioned evidence, but hopefully I covered enough to convince anyone who believes otherwise that Danny Fenton is in fact transgender.