So, I think Dipper Pines is a trans boy. If you would like me to explain why I have that headcanon/theory, let me know and I’d be happy to make a post about it. For the meantime, however, there are already a lot of posts outlining the evidence. Today, I wanna talk about a common reason people reject the trans Dipper theory, and why I think it just makes the theory MORE believable.
A little background on the trans dipper theory. Again, there is a lot more to the theory than what I list here. The theory was actually once relatively common when Dipper’s real name was shrouded in secrecy. People theorized that his real name could actually be his deadname. Dipper’s name was not revealed until the print version of Journal 3, released after the conclusion of the series. After Dipper’s real name, Mason, was revealed, the theory died down in popularity (although it had already lost some popularity by then). Fans saw Dipper’s real name as counterevidence. But I disagree.
The name Mason was revealed in Journal Three, in an entry written by Ford. Here’s exactly what the journal said (written from Ford’s pov):
“You and I are some of the strangest beans this town has ever seen, Dipper,” I told him.
“Mason,” he blurted out. He seemed shocked by what had come out of his mouth, and then deliberately repeated it. “My real name is Mason. Dipper is just a nickname. But everyone got used to it, and now it feels too late to tell everyone the truth. And it’s kind of a dumb name anyway. Don’t tell anyone.”
I tussled his hair and smiled at him. “Your secret’s safe with me, Mason,” I said. “And I think it’s a great name. The Masons are a great secret society, you know.” He smiled. I realized how much he trusted me–and what a shame it was that he was leaving at the end of the summer.
Let’s set the scene. Dipper and Ford are adventuring together. They are bonding, and Dipper has been developing this complete trust in Ford. I think that while they were on this trip, Dipper started to think about potentially telling Ford his big secret–he’s trans. Naturally, his brain wandered, and he started to think about his name.
I think that Dipper DOES have a deadname, and we don’t know what it is. He adopted Dipper as a nickname, perhaps even before he knew he was trans, and kept it, never choosing a new name. But, of course, he was thinking about it, and he privately thought that he liked the name Mason. In a moment of trust, he blurts out his chosen name to Ford, who is the first person to hear it. (Ford, however, was in another dimension when Dipper was born and does not know that Mason isn’t his birth name).
This theory is supported by everything else that Dipper says. He blurts out his name, and then repeats it, almost to himself. I think it’s the first time he’s said his chosen name to anyone else. Then there's the line “and now it feels too late to tell everyone the truth.” That line sounds absolutely trans-coded to me. It’s hard to tell people about a name or pronoun change, especially when you’re already Dipper’s age or older and it feels like it’s too late because everyone already knows your deadname. And finally, Dipper instantly second-guesses and feels self-conscious about his choice of name, saying “it’s kind of a dumb name anyway.”
The way Dipper reveals his name implies to me that it is a chosen name. I don’t think learning that Dipper’s name is Mason disproves the trans dipper theory. I think it does exactly the opposite.