  Social virtual reality (VR) serves as a vital platform for transgender
individuals to explore their identities through avatars and foster personal
connections within online communities. However, it presents a challenge: the
disconnect between avatar embodiment and voice representation, often leading to
misgendering and harassment. Prior research acknowledges this issue but
overlooks the potential solution of voice changers. We interviewed 13
transgender and gender-nonconforming users of social VR platforms, focusing on
their experiences with and without voice changers. We found that using a voice
changer not only reduces voice-related harassment, but also allows them to
experience gender euphoria through both hearing their modified voice and the
reactions of others to their modified voice, motivating them to pursue voice
training and medication to achieve desired voices. Furthermore, we identified
the technical barriers to current voice changer technology and potential
improvements to alleviate the problems that transgender and
gender-nonconforming users face.
