i will almost always be more compelled by trans readings of characters where the reading is "this character would transition if given the opportunity but the story won't allow it, i read this character who in text is male as transfem" then like "oh i think this character transitioned way before the story began"

the second one just... bores me a lot of the time? like oh boy if we ignore half of canon and the story's themes and everything we can pretend this character has an irrelevant history