Hello, I’m Rogan and today is International Transgender Day of Visibility! This is a day where we celebrate and recognize all the amazing and wonderful trans and nonbinary people that exist in the world. First started in 2009 because at the time, the only well-known day that centered trans people was Trans Day of Remembrance. It is very important, but it is a day of mourning and fails to recognize the vibrant living trans community. I also want to recognize and give a huge thank you to all of the beautiful trans Black, Indigenous and women of color who are the foundations of this community. It’s because of them that trans people in the US have the ability to be who we are today. However, we still have a long way to go for trans rights, and they are under attack right now in several states. I’ll link some resources at the end of this post to check out.
I want to remind you all that though I don’t talk about it all that much on here: I am queer or nonbinary, and I use he/him and they/them pronouns. Yes, I am very masculine-presenting most of the time, but that doesn’t make me any less trans. I’ve been playing around with what label fits me best, and queer feels the best for me. That one word encapsulates the whole of who I am, both my sexuality and my gender. Nonbinary is another word that works for me, but it’s not the first one I reach for. I want to be clear here, in this video I will often say trans as an umbrella term. Not all nonbinary people are trans or identify as such. I typically don’t refer to myself as trans, though I do fall under the trans umbrella. My gender experience isn’t one that people are aware of, or realize is possible, so I want to talk a little about it.
People have this idea that all trans people experience gender dysphoria, dissatisfaction with their own bodies, and want to change it. This is true for many trans people! But not every trans person wants to have surgery or even do anything to change their bodies. Simply acknowledging that they’re trans is enough, or their gender identity doesn’t cause them to feel the need to do anything except socially transition. This might be just a pronoun change, changing their name, adjusting gender presentation, among other things. I personally don’t experience gender dysphoria, but I do experience gender ambivalence. I’m fine with my body, I like my body, but I’m not attached to the idea of being a “man” nor do I want a more feminine body. A lot of people also have this idea that nonbinary people all want to either have an androgynous presentation, or have complete gender fuckery, mixing things that are categorized as masculine and feminine together. This is true for many nonbinary people. It is not for many others, including me. I really don’t mind presenting as masculine, and I don’t mind it when people use he/him to refer to me. However, I have been playing a little more with things that are usually seen as feminine, such as nail polish, lipstick, make-up. I really like it when people specifically use they/them pronouns for me. It’s a little thing, but it actually does make a difference.
To close out, I want to emphasize that trans and nonbinary people never owe you anything. Explaining their gender to you, sharing their transition journey—medically, socially, etc.—or even disclosing it in the first place, none of it. You may ask questions, but only if they’ve opened it up to them. Otherwise, do learning on your own. Don’t lean on your trans friend to do all of the work, there’s a lot of trans people online doing the work already. There are tons of resources out there on the internet, use them. The trans experience is so vast and varied, and I certainly can’t speak for the whole of it as a white, masculine-presenting person. I’ve barely scratched the surface today, and I’m sure I’ll think of things I wish I had added into this video once it’s up, but it’s a start. I’ll gladly answer any questions you might have that are specific to me and my experience, but for anything beyond that, go elsewhere. That’s it for today, Happy International Trans Day of Visibility!
About anti-trans bills: https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/breaking-2021-becomes-record-year-for-anti-transgender-legislation
Bills that have been introduced: https://www.insider.com/over-half-of-us-states-tried-passing-anti-trans-bills-2021-3
Things you can do: https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1377226172547936257
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