trans issues

Religious Exemption: Catholic Hospitals Are Barring Transgender Patients from Surgery

a genderqueer person sitting in a hospital gown sitting in an exam room
by Leah Feiger
January 13, 2020 at 12:41pm
These policies and resulting statements, coupled with the reach and growth of Catholic healthcare systems, could make access to gender-confirmation surgery even more difficult.
Aria Sa'id, a Black woman with back-length black hair, smiles bashfully at the camera

Aria Sa’id Is Fighting for Trans Women of Color in San Francisco

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
November 25, 2019 at 12:00pm
People don’t realize that words and narratives affect transgender women in many ways. Read more »
A close up of Brandon, played by Hilary Swank, a white teen boy with brown hair looks away from the camera

Fighting to Thrive: Reflecting on “Boys Don’t Cry” 20 Years Later

by William Horn
November 20, 2019 at 11:21am
Representation matters, but so do the stories that the media—film and television—chooses to tell about trans lives. Read more »
Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, two white women with blond hair, wave at a crowd during a book tour

A Dogma in the Fight: Why Hillary Clinton’s Half-Assed Take on Trans Identity Matters

by Heron Greenesmith
November 6, 2019 at 11:50am
A clumsy answer on trans identity was the perfect opportunity for right-wing media to hit two prized targets at once. Read more »
Aimee Stephens, an elderly trans white woman in a wheelchair, sits in front of the steps of the Supreme Court

The Fight for Trans Employment Protections Comes to the Supreme Court

by s.e. smith
October 9, 2019 at 10:47am
The Trump administration is rapidly codifying, by executive orders and rulemaking, the right to discriminate against trans people. Read more »
A photo of Max from The L Word, a white person with brown hair and blue eyes. Max looks into the camera.

Missing the Mark: Where Are the Trans Women on “The L Word” Reboot?

by Mey Rude
August 1, 2019 at 9:39am
We need the most mainstream lesbian show in the world to actively normalize trans lesbians. Read more »
A photo of Garcia as Jake Rodriguez and Olympia Dukakis as Anna Madrigal in Tales of the City.

Beyond Martyrdom: “Tales of the City” Introduces Two Generations of Complex Trans Characters

by Annette Covrigaru
July 2, 2019 at 5:28pm
The flawed history of our queer ancestors serves as a portal to the past. Read more »
a trans man with short, blond hair poses topless in black boxers

Model Sawyer Devuyst Kicks Sand on Myths About Beach Season

by Sarah Mirk
June 25, 2019 at 12:18pm
There’s nothing wrong with my body being a trans body. Read more »
a person of color with curly, brown hair poses in a club in a glittery dress

Across Time: 7 Lessons “Pose” Teaches Us about Survival

by Bani Amor
June 14, 2019 at 10:16am
Pose exists in a New York that is long gone, but it sometimes feels like our queer and transcestors are using the show to send us messages across time. Read more »
a red, blue, and white sign that says Real Queer America

Prodigal Daughter: Samantha Allen Shines a New Light on Queer Communities in Red States

by Samantha Puc
February 27, 2019 at 9:36am
Queer people are here—or there, as the case may be—and aren’t going away. Read more »

Pleasureless Principle: Who Gets to Decide What Your Anatomy Is Capable Of?

by Juno Roche
February 4, 2019 at 11:32am
The clinical side of the gender-confirmation surgery process is centered around resolving visual dysphoria. Read more »

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Politically Correct Language Isn't Just About Being Polite—It's About Survival

by Leela Ginelle
February 10, 2015 at 12:23pm
Photo by Phillipe Leroyer (Creative Commons). Two weeks ago, Jonathan Chait published the lengthy essay “Not a Very P.C.... Read more »

It's Time to End the Long History of Feminism Failing Transgender Women

by Tina Vasquez
February 17, 2014 at 1:26pm
The marginalization of transgender women in feminism is not new, but the decades-long debate has taken on new dimension thanks to social media and the ease of finding strangers’ personal information online. Read more »

Mock & Awe: Janet Mock on Truth-Telling, Community Building, and Writing the Story She Had Been Waiting for Her Whole Life

Janet Mock, a transgender Hawaiian woman with curly, brown hair, smiles
by Tina Vasquez
Spring 2014 • Maps & Legends
“Redefining Realness” is written with astounding honesty and heart. Read more »

Critical Conditions: For Trans Individuals, Seeking Medical Care Can Be a Minefield

by Kari Mugo
Fall 2015 • Blood & Guts
When trans individuals encounter the medical system, they're often met with discrimination and misunderstanding. Read more »