trans issues

Validating Hardship: Netflix’s “Disclosure” Reconciles Trans Pain and Joy

Laverne Cox, a Black trans woman with blond hair, smiles at the cameras in Disclosure.
by Niko Stratis
July 15, 2020 at 2:16pm
It’s a noteworthy watch considering the way that films prior have represented trans people.
Hunter Schafer, a white trans teen girl with blond hair and sparkly makeup, as Jules.

Very Online: Why Are “Euphoria” Viewers So Desperate to Paint Jules as the Villain?

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
July 10, 2020 at 12:30pm
The desperate desire to paint Jules as a villain is thinily veiled transphobia. Read more »
A collage of trans women, including Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, Nina Pop, and Layleen Polanco.

Changing Tides: Black Feminists Are Mobilizing for Trans Women

by Koritha Mitchell
June 23, 2020 at 9:36am
The fight for racial justice can only be enriched by feminist strategies developed with an eye toward trans inclusion and empowerment. Read more »
A collage of four books: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender, Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, Wild Beauty by Anna Marie McLemore.

Safe and Seen: Leave Potter Nostalgia behind in Favor of Trans Authors

by Alaina Leary
June 10, 2020 at 3:15pm
It’s heartbreaking to learn that one of your icons is transphobic. Read more »
black image with white text reading "his name is Tony." with "his" slightly blurred

Tony McDade and Other Trans People Deserve Better than Deadnaming

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
June 2, 2020 at 12:29pm
It’s not accurate to call a trans person by incorrect pronouns, or a name that isn’t, and never was, their name. Read more »
Meredith Talusan, an Albino Filipino woman, has blond hair and wears a striped orange t-shirt as she smiles gently.

Without Condition: In “Fairest,” Meredith Talusan Dreams of Freedom from Others’ Perception

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
May 27, 2020 at 4:13pm
“My gender and race reflected on each other like a dizzying hall of distorted mirrors.” Read more »
a brownskinned woman with a blond afro holds the transgender flag at a rally in New York

Protecting Voting Rights for Trans People Is a Must for Us All

by Casey Quinlan
April 8, 2020 at 11:44am
A comprehensive approach is necessary for reforming voting rights for trans people. Read more »
Janet Mock, a transgender Hawaiian woman with curly, brown hair, smiles

#GirlsLikeUs: Trans Feminist Advocacy and Community Building

by Sarah J. Jackson
March 3, 2020 at 8:03am
Black trans women and their political frameworks have become the face not only of trans issues but of LGBT issues as a whole—a representation few could have imagined even a decade ago. Read more »
a genderqueer person sitting in a hospital gown sitting in an exam room

Religious Exemption: Catholic Hospitals Are Barring Transgender Patients from Surgery

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. Read more »
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 »

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Best of Bitch

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 »

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 »

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 »