Publications in the Collective
The G & The L Rises, T Sinks And Fails, And All Is AOK? BS!
“He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” — Martin Luther King Jr. Well it didn’t take long for responses to my last blog. One person wrote me privately saying she was disappointed…
Seeking Justice When The Empire (State) Strikes Black (Trans)
“Just waking up in the morning, gotta thank God. I don’t know but today just seems kinda odd…. Plus nobody I know got killed in South Central L.A. … Today was a good day.” – It Was A…
Pride 2009: We Yelled, They Screamed. But Did Anyone ‘Hear’ Us?
“When you’re drowning, you don’t say ‘I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,’ you just scream.” — John Lennon It was one for the ages.…
Tricks, No Treats For Trans As Psychic Vampires Bleed Us Dry
After a three month self-imposed hiatus, I’m back. A bout of depression and physical fatigue was wiping me out and gave me pause. After my friend Lisa Gilinger noted my recent inability to write about what I was…
Looking Back: How The G&L Views The T
“Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness.” — George Santayana There’s been quite a buzz in recent months over our GLBT community – particularly how the GL views and treats the T. It’s reached a fevered…
I Can’t Get Over Being Told to ‘Get Over It’
It’s amazing what’s expected of us as trans people. We’re supposed to watch our trans sisters succumb to unspeakable brutality on a constant basis. We’re supposed to ignore the fact that we can be legally fired in thirty-eight…
‘Mom, I Just Can’t Take the Crying’
When my nephew was about four or five, his best friend was a little girl of the same age. My sister and the girl’s mother were friends, so the two kids grew up together. My nephew was and…
Thin Mint Morality Wars: The Girl Scout Cookie Boycott
Last year, I wrote a guest post for the excellent blog Womanist Musings called “Leave the Kids Out of It,” about a brouhaha over gendered Halloween costumes. Now we’ve got another situation where kids are being dragged into…
The Fallacy of ‘Cosmetic’ Surgery for Trans People
A woman who was arrested last year for providing dangerous “butt enhancement” shots consisting of cement, caulk, tire sealant, and other toxic and troublesome substances is facing new charges as more victims come forward. I don’t know how…
McDonald’s Happy Meals and Asking the Right Question
“Is the Happy Meal for a boy or a girl?” I had no idea that McDonald’s Happy Meals were gendered, but then I’ve never ordered one before this week. I’ve been suffering from a nasty bronchial thing, which…
‘Don’t Call Us, and We Won’t Call You’ – Law Enforcement and the Trans Community
A couple of years ago, I attended a community forum in Denver that was set up so that trans people could meet with local police and discuss our community’s concerns. The police representatives present were from a newly…
Ask Matt: Should I Come Out or Stay In?
A reader writes: “I came out as a transman to myself in 2009, to my (cismale) partner, friends, family, and work from 2010-11, started testosterone in 2011, all in the same town, so to know me as male…
Ask Matt: Some Tips for Presenting on Trans Issues
A reader writes: “I’m thinking about speaking to a Gender Studies class at the college I attend because of some ignorant comments from ignorant classmates when I took the class last semester (such as ‘I can pick out…
Ask Matt: Do Trans Men Die Young?
Welcome to a special Thursday edition of Tranifesto, with more Ask Matt questions. I’m hoping to catch up on my backlog of questions, and, as always, I’m hoping that readers will supply their wisdom in the Comments section.…
Ask Matt: Names, Labels, and Identities
We have two reader questions in one post today, and in order to catch up with my backlog of Ask Matt questions, I will be posting a Thursday edition this week as well, so be looking for that.…
Ask Matt: My Feminine Side is Screaming to Get Out
A reader writes: “I have questions, but have never had the strength or will to voice them and ask. I am, of course, a genetically born male, and most of the time I’m fine with that. But more…
Ask Matt: Educating the Children, Educating the Parents
I have joined a couple of family-related questions into one column in a continuing effort to catch up with my backlog. As always, reader thoughts and suggestions are much appreciated. Here you go: A reader writes: “My granddaughter…
Ask Matt: Why Do Trans People Make Me Uncomfortable?
A reader writes: “I am a straight male and consider myself fairly liberal. One of my best friends is openly gay and I have never felt uncomfortable around him. Yet the thought of being around a transgender person…
‘The Secret History of Love’: An Interview With Choreographer Sean Dorsey
Sean Dorsey is an award-winning choreographer, dancer and writer. Recognized as the United States’ first out transgender modern dance choreographer, Dorsey has won audiences and accolades from San Francisco to New York with his powerful dance-theater. Dorsey is…
Ask Matt: Resources and Support in Mexico Urgently Needed
A reader writes: Hello, I’m from Mexico. I am 18 and I just came out to my family and I’m going to therapy, but I feel trapped and that I am never going to start my transition. I…
Ask Matt: The Politics of Dating a Trans Woman
A reader writes: I’ve always considered myself to be very well educated on the different letters in our acronym. However, all it took was one date with a trans woman to realize that I am not. I am…
Ask Matt: What Are the Most Common Trans-Related Questions You Get?
A reader writes: I’m FTM, still in the closet, and I was wondering: What are the most common questions you get? I would like to know because I want to be able to think about questions that I…
Readers: What Would You Be Happy Never to Hear Again?
A friend of mine told me about a workshop she had been to where participants were asked to tell each other what comments they would be perfectly happy never to hear again for the rest of their lives.…
Five Attributes of Trans Allies
Last week in my Transgender Studies class, and also at a Diversity Day presentation that I made on the Auraria Campus, we talked about allies. In my opinion, allies are an important component of any group. They add…
Ask Matt: On Looking Male
Today we have a couple of letter related to “male” appearance and expression. I now turn it over to the writers. A reader writes: “I was looking back on an old post where you stated trans guys all…
Ask Matt: Do I Owe My Parents Grandchildren?
A reader writes: “I am a 24-year-old transgender girl. I started transition about a year and a half ago, with one month in between where I had major doubts and confusion about my life. “I have asked myself,…
Ask Matt: Gender Uncertainty is Stressing Me Out!
A reader writes: “I’m 18 years old and have lived under the assumption that I was a cisgendered female – identified as lesbian, never really felt dysphoric about myself beyond maybe a vague envy for the male body,…
Ask Matt: Life Insurance for Trans People
A reader writes: “I’m curious if, as a trans woman, I would be considered ‘higher risk’ with regard to life insurance than a non-trans woman, or would be expected to calculate my risks/premiums as male rather than female.…
Ask Matt: What Am I? Labels and Identities
Today we have two letters about identity that I thought went together quite well. So here goes: A reader writes: “I consider myself transgender – I was born female, but feel very much that the concept of ‘womanhood’…
Passing and Stealth: Two Words to Lose? Part Two
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series on “stealth.” The goal of this series to examine the nuanced ways trans opinion leaders conceptualize stealth and how they feel about it. Suzan Cooke kicked off the series with…
Ask Matt: What is My Sexual Identity?
A reader writes: “I am having issues determining my sexual identity since transition from female to male. Dating and having a relationship are things I consciously took off the table while I was in the early stages of…
Ask Matt: Coming Out at Home and at School
A reader writes: “I am a 16-year-old transman. According to my mom, I am much too young to consider myself a transman, and that this isn’t something I can figure out until I am more ‘sexually mature.’ “For…
Ask Matt: Correcting Pronouns on Someone Else’s Behalf
A reader writes: “Our good friends have a daughter, Linda (I changed the name that the reader sent in, because I didn’t know if it was real or fictional). “Linda dresses and carries herself in a very masculine…
Ask Matt: Would a Genderless World Affect Transition?
A reader writes: “I’ve been thinking about gender roles and how most of them are created and imposed by society. I believe our behaviour could be ‘genderless’ if we didn’t have these external influences telling us how men…
Ask Matt: Coming Out as Trans after Coming Out as Gay
A reader writes: “I am a 39-year-old gay male. Ever since high school, I have geared being more like a female. It was tough when I came out as being gay. I got teased and made fun of…
Ask Matt: Coming Out About My Trans Partner at Christmas
By Matt Kailey A reader writes: “I’m a non-transgender pansexual woman who has been dating my friend, a male-to-female transgender person, for a few months. “I’ve known my partner for five years and knew that she was trans…
Ask Matt: Can a Gay Man Love a Trans Woman?
By Matt Kailey A reader writes: “I am a gay man and have no doubts really about that. I was late in coming out after being married and having children. However, 15 months ago I started a relationship…
Trans Etiquette: When is a Compliment Not a Compliment?
By Matt Kailey It’s not tough to compliment trans people. Like anyone else, we like to be told that we look nice, or that you love our new shirt, or that we did a good job on our…
Ask Matt: Changing My Friends’ Perception of My Gender
A reader writes: “I recently started college, and I quickly came to the realization that I am transgender. I have been transitioning every way but physically (mentally, socially, etc.), and the process has been enlightening for me. The…
Related authors
Related authors are calculated from co-authorship, shared themes and framings, and citation relationships in the registered corpus.