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Hi, my name is Emmett. I’m also a Sagittarius and a sibling and pen pal and really good domino player and also, I’m trans. (1/22)
My pronouns are they/them/theirs. I’m very nice when you get it wrong. I usually say, “No worries!” I’m not worried about it. You’re trying. And I appreciate that. (2/22)
I don’t know why I’m trans. I actually don’t really care. People have been trying to understand why there are people like me for decades (probably even centuries), and the consensus is, well, there is no consensus. (3/22)
I’m getting my PhD and my research specialty is trans medical history. I’m about to say lots of boring stuff about the history of sex and gender, but no worries, I think you can handle it. You’re trying. And I appreciate that. (4/22)
The thing about science and medicine is that… it is always evolving. At the turn of the (20th) century, scientists were JUST starting to learn what hormones were. I know, that’s wild! That was only like 100 years ago! Scientists were like, “Woah!!! What is this stuff?” (5/22)
A guy named Eugene Steinach even started putting monkey and goat testicles in older men thinking that the animal testosterone would make them more youthful and stronger and…well, other stuff. Cool fact: Even Freud got Steinached! (6/22)
At that time they were CONVINCED that a person’s sex came from their hormones. But then WOAH, what are these crazy things called chromosomes???!?!? Ok. Back up. Back up. We were actually wrong about the hormones. CHROMOSOMES are what determines a person’s sex. (7/22)
Enter, the 1960s. Meet the SEXOLOGISTS. They were like, “Wait, hold on…. Is it nature or…. Is it NURTURE?” (8/22)
Sexologists were like, OMG let’s do lots of crazy experiments on intersex (google it) infants. Woah, this kid was born with a teeny tiny penis! Let’s cut it off and raise them as a girl. I bet it’ll be fine. Woah it is fine! See nurture is stronger! (9/22)
Just kidding, here come a 1990s cable specials about how we were wrong and how we fucked up a lot of people's lives with out experiments. (10/22)
(Sorry, I’m going fast through history here because I know you probably don’t have too much time for trans people. No worries! You’re busy! I know you’re trying. And I appreciate that!) (11/22)
The dream of the 90s is alive in queer theory!!!! It’s not nature or nurture…. It’s that GENDER IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT (footnote: Judy B). wE aRe AlL pErFoRmInG gEnDeR! (12/22)
I could keep going. I could tell you about Radiolab’s latest series about sex and gender and something about how our sex is found in one little tiny gene somewhere. Cool story, bro. (13/22)
But actually, the point is this. We don’t understand gender. We don’t even understand sex! There isn’t a clear cut distinction between the two (sorry gender studies 101). (14/22)
Nobody can give you a cultural or scientific biological reason. And definitely don’t believe what they tell you about genitals. Because there are lots of different genitals (*insert feminist vagina graphic*) (15/22)
I bet you can’t even tell me a single thing about your own chromosomes. Do you actually know that you’re XY? XX? REALLY??!? DID YOU GET IT TESTED??? Doubt it. (16/22)
I bet you can’t even tell me about your hormone levels! (Unpaid Sponsor: GNC Nugenix Testosterone Booster) #fragilemasculinity (17/22)
Here’s the thing though. People like me exist. We will continue to exist. We are your friends and your cousins and your teachers and your neighbors and your lovers and your dog walkers and your lawyers and your dentists etc. And we exist. And no definition can erase us. (18/22)
When I woke up on Sunday morning to the New York Times article “Trump Administration Eyes Defining Transgender Out of Existence,” I felt a lot of things: sadness, grief, heartbreak. But most of all I felt RAGE. (19/22)
HOW THE HELL ARE PEOPLE WHO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT TRANSNESS OR GENDER OR SEX OR MEDICINE OR HISTORY GOING TO DEFINE ME?!?!?!?! (20/22)
But then I remembered that they aren’t. And they won’t. And they never will. And that doesn’t mean this isn’t scary. It’s absolutely terrifying. And we need you! We need you to say… no wait, we need you to shout: “TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS!” (21/22)
I know I said “no worries” about the pronouns thing. And really, I’m not worried about it. I know you’re trying. But I am worried about my trans family. And I hope you’re worried too. And I hope you show us some extra love. And I hope you fight like hell for us. (22/22)
