TPT#216 - Ground Zero

We got Child#0 to sit down with us at the mic, and we discussed their process of discovering their identity as agender. Egg mode made a traumatic childhood more traumatic, but George and his then wife's welcoming home helped them begin to recover. They are still recovering, and as they come to a larger understanding of human gender, the recognition that "there are others like me and I'm not just broken" is something that many of us can identify with. George took a binary backseat for most of the conversation, as the genderqueer folks discussed their identities and experiences.

Dara Hoffman-Fox's book is currently being reissued by a new publisher and is available for preorder at DiscoverYourGenderIdentity.com.

Ivan Coyote has written and performed a number of amazing pieces on the nature of gender and the way it is percieved by western culture, but the ones we referenced today are at dailyxtra.com/vancouver/dear-lady-in-the-womens-washroom-4771 and slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/04/11/transgender_in_public_bathrooms_why_does_our_safety_always_come_second.html.

We used the problematic terms "fag" and "faggy" as shorthand for a stereotype of an effeminate gay male. We understand that as a reclamation term it is generally expected to be used only by members of a minority of which we may not be percieved to be a part. For a fuller explanation of cultural expectations around reappropriation of slurs, check out a great piece by the late Matt Kailey at mattkailey.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/ask-matt-three-criteria-for-reclaiming-harmful-language. We chose to retain this term in today's conversation because it exemplifies the conflation of gender and orientation that is common in western culture and against which we still struggle in our own processing.

The pictures Jess showed Child#0 of presentations they identify with are:



and



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