Tilly's Trans Tuesdays

We wrap this series with the 8s-10s on my transiness 1-10 scale, with some of the most trans songs I've ever heard. Producer and actor Petey Gibson returns to discuss being a theater kid and the "dead bodies guy." Featuring songs by Lifehouse, Goo Goo Dolls, Lady Gaga, Walk the Moon, Jimmy Eat World, Roxette, Natalie Merchant, Linkin Park, and more! Bring kleenex, because if you've got a heart, that's right where they're gonna hit you.

PETEY GIBSON

IG: https://www.instagram.com/petey_gibson

Website: https://www.peteygibson.com

TEXT VERSION

https://www.tillystranstuesdays.com/2026/11/03/trans-allegories-in-popular-music-part-3/

FURTHER READING

(topics discussed with essays available at https://TillysTransTuesdays.com )

Trans Allegories in Popular Music part 1, Trans Allegories in Popular Music part 2, Gender Dysphoria, Hair 1-3, Trans Parents (and Mother's Day), Photos and Reflections, Trans Trauma 2: Societal Gaslighting, Trans History 1: How and Why We Name Trans People in History

REFERENCE MATERIAL

YouTube playlist of featured songs - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPoeAMccg7-U

Apple Music playlist of featured songs - https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/trans-allegories-in-popular-music-tilly-bridges/pl.u-ajJP0F4YgXL

Special thanks to Daisy and Jane for the use of "Sorry Not Sorry" as our show's theme music.

Please stop by and show your support at https://daisyandjane.bandcamp.com and https://soundcloud.com/daisyandjane

--Please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes!--

Website: pendantaudio.com

Bluesky: @pendantaudio.bsky.social‬

Trans stories continue to be human stories, which means our series on trans allegories in pop music rolls on! This week we cover the 4s through the 7s on my 10-point scale of song transiness. The ways these speak to trans people are gonna deepen seemingly exponentially, so let's dive into the lyrics and see why that is. Producer and actor Petey Gibson joins us to discuss drag kings, and how trans people are a model for humanity. Featuring songs from: Journey, Heart, Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigio, Paramore, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Hoobastank (yes, really), Phil Collins, Incubus, Ninedays, Michelle Branch, Queen, Avril Lavigne, and Ariana Grande. Also: the "rules" are lies, and you can break them, too.

PETEY GIBSON

IG: https://www.instagram.com/petey_gibson

Website: https://www.peteygibson.com

TEXT VERSION

https://www.tillystranstuesdays.com/2026/10/27/trans-allegories-in-popular-music-part-2/

FURTHER READING

(topics discussed with essays available at https://TillysTransTuesdays.com )

Trans Allegories in Popular Music part 1, The Signs Were Always There (that we're trans), Gender Euphoria

REFERENCE MATERIAL

YouTube playlist of featured songs - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPoeAMccg7-U

Apple Music playlist of featured songs - https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/trans-allegories-in-popular-music-tilly-bridges/pl.u-ajJP0F4YgXL

Special thanks to Daisy and Jane for the use of "Sorry Not Sorry" as our show's theme music.

Please stop by and show your support at https://daisyandjane.bandcamp.com and https://soundcloud.com/daisyandjane

--Please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes!--

Website: pendantaudio.com

Bluesky: @pendantaudio.bsky.social‬

Trans people are human beings (shocking, but true!). And that means that art made by human beings, even cisgender ones, can speak to trans people in profound ways. One of the easiest ways to see, or hear, this in action is in the popular music of our culture. This week we talk context, how cis artists can actually make really trans art, how maybe some of those artists weren't cis at all, and start our journey through song, with the 1s, 2s, and 3s (on my transiness scale of 1-10). Featuring songs from REO Speedwagon, Tom Petty, Selena Gomez, Mike and the Mechanics, Queen, Kelly Clarkson, Train, Taylor Swift, and Wilson Phillips! There's nothing so earnest as an 80s love song!

TEXT VERSION

https://www.tillystranstuesdays.com/2026/10/20/trans-allegories-in-popular-music-part-1/

FURTHER READING

(topics discussed with essays available at https://TillysTransTuesdays.com )

The Trans Allegory of Silo, The Trans Allegory of The Twilight Zone's "Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room," The Trans Allegory of KPop Demon Hunters, The Trans Allegory of Lisa Frankenstein, The Trans Allegory of Barbie, The Trans Allegory of I Saw the TV Glow, The Trans Allegory of The Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World," Trans Trauma 2: Societal Gaslighting

REFERENCE MATERIAL

YouTube playlist of featured songs - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPoeAMccg7-U

Apple Music playlist of featured songs - https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/trans-allegories-in-popular-music-tilly-bridges/pl.u-ajJP0F4YgXL

Begin Transmission: The Trans Allegories of The Matrix - https://bookshop.org/p/books/begin-transmission-hardback-the-trans-allegories-of-the-matrix-tilly-bridges/d7fc956cacc4da97

You’ve Never Seen a Movie Like I Saw the TV Glow - https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/jane-schoenbrun-i-saw-the-tv-glow-interview

Special thanks to Daisy and Jane for the use of "Sorry Not Sorry" as our show's theme music.

Please stop by and show your support at https://daisyandjane.bandcamp.com and https://soundcloud.com/daisyandjane

--Please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes!--

Website: pendantaudio.com

Bluesky: @pendantaudio.bsky.social‬

Now you know what TERFs are, and why they're trash. Now you know how intentionally transphobic JK Rowling is and the harm she does. And the end result of it all is this episode. If you care about trans rights, and trans *people*, you must stop supporting Harry Potter. The books, the films, the show, the theme park, the video games, the merchandise, the fan-fic, the fan art. Even pirating it keeps it alive and spreads its influence (and yes, studios track that and see it as support). Science educator, writer, and doctor of astrophysics Dr. Erin Macdonald returns to discuss commemorating points in your life, and finding another donut!

Trans rights are more important than your HP nostalgia. They have to be.

ERIN MACDONALD

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/drerinmac.bsky.social

IG: https://www.instagram.com/drerinmac

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/erinmacdonald

Website: https://linktr.ee/drerinmac

TEXT VERSION

https://www.tillystranstuesdays.com/2026/10/13/terfs-part-3-no-ethical-consumption-of-harry-potter/

FURTHER READING

(topics discussed with essays available at https://TillysTransTuesdays.com )

TERFs 1: Anti-scientific Bigotry, TERFs 2: JK Rowling, Queen Terf, Trans Roles and Stories, The Trans Allegory of Barbie

REFERENCE MATERIAL

John Lithgow defends starring in Harry Potter series amid J.K. Rowling backlash - https://ew.com/john-lithgow-defends-harry-potter-series-amid-jk-rowling-backlash-11897008

Harry Potter (tv series) full cast and crew - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13918446/fullcredits/

Harry Potter (audiobook) full cast and crew - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32397658/fullcredits/

Kit Harington Joins ‘Harry Potter’ Season 2 - https://deadline.com/2026/08/kit-harington-harry-potter-gilderoy-lockhart-nicholas-hoult-1237048935/

Michelle Gomez responds to backlash over Harry Potter casting - https://ew.com/michelle-gomez-addresses-backlash-over-harry-potter-casting-11786800

Lilly Wachowski on Her New Studio Anarchists United, the Black Power Origins of ‘The Matrix’ and How ‘Harry Potter’ Fans Are ‘Supporting Trans Genocide’ - https://variety.com/2026/tv/features/lilly-wachowski-jk-rowling-harry-potter-trans-the-matrix-1236858104/

Red Flag Alert - Anti-Trans Genocide in the USA - https://www.lemkininstitute.com/red-flag-alerts/red-flag-alert---anti-trans-genocide-in-the-usa---%233

Red Flag Alert on Anti-Trans and Intersex Rights in the UK - https://www.lemkininstitute.com/red-flag-alerts/red-flag-alert-on-anti-trans-and-intersex-rights-in-the-uk

Black Mirror filmmaker shades HBO’s Harry Potter after declining gig on show: ‘Easy to say no to funding transphobia’ - https://ew.com/black-mirror-alum-shades-hbos-harry-potter-after-declining-gig-on-show-12059699

There is no ethical consumption of HBO’s Harry Potter series - https://www.theverge.com/report/901818/hbo-harry-potter-jk-rowling-transphobia

Transphobes Have Come Up With ‘Harry Potter’ Dogwhistles for Their Hate Speech - https://www.themarysue.com/transphobes-have-come-up-with-harry-potter-dogwhistles-for-their-hate-speech/

Dog whistle (politics) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_whistle_(politics)

Special thanks to Daisy and Jane for the use of "Sorry Not Sorry" as our show's theme music.

Please stop by and show your support at https://daisyandjane.bandcamp.com and https://soundcloud.com/daisyandjane

--Please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes!--

Website: pendantaudio.com

Bluesky: @pendantaudio.bsky.social‬

The next time someone asks you, "But what has JK Rowling really done that's so transphobic?" I want you to point them right here. It's so much more than one bad opinion, or a bad statement. She is clearly, empirically, objectively stripping trans people of our rights, and is dedicating her fortune to doing so. But you don't have to take my word for it, we've got the receipts. Let her own words and actions spell it out for you. Science educator, writer, and doctor of astrophysics Dr. Erin Macdonald returns to discuss stretching the writing capabilities!

You cannot claim to care about trans people when you're buying JKR the boots she uses to step on our necks.

ERIN MACDONALD

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/drerinmac.bsky.social

IG: https://www.instagram.com/drerinmac

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/erinmacdonald

Website: https://linktr.ee/drerinmac

TEXT VERSION

https://www.tillystranstuesdays.com/2026/10/06/terfs-part-2-jk-rowling-queen-terf/

FURTHER READING

(topics discussed with essays available at https://TillysTransTuesdays.com )

TERFs 1: Anti-scientific Bigotry, Implicit Queerphobia, Rainbow Capitalism, Rainbow Capitalism 2: From Bad to Worse, Trans Politics 1: Stop Tolerating Transphobia, Chasers and the Fetishization of Trans Women 2: Ractions and Origins, Trans History 2: Examples of Trans People in History, Gender Dysphoria, Trans Kids 1: Facts and Dangers, Trans Kids 2: The Intake Exam and Trans Flight

REFERENCE MATERIAL

Seinfeld actor lets fly with racist tirade - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/nov/22/usa.danglaister

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld boosts Israel's "Shoot to Kill" Fantasy Tours - https://blackagendareport.com/seinfeld-boosts-israels-shoot-kill-fantasy-tours

Jerry Seinfeld Says He’s Nostalgic for “Agreed-Upon Hierarchy” and Misses “Dominant Masculinity” - https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/jerry-seinfeld-nostalgic-agreed-upon-hierarchy-misses-dominant-masculinity-1235911364/

How to Use transphobia in a Sentence - https://www.merriam-webster.com/sentences/transphobia

Is J.K. Rowling transphobic? Let’s let her speak for herself. - https://www.vox.com/culture/23622610/jk-rowling-transphobic-statements-timeline-history-controversy

Why LGBT Advocates Say Bathroom 'Predators' Argument Is a Red Herring - https://time.com/4314896/transgender-bathroom-bill-male-predators-argument/

Gender Identity Nondiscrimination Laws in Public Accommodations - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13178-018-0335-z

Why It Took Decades for LGBTQ Stories to Be Included in Holocaust History - https://time.com/5953047/lgbtq-holocaust-stories/

New Research Reveals How the Nazis Targeted Transgender People - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/new-research-reveals-how-the-nazis-targeted-transgender-people-180982931/

GLAAD's J.K. Rowling Transphobia Timeline - https://glaad.org/gap/jk-rowling/

‘Radicalized’ Rowling Calls for Bathroom Vigilantism - https://assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/redicalized-rowling-bathroom-vigilantism/

J.K. Rowling uses Harry Potter wealth to fund anti-transgender organization - https://www.advocate.com/news/jk-rowling-anti-trans-organization

JK Rowling issues surprising message of support for trans adults [no she really doesn't] - https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/08/jk-rowling-issues-surprising-message-of-support-for-trans-adults/

Rupert Grint To Join Broadway’s ‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’ In Ron Weasley Reprise - https://deadline.com/2026/08/rupert-grint-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-broadway-1237050854/

JK Rowling just showed why supporting “Harry Potter” is harmful to trans people - https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/04/jk-rowling-just-showed-why-supporting-harry-potter-is-harmful-to-trans-people/

Special thanks to Daisy and Jane for the use of "Sorry Not Sorry" as our show's theme music.

Please stop by and show your support at https://daisyandjane.bandcamp.com and https://soundcloud.com/daisyandjane

--Please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes!--

Website: pendantaudio.com

Bluesky: @pendantaudio.bsky.social‬

It's time to discuss everyone's least favorite acronym: TERFs. Let's talk about what these anti-feminist transphobes, where they come from, how they're full of hot garbage, and how all their claims fall apart if you think about them for longer than ten seconds. I don't know how to tell you this (yes I do), but science is once again on the side of trans people. Science educator, writer, and doctor of astrophysics Dr. Erin Macdonald joins us to discuss how if you love science, you have to be okay with definitions changing. Hire her to be Dana Scully! Also: rights. are. not. pie.

ERIN MACDONALD

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/drerinmac.bsky.social

IG: https://www.instagram.com/drerinmac

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/erinmacdonald

Website: https://linktr.ee/drerinmac

TEXT VERSION

https://www.tillystranstuesdays.com/2024/08/08/terfs/

FURTHER READING

(topics discussed with essays available at https://TillysTransTuesdays.com )

Cis is Not a Slur (there is no default human), Trans History 1: How and Why We Name Trans People in History, Trans History 2: Examples of Trans People in History, The Trans Allegory of Barbie, Trans Politics 1: Stop Tolerating Transphobia

REFERENCE MATERIAL

Study Reveals How Avocados Reverse Sexes Throughout the Day - https://www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/study-reveals-how-avocados-reverse-sexes-throughout-day

Trump's Executive Order on Sex and Gender (lol) - https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/

Biologists Rip Trump’s 'Non-Sensical' Executive Order Declaring Only 2 Sexes - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biologists-trump-executive-order-two-sexes_n_67912b73e4b039fc12781469?r0c

Conservatives find unlikely ally in fighting transgender rights: Radical feminists - https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/02/07/radical-feminists-conservatives-transgender-rights/

TERFism, Zionism, and Right-Wing Annihilationism: Toward an Internationalist Genealogy of Extinction Phobia - https://read.dukeupress.edu/tsq/article-abstract/9/3/334/319374/TERFism-Zionism-and-Right-Wing

The rise of anti-trans “radical” feminists, explained - https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/9/5/20840101/terfs-radical-feminists-gender-critical

Special thanks to Daisy and Jane for the use of "Sorry Not Sorry" as our show's theme music.

Please stop by and show your support at https://daisyandjane.bandcamp.com and https://soundcloud.com/daisyandjane

--Please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes!--

Website: pendantaudio.com

Bluesky: @pendantaudio.bsky.social‬

The only downside to consistently challenging the things that scare you is that your track record isn't going to be perfect. Sometimes it can turn out worse than you could've imagined. But you can get through that, too, just like everything else. Private chef and viral TikTok sensation Bree returns to discuss roadblocks and speedbumps, and the best thing in the world!

BREE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/laser.breems

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@laser.breems

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laser.breems

Website: https://transvoicewithbree.mayhem.my/

TEXT VERSION

https://www.tillystranstuesdays.com/2026/09/22/hair-3-when-a-haircut-goes-wrong/

FURTHER READING

(topics discussed with essays available at https://TillysTransTuesdays.com )

Hair, Hair 2: First Haircut, Transition Setbacks, Trans Trauma 1: That Old Dysphoric Feeling, Trans Trauma 2: Societal Gaslighting, Gender Dysphoria, Implicit Queerphobia, Internalized Transphobia, Body Hacking, Pushback Overkill, 6 Years Out and On HRT Retrospective, Photos and Reflections, Photos 2: The Selfie Apocalypse

Special thanks to Daisy and Jane for the use of "Sorry Not Sorry" as our show's theme music.

Please stop by and show your support at https://daisyandjane.bandcamp.com and https://soundcloud.com/daisyandjane

--Please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes!--

Website: pendantaudio.com

Bluesky: @pendantaudio.bsky.social‬

Getting my first haircut was more anxiety-inducting than you might expect, because at the time my hair was the only part of me that caused no dysphoria. But I went through with it, afraid it would make my dysphoria worse... while hoping it might make things better than I could have even imagined. Private chef and viral TikTok sensation Bree returns to discuss running away from dysphoria and feeling connections through food. Let's learn about curries! Wear your masks!

BREE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/laser.breems

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@laser.breems

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laser.breems

Website: https://transvoicewithbree.mayhem.my/

TEXT VERSION

https://www.tillystranstuesdays.com/2024/08/19/hair-2-my-first-haircut/

FURTHER READING

(topics discussed with essays available at https://TillysTransTuesdays.com )

Hair, Coming Out, A Pandemic Transition, 1-3 Years Out and On HRT Retrospectives, Gender Dysphoria, Boymode/Girlmode, Trans Courage

REFERENCE MATERIAL

Hairology, from Lifeline Comics - https://lifelinecomics.com/collections/hairology

Special thanks to Daisy and Jane for the use of "Sorry Not Sorry" as our show's theme music.

Please stop by and show your support at https://daisyandjane.bandcamp.com and https://soundcloud.com/daisyandjane

--Please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes!--

Website: pendantaudio.com

Bluesky: @pendantaudio.bsky.social‬

My hair has played a huge part in my transition, and believe it or not, played a huge part in my denial of the truth of my transness pre-transition. Let's talk about all the ways it can help us find ourselves and reflect who we really are... if we let it. Private chef and viral TikTok sensation Bree joins us to discuss saying it out loud, and having a weightless soul. Be done with the wizard boy! Grab the Cholula!

BREE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/laser.breems

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@laser.breems

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laser.breems

Website: https://transvoicewithbree.mayhem.my/

TEXT VERSION

https://www.tillystranstuesdays.com/2024/08/19/hair/

FURTHER READING

(topics discussed with essays available at https://TillysTransTuesdays.com )

Body Hacking, Halloween (and the fear of embracing your true self), Heavily Gendered Clothes and Trans People, Finding Our Trans Style, Giving Yourself Permission (to explore gender), Trans Courage, Coming Out as Trans, Gender Euphoria

Special thanks to Daisy and Jane for the use of "Sorry Not Sorry" as our show's theme music.

Please stop by and show your support at https://daisyandjane.bandcamp.com and https://soundcloud.com/daisyandjane

--Please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes!--

Website: pendantaudio.com

Bluesky: @pendantaudio.bsky.social‬

Let's wrap up our talk about the trans allegory of KPop Demon Hunters, where we see that conditional love is not love, and you cannot fix broken systems by replacing them with the exact same thing. We'll talk about where and why the allegory breaks down and becomes "imperfect," and how that's okay, actually! But it's important to note, because truth matters. Jeremy Holt returns to discuss remixing the terribleness and calling it something new! The cis-tem wants us closeted, but we can open the door whenever we're ready to.

JEREMY HOLT

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyholtbooks

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jeremyholtbooks.com

Website: https://www.jeremyholtbooks.com

TEXT VERSION

https://www.tillystranstuesdays.com/2026/09/01/the-imperfect-trans-allegory-of-kpop-demon-hunters-part-4/

FURTHER READING

(topics discussed with essays available at https://TillysTransTuesdays.com )

The False Dichotomy, Trans Kids 1: Facts and Dangers, Trans Kids 2: The Intake Exam and Trans Flight

REFERENCE MATERIAL

KPop Demon Hunters Writer Says Creating Movie Helped Her Come Out as Bisexual - https://www.them.us/story/kpop-demon-hunters-writer-hannah-mcmechan-says-creating-movie-helped-her-come-out-as-bisexual

Special thanks to Daisy and Jane for the use of "Sorry Not Sorry" as our show's theme music.

Please stop by and show your support at https://daisyandjane.bandcamp.com and https://soundcloud.com/daisyandjane

--Please leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts/iTunes!--

Website: pendantaudio.com

Bluesky: @pendantaudio.bsky.social‬