TRANSlation

Suffice it to say, November 8, 2016 was a shocking day. But more than shock came the immediate uncertainty of the future. What will happen to the civil rights stressed during the 8 years of President Barack Obama?

Do you remember my old logo? It seemed innocuous enough, but I made a significant change: I removed the asterisk. That little glyph is a source of controversy since it first appeared in the last few years. Here, I explain why it's important to note, as well as why I chose to remove it.

I'm back! It has been far too long, but there is reason behind my absence. I begin by explaining not only why I've been gone, but why it's not always the worst thing to be lost.

Trans issues are becoming more important in the modern political world. While civil rights organizations and activists fight to ensure trans individuals are protected equally under the law, politicians across the United States are pushing for laws that will restrict those very freedoms.

The spectrum of gender identity is vast. Some are more easily defined than others. In this episode of Trans*lation, we look at one specific identification group: bigender.

When I began this podcast, I had two goals in mind: to educate on transgender topics and to tell personal stories of life experiences. This episode is one such story: my own.

In our last episode, we looked at trans representation in the media, specifically looking at movies and television. But the real world experience is even more vast and complicated. I am joined by my special guest River as we talk about trans visibility in the news. Specifically, the Denver Post has run a series of articles focusing on trans issues and visibility. We discuss the importance of that and impact it is having in Colorado, as well as extrapolate how that influences trans visibility on a larger scale.

Trans visibility is growing. More and more, news stories pop up that focus on real life trans individuals and their unique situations. But visibility is also growing in pop culture, with more realistic depictions of trans characters on television and in movies. In the first half of the episode, we look at how visibility is growing in the media and some of the effects of that. There is one debate that comes up about trans actors, or more appropriately trans character roles given to cisgender actors.

In the second half of the episode, I respond to a fan question about my experience in the first year of HRT. While my experience is unique to my situation, some of it may resonate with the experiences of others. Conversely, it does not cover the full spectrum of experiences trans individuals can encounter during their first year of HRT.

Transition isn't easy. It's really quite a challenge. But one way for trans* individuals to mitigate that challenge is through gender therapy. Gender therapy is helpful resource for anyone questioning their gender identity, as well as their family and friends. In this episode, we look at what gender therapy is and why is can be extremely valuable.

November 20 is a difficult day for trans* and gender variant people around the world. Every year, November 20 is designated as the Transgender Day of Remembrance, they day when we commemorate those individuals who have been murdered in the past year for being transgender or gender variant. This episode contains a brief explanation of TDOR, as well as my own opinion on why this is such a critical and important day.