Technically speaking, the American LGBTQ+ Museum does not exist. Yet. Planning for a national LGBTQIA+ history museum began in 2017 and has been under construction over the past five years. Ultimately, it hopes to host hundreds of thousands of visitors throughout 4,000 square feet of physical space, combined with virtual exhibitions, in New York City.
The American LGBTQ+ Museum is currently on track to officially open to the public in 2027.
The ArQuives
Although the ArQuives are Canadian, their online collection is extensive enough that it deserves to be included. Originally founded in 1973 as the Canadian Gay Liberation Movement Archives, it preserves thousands of books, diaries, portraits, zines, press clippings, videos, posters, cassettes, buttons, flags, T-shirts, and other items of note.
Digital Transgender Archives
The DTA uses material from more than sixty international colleges, universities, nonprofit organizations, and private collections to serve as the world’s largest transgender library. The site works similarly to the Internet Archive and is completely free for individuals to use.
DTA hosts born-digital materials, digitized records, and non-digital archives. Its collection is curated from content before 2000, so post-2000 materials are not hosted through the DTA.
DID YOU KNOW?
LGBTQIA+ people have existed everywhere, which means every city has the potential to have a local LGBTQIA+ museum, such as St. Louis, San Diego, and Boston. Search what resources that are close to you to learn more about local queer history!
If your area does not have any related institutions, you have the power to create your own. Queer history is tomorrow, yesterday – and today.
Gerber/Hart LGBTQ+ Library & Archives
Based in Chicago, Gerber/Hart is one of the largest LGBTQIA+ libraries in the United States and houses 14,000 volumes and 800 periodicals. Unlike other notable museums, like the GLBT Historical Society, Gerber/Hart boasts an impressive online collection and exhibits for online users to browse.
GLBT Historical Society
Even though the GLBT Historical Society hosts a smaller collection than some of its colleagues, it is the second full-scale stand-alone museum in the world and is one of the few American LGBTQIA+ archives that hosts paid staff to produce exhibitions, programming, and research.
Interference Archive
Okay, the Interference Archive isn’t necessarily queer. It’s a volunteer-run library centered on social movements, which includes the history of LGBTQIA+ equality. Activism and social justice produce unique memorabilia to sway the general public, and thus the Interference Archive is filled with posters, zines, buttons, and materials used by activists to change the world.
Leather Archives & Museum
LA&M is the leading institution preserving queer erotica and has been preserving kink and fetish history since 1991. It was originally established in response to the AIDS crisis due to the inherent kink associated with LGBTQIA+ people decades ago. Without the LA&M, history from leather and fetish communities would have been lost, intentionally suppressed, or discarded.
The LA&M is open to the general public, and its collection is available to view online. However, due to the nature of its material, users must be at least 18 years old to view online collections or visit the LA&M.
After robbing and inflicting immense pain on Matthew due to being gay, hits murderers tied him to a split-rail fence and left him to die. His murder, as well as the murders of James Byrd Jr. and Brandon Teena, received international attention as the public called for greater legal protection for minorities.
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Also based in New York City, the Lesbian Herstory Archives is both a community center and a library to preserve lesbian history. In their own words, the Lesbian Herstory Archives aims to protect “history that has always included, and continues to include, lesbian women, butches, femmes, cross dressers, passing women, and those who are trans, two spirited, same-gender-loving, as well as others, all of whom at times were, and still can be, made to feel unwelcome in the world by others, sometimes even by other Lesbians.”
The downside to the Lesbian Herstory Archives is that just part of their collection is digitized, so individuals will only be able to view a small proportion of the museum. The Archives have been around since 1974 and are considered the world’s largest collection of lesbian material, but they only recently began digitizing items.
LGBTQ National History Archives
The United States National Archives exists to preserve and provide public access to notable records created throughout US history. Most individuals seek the National Archives for data on family genealogy, military services, and documentation regarding previous laws, voting records, and budgets. For the majority of Americans, the National Archives are boring but necessary to ensure the federal government is relatively accountable and transparent.
The National Archives has a dedicated department for LGBTQIA+ records. Many of the National Archives’ items have been digitized for users to browse online, but hundreds of thousands of items are available online to view in person.
It is critical to consider the impact of current politics on the preservation of history. While most administrations have valued the importance of the National Archives regardless of political affiliation, that does not mean current or future parties won’t attempt to corrupt its data’s integrity.
While other LGBTQIA+ archives work to preserve general and region-specific history, the LGBTQ-RAN encourages the study and preservation of LGBTQIA+ religious works. Its collection is entirely virtual and spans various denominations of Christianity, Judaism, Wicca, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Native American spirituality.
Library of Congress
In addition to the National Archives, the general public has access to the Library of Congress. The LOC also serves as the federal research service for Congress and operates the United States Copyright Office.
As one of the largest libraries in the world, the LOC contains 173 million items and 14 petabytes of content from around the globe. Although the Library of Congress employs federal employees, its staff are not tied to any given administration and aim to contain as much knowledge as possible without discrimination.
The ONE Archives stems from the ONE Institute, the oldest active LGBTQIA+ organization in the country. ONE was created from the Mattachine Society in 1952 to help publish the United States’ first national gay periodical as ONE Magazine.
Given the fact that the ONE Archives descend from ONE Magazine, it makes sense that the organization values the preservation of queer history. It contains over 2 million items in its collection, ranging from books and films to photographs and buttons.
When Bayard is mentioned, it’s rarely discussed that Bayard was a gay Black man. In reality, this is why few people know him – Bayard was advised by his fellow civil rights advocates to lead from behind the scenes since his gay identity could possibly bring criticism to the community. Even today in places like the National Civil Rights Museum, Bayard’s identity is still enveloped in whispers.
Queer Zine Archive Project
Zines have a unique place in LGBTQIA+ history, allowing queer and punk activists a new medium to represent their ideas. QZAP was founded in 2003 to provide universal online access to preserved zines as another “living history” of larger queer culture.
Smithsonian Institute
Although there are larger museums, the Smithsonian plays a critical role as the federal authority on education and research. Prior to 1967, the Smithsonian was known as the United States National Museum – and today, the organization holds 157 items across 21 museums, 21 libraries, 14 education centers, various historical landmarks, and a zoo.
The Smithsonian also contains items related to LGBTQIA+ history, which is why it’s worth checking out when diving deeper into queer studies. However, compared to other federal entities, the Smithsonian has been the most directly targeted by political administrations to change and fit alternate agendas.
The Stonewall Inn and its associated riots occurred in New York City. The Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library, on the other hand, is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While it boasts an impressive digital collection, the Stonewall Museum, Archives & Library is most famous for its detailed LGBTQIA+ History Timeline, known as In Plain Sight.
The Center’s Archives
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Community Center of New York City (also known as The Center) is arguably the largest LGBTQIA+ community center in the United States. The Center has been the starting point for many other important agencies, such as GLAAD and ACT UP, and hosts its own library archive.
Transgender Oral History Project
Originally, the Transgender Oral History Project was a documentary series meant to compile the experiences of transgender communities across the United States. The project behind the Transgender Oral History Project donated its items to the University of Minnesota so they could focus on their current project, “America in Transition.”
Next month will begin the new Supreme Court term, which will bring a variety of cases. Given the right swing of the Supreme Court, LGBTQIA+ folks are likely dreading October 7th since it’ll focus on Chiles v. Salazar. The case pertains to the legality of conversion therapy bans – but what is conversion therapy, and why is banning it such a big deal?
By the 1950s, conversion therapy began to model its current form as aversion therapy took root. Individuals were given chemicals to induce vomiting or electric shocks to their genitals when they engaged with same-sex desire or gender ambiguity. When identities like queer and transgender are labeled as illnesses, the medical consensus is then to cure that illness.
When the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality as a disorder in the 1973 DSM, self-proclaimed conversion experts took over the field and offered varied methods ranging from talk therapy to actual exorcisms through their ex-gay ministries. Popularized conversion camps isolated individuals from friends and family for weeks while they were forced to pray, beat effigies of their parents, mocked, and told their identity was unnatural.
In 2023, The Trevor Project released the research publication It’s Still Happening, detailing the effects of conversion therapy as well as intentional moves by conversion therapists to avoid detection.
Most of the above techniques, including aversion shock therapy, are still used in modern conversion therapy. The “success rates” of these organizations have never been verified, and the entire practice has been denounced for decades as unscientific and inhumane. Instead, conversion therapy has been proven to have no actual benefit and poses a detriment since, quite frankly, it is physical, verbal, and emotional abuse disguised as “helpful” religion. There have been countless horror stories about conversion therapy’s accompanying psychological and sexual abuse – it’s even led individuals to commit suicide.
Chiles v. Salazar centers on a 2019 Colorado law that bans the use of conversion therapy on minors. Kaley Chiles filed a lawsuit against the state under the argument that her First Amendment freedom of speech entitles her to perform conversion therapy as a mental health professional. Colorado’s law does not apply to non-licensed religious counselors; professions like pastors are allowed to perform conversion therapy even on minors as long as they do not claim their practice is certified by the state.
Regarding the case, Advocate explains, “If the Court strikes Colorado’s law, the impact would be immediate. States from California to New York could see their bans fall. Parents desperate for answers might once again be funneled to providers offering false promises of ‘cures.’ Survivors worry it would also send a cultural message that the nation’s highest court has blessed a practice they know to be abuse. On the other hand, if the Court affirms Colorado’s authority, it could solidify the legality of conversion therapy bans nationwide and shore up states’ ability to regulate professional treatment even in a polarized political climate.”
Colorado has argued that conversion therapy is a treatment, not a protected opinion – thus, it has the broad authority to regulate medicine and mental health, as determined during United States v. Skrmetti. Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, stated, “If the Court misunderstands these laws and strikes them down, it would be devastating. But after seeing the breadth of amicus briefs, especially from unexpected allies, I feel encouraged. If the Court does its job and reads them carefully, we have a very significant chance of winning.”
Conservatives use the exact same tactics preaching against transgender identities as they have against gay and lesbian individuals, interracial relationships, women’s equality, and every other issue they’ve lost against society’s slow march towards progress. Transgender individuals are characterized as sexual perverts and mentally deranged – which is exactly how gay men and lesbian women were depicted just twenty years ago. Understanding this is crucial in social justice movements when discussing the dangers of the anti-transgender movement with folks unaligned, independent, or just “not into politics.” Religion-based politics never go well. Attacks on transgender lives immediately turn into attacks on drag performers, intersex folks, lesbian women, gay men, independent women, disabled individuals, non-Christian faiths, and people of color. Their movement relies on the masses being uneducated and unsympathetic. The GOP argued for years that legalizing same-sex marriage would create a slippery slope that never happened – but this slippery slope against human rights WILL occur unless it is stopped.
Speaking of which, just how many Olympic competitors identify as transgender? Recent media obsession would imply it’s a huge problem where transgender athletes are taking over the events and depriving cisgender competitors of wins – but that’s the furthest from the truth. Taking just the 2024 Summer Olympics hosted in France, only 193 of the total 10,714 competitors identified as LGBTQIA+ (which equates to 0.018% of competitors). An even smaller margin of those individuals are transgender, estimated at 0.001%. Due to the stigma and hostility, transgender individuals aren’t as inclined to perform in competitive sports – no one wants to be the next media spotlight being roasted online. Additionally, sports have historically been unkind to LGBTQIA+ individuals due to inherent sexism and homophobia instilled in athletic spaces.
Scientifically, there are ASSUMED advantages for transgender individuals who have undergone any of their biological puberty. The limited research compiled since 2020 proclaims that transgender women are faster runners than cisgender women up to two years after beginning hormone replacement therapy and can complete more sit-ups and push-ups up to four years. But using this research to make these arguments is severely flawed.
First, these arguments advocate for complete and permanent bans on transgender athletes. Ignoring how nonsensical it is to ban those who transitioned before puberty, it isn’t logical with adults either. The used studies claim HRT does not significantly affect muscle mass, bone density, and strength – but this is factually bogus. All of these have been proven over and over again as primary side effects of HRT, BUT they are not overnight changes. Medical transition takes time, and it never truly “ends.” Two years on HRT is a VERY early benchmark – for many trans women, this is when they start to notice many of the collective changes they’ve experienced on HRT since it can be such a slow process. Five years and onward is a more acceptable comparison of when transgender bodies fully mimic their cisgender counterparts, but the research ends before this. Had those studies continued for much longer, evidence would have backfired on them.
Secondly, athletes are not typical. To be an Olympian, you must be exceptional. To go pro, you have to be dedicated to your sport. These people are not casual hobbyists. The individuals selected for the studies used to fuel current rules weren’t random. Upon being asked by NPR Michel Martin about the “fairness of transgender bans,” Dr. Bradley Anawalt at the University of Washington replied, “There’s always been inequalities in sports. Somebody who’s born taller than someone who is shorter and plays basketball, we really don’t have this conversation about the potential competitive advantage for people participating in ballet or theater. Peter Pan is almost always played by an adult woman because an adult can act with greater artistry and maturity based on age and experience.” In other words, professional athletes and Olympians have always been insanely exceptional competitors – research pushed out in just a few years is worthless when considering these questions. Further, this doesn’t even begin to unpack sports where biological sex and HRT have nonsignificant impacts, like chess and fencing.
Combining these issues, remember that very few Olympians are transgender. Out of the 0.001% of athletes competing that ARE transgender, they are going to be beyond exceptional. Due to discrimination, harassment, and bias, they have had to fight every step of the way to compete, which is beyond comprehension for their cisgender counterparts. They must absolutely astound their qualifying judges. They’ve got to have a thick skin to survive insults from other competitors, the media, and the general public. This is the case for every successful transgender athlete – due to how hostile the climate is, we must be nearly supernatural at our sport to be accepted.
The policy instilled by the United States Olympic Committee and Paralympic Committee has already been denounced by non-transgender organizations, such as the National Women’s Law Center. The GOP uses transgender identities to proclaim they are protecting women’s lives – but they are the true party of sexual predators and have proven countless times they are against women’s rights.An attack on transgender rights will inevitably become an attack on all rights.
In the context of sports, representation forces the public to become aware and normalize marginalized identities. Before Jackie Robinson was signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Americans struggled with the concept of desegregation. Robinson’s legacy added to the same as those of Black servicemen in the US military in pushing America forward. Less than 1 in 3 Americans claim to know a transgender person, which is the same amount of Americans who argue healthcare providers should not be allowed to provide gender-affirming care to minors, according to Data for Social Good: “There is a positive correlation across the survey results between someone personally knowing a transgender person and expressing greater support for transgender-inclusive policies.” Or, seeing and knowing transgender people makes cisgender people empathetic to our rights.
Transgender people aren’t new to sports. Just like how transgender people have been around for centuries, we have also been participating in competitive sports for a substantial amount of time. The first high-profile case was Renée Richards, whose fight to compete as a woman in the 1976 US Open gained international attention and ended up winning at the New York Supreme Court. Before Renée, there were Zdeněk Koubek and Willy De Bruyn – two transgender and intersex individuals who competed in the 1934 Olympics.
Beginning in the 1940s (likely in response to Koubek and De Bruyn), professional sports began requiring “femininity certificates” provided by athletes by physicians with the central purpose of excluding intersex and transgender competitors. These early tests consisted of visual inspections and physical examinations – but they morphed into chromosome testing by the 1960s due to anti-communist suspicions that the best female athletes coming from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe must be men. Today, sex verification heavily relies on hormone testing – much to the detriment of cisgender and transgender athletes alike. Now, sports sex verification excludes many cisgender women from competing due to naturally high testosterone levels that give them “unfair advantages.”
From Renée’s time in the 1970s until 2003, transgender participation in sports was mixed. Generally, trans individuals were barred from playing, but some were able to successfully compete, such as Roberta Cowell, Parinya Charoenphol, and Michelle Dumaresq. In late 2003, the International Olympic Committee published its first official policy regarding transgender competitors in preparation for the 2004 games in Athens. These policies have become known as the “Stockholm Consensus,” becoming the international standard for sports, although domestic leagues such as the NFL and MLB have never subscribed to IOC guidelines.
The Stockholm Consensus clearly stated that transgender athletes were allowed to compete as their chosen gender rather than their gender assigned at birth, IF they met certain criteria. The Consensus required completed bottom or genital surgery, sexual sterilization, legal recognition of one’s gender in their home country, and long-term verified hormone replacement treatment.
At the end of 2015, the IOC met again to review the Stockholm Consensus and came to the conclusion that its requirements were unhelpful and far too strict. In the ten years it had been put in place, two concerns had come up: first, genital surgery and sterilization showed zero impact on performance and requiring it was an unnecessary and invasive barrier compared to other aspects of transition like HRT; and secondly, one’s ability to be legally recognized as their chosen gender varies drastically based on where they live since the majority of countries don’t allow individuals to do so. The IOC created the 2015 Consensus, which stated transmasculine individuals had zero restrictions for competing (as long as they pass anti-doping tests), and transfeminine athletes must prove they are currently on HRT throughout competition AND show they have been on HRT for at least one full year.
The most recent change came in 2021 when the IOC updated the policy again. Regardless of Trump’s executive orders, laws passed in the US Congress, or any personal policy instated by the US Olympic Committee, this policy is the international standard that the rest of the world abides by. The 2021 Consensus established the precedent that individual sports can create their own requirements regarding transgender competitors – but these requirements are agreed on the international level. Most Olympic sports elected to use the 2015 Consensus as their requirements and called it a day, although some did make their own in pursuit of balancing “fairness” with “inclusion.”
In reality, the US Olympic Committee and Paralympic Committee are likely breaking the IOC rules since it will place a blanket ban on all transgender competitors who failed to medically transition before puberty regardless of transition status – despite the 2021 Consensus stating, “Eligibility criteria should be established and implemented fairly and in a manner that does not systematically exclude athletes from competition based upon their gender identity, physical appearance and/or sex variations. Provided they meet eligibility criteria that are consistent with principle 4 [Fairness], athletes should be allowed to compete in the category that best aligns with their self-determined gender identity.”
No matter who you are, names have unparalleled importance since they often define us and serve as a core aspect of our identity. Names may have even more significance to transgender people since they play a vital role in affirming our gender identities and overall health.
Disclaimer: This article should serve as a GUIDE, not a MANUAL. Every journey is different, and thus, there is no singular way to be trans. Some of these tips may be helpful, while others may not – and that’s okay!
Choosing a new name can be a stressful process. Many (but not all) transgender people choose a new name to identify with as part of their transition since most names have a traditional gender associated with them, so a new name is needed as part of the transition journey. The new name is referred to as a chosen name or affirmed name, whereas the old name they were assigned at birth may be called their deadname, former name, birth name, assigned name, legal name, or some other variant.
The term ‘preferred name’ is ill-advised since it linguistically implies a transgender person’s new name is simply a preference to their previous name – and thus their previous name is still able to be used. Preferred names do exist, but only if someone has multiple chosen names they like being referred by, and not if the only two ‘options’ are a chosen name and a deadname.
One of the most common sources of names (for transgender and cisgender people alike) is family history. There is a certain prestige associated with being named after an important relative, which is why it’s not uncommon for people to pick names from these traditions. Take linguistics into account while picking your name, too. Heritage can be a fantastic inspiration, but be mindful of whether your prospective names have certain races and ethnicities associated with them.
It’s a good idea to take your family into account, regardless of the name you ultimately choose. If you have three cousins named some variant of Megan, do you really want to be the fourth? What about the family drama of picking the same name as your sibling? And while ancestor names are great, you might (or might not) want to be a 20-year-old guy named Bartholomew in 2025. Relatedly, you can also discuss names with your family, such as your parents, assuming they are supportive of your identity. At the end of the day, the name you go by is yours to decide.
Personal Interests: Make It Fun!
The other most common inspiration trans folks draw names from is from personal interests, like celebrities, authors, musicians, actors, historical figures, and characters they admire. This isn’t something just trans people do, either – plenty of cisgender prospective parents use celebrities when coming up with names, as evidenced by name trends whenever there’s a new famous baby born or a new actor that ascends to stardom. However, as mentioned in the previous section, be mindful of names that have associated races and ethnicities attached to them, since it’s poor taste to take a Japanese or Black name as a white person.
There are additional factors to take into account when using this type of inspiration. First, be aware that celebrities are people – musicians are more associated with scandals, but any human is capable of doing less-than-admirable things. In the very least, your chosen name will remind you of a person you used to look up to. At most, you might have an extremely infamous name like O.J. that’s widely associated with a public scandal. Furthermore, your interests will inevitably change – it’s human! Just be mindful of the fact that your favorite anime or TV show will be different from today compared to ten years from now.
It’s Your Name, Resonate With It!
At the end of the day, you don’t need a reason behind your name. You’re allowed to pick any name you resonate with – so consider names you’ve always liked. Some folks use baby name books to spark inspiration, which works too!
While family may provide great suggestions for prospective names, friends and community members can also be a good source. Is there a nickname you’ve always gone by that could work? Are there ways to masculinize, feminize, or androgynize your name? You don’t have to get an entirely new name – some individuals choose to alter their name to simply better fit their gender identity.
Try It Out: Getting Used To Your Name
It can be awkward adjusting to a new name. Make an active effort and practice using your new name in conversations. If you’re struggling with it, the advice I recommend to cisgender folks adjusting to friends and family members’ new names is PRACTICE. Specifically, for each time you mess up, say aloud the correct name in a sentence at least five times. The only way to correct old habits is by forming new ones, which is why folks struggle with change unless they make the effort.
There are also resources online for this same purpose. Take an extra step and use your new name in other online settings, like forums and social media accounts, so you can normalize your chosen name in additional settings. Some sites I recommend include:
Names are a big deal! Do you care if your name is easy to spell or pronounce? In places such as the United States, non-white names will often be misspelled or mispronounced, as well as nontraditional white names like Mehgnn, Airwrecka, or Brandeigh. I want to emphasize that there is nothing wrong with having a “difficult” name, but be prepared to correct people.
Another important aspect to consider is whether you need your name to come across as “professional.” Ultimately, people make predictions based on names alone – even before someone has met you, they’ve already made assumptions about you. Certain names are associated with distinct ages, personalities, and other factors. Do you want one name used universally, or would you prefer different variations like Benjamin, Ben, Benny, and Benji?
Making It Official
To legally change your name outside of marriage or divorce, you must file a court order. This generally requires paperwork to be filed with your local circuit court. Contrary to popular belief, you do not file your name change in your birth city/county – you file your change with the county you live in. The exact forms vary by state, but guidance isn’t too difficult to find since many people change their legal names for non-transition reasons. The forms have to be filed electronically or otherwise online unless you qualify for an exemption. If you qualify, your documents can be filed in person at your local courthouse.
Once filed, you’ll be assigned a court date in the near future, where you will appear before a judge and explain the reasoning for the change before it is officially signed. On that date, you will need to make sure you have your stamped copies of your Name Change Request and Order for Name Change, as well as any criminal records (including any documentation showing previous felonies discharged). Answer the judge and their questions honestly. If the court denies your name change request, ask for another hearing – you have the right to do so. If it was denied due to a mistake on your part, ask the judge to continue the hearing to a later date so you can correct the error. Otherwise, you have the right to file an appeal as long as you file within 30 days of the judge’s decision. Occasionally, some judges will deny trans-related name changes due to personal bias – but these aren’t permissible and are overwhelmingly overturned once appealed. In the words of Lambda Legal, “a judge cannot arbitrarily deny you a name change based on transphobic or sexist notions.”
Looking for a way to remove your deadname while browsing the internet? This free Chrome extension visually replaces your deadname with your chosen name – although it doesn’t actually change your name in the computer code or legally.
This order almost always requires a fee, although it can often be waived if you meet certain income-based criteria. The fee varies drastically based on median county income, but criteria waivers often include:
A number of states require applicants to publish their upcoming name change in a local newspaper, although this is being changed since it is unhelpful and outs folks. This requirement was originally created to notify debt collectors in order to better follow-up on cases.
If your court file open to the public poses a legitimate risk to your health or safety, you can file a Motion to Impound, which requires courts to make your forms private and therefore inaccessible to the public without specific permission granted by a judge. This comes up more often with trans folks since these records potentially out you as transgender.
As one final note, always remember you are allowed to change your name. It’s your identity! It’s okay if the name you choose today isn’t your forever name.
For most, college is both exciting and terrifying. Along with turning eighteen, entering college is the cornerstone of young adulthood for Americans. Finished with high school, college is the first real transition Americans experience as they move away to live separately from their parents. That brings independence, new social opportunities, the need for money management, and everything else that comes with living on your own.
Until recently, the legal understanding of Title IX was that if the law applies to biological sex, then discrimination against one’s adherence or nonadherence to biological sex-associated gender roles and stereotypes wholly falls under Title IX as sex discrimination. If a gay man is harassed on campus because he isn’t masculine enough, it constitutes Title IX because anti-queer harassment ultimately relies on sex-based stereotypes. All Biden’s guidance did was allow LGBTQIA+ students to file discrimination more easily since they could argue it was based on sexual orientation or gender identity rather than having to make the roundabout case above. TLDR: You are still protected under Title IX as a transgender student, but under the Trump administration, you’ll have to file your argument differently.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects students’ information and confidentiality. Once in college, your parents can no longer have access to your records without your explicit consent. So, while your parents would know if you changed your name or pronouns on school documents while in high school, that is no longer the case at college since FERPA forbids that information from being shared. FERPA also requires schools to prevent outing as much as possible, so staff are unable to share your personal information with other professors or students.
Colleges cannot require proof of your gender identity or legal changes to update most documents like student emails, IDs, and rosters. The only exception to this is your health records and college diploma, which will require legal documentation to change.
Professors need to call you by your chosen name, even if it’s not legally changed. People are allowed to make honest mistakes, but purposely misgendering and deadnaming transgender students puts them at increased risk of harm since it outs them.
Colleges have a responsibility to take action when informed of bullying, harassment, and discrimination on campus – including when it applies to queer and transgender students.
Students have a right to use the restroom and locker room that aligns with their gender identity, and colleges cannot force students to use separate facilities. It’s great if a school has a gender-neutral bathroom, but they can’t require you to use it since that would violate the Equal Access Act. I’ll caveat here that locker rooms are up in the air since the Trump administration is waging a war on transgender students’ access to sports.
You have the right to present yourself as your gender identity. Colleges cannot police or restrict expression simply because they dislike it or it’s “controversial.” The Supreme Court has a long history of supporting students’ right to self-expression. Schools cannot ban you from wearing a dress unless they ban dresses amongst all students, nor can they ban a shirt with a progressive rainbow unless they ban all graphic shirts.
Students have a right to choose who and who not to tell they are LGBTQIA+. Colleges are forbidden from outing students under FERPA, which includes details like your deadname, transgender status, and medical history.
If your college offers extracurricular activities (like chess club, Christian associations, or D&D), you have the right to form and be in a school LGBTQIA+ association like a Gay-Straight Alliance.
These laws apply to all American universities and colleges that receive federal funding. Even if they are religious, institutions that use federal funding must adhere to Title IX, FERPA, and other federal laws. Schools that do not want to follow these rules must either be entirely privately funded or apply for religious exemption, which is relatively difficult to get. Out of those colleges, I wouldn’t recommend trans students since these colleges are notoriously anti-transgender.
In addition to these federal protections, you may be further entitled (or marginalized) based on where exactly you live in the United States. Some states, like California, New York, and Illinois, have comprehensive laws protecting LGBTQIA+ students, while others, like Texas and Florida, fall short.
Even if you live in a conservative state, your university might still include LGBTQIA+ identities in its nondiscrimination policies – so it’s important to research your schools! I highly recommend Campus Pride Index as a free resource. They’ve been researching and compiling colleges since 2006 and have a searchable database that gives users insight into cost, atmosphere, and other useful metrics on what LGBTQIA+ resources are available at their school. It’s by far the easiest way to determine if a college has a queer resource center, campus events, nondiscrimination policies, and healthcare coverage. They even maintain lists of the country’s best and worst campuses for LGBTQIA+ students. If your school is not listed on Campus Pride, you should still be able to locate relevant policies. Most often, you’ll want to search for “nondiscrimination policies,” “student handbooks,” or general “policies and guidelines.” If internet searches fail you, don’t hesitate to reach out to your admin staff – they’re there to help you when you have questions about campus policies!
Amongst your university’s policies, you’ll also find guidelines on how to report harassment, discrimination, and general bullying. Always try to follow your college’s established procedures first when you experience harassment – give your administration the benefit of the doubt and remember to document all incidents, filed complaints, and communication you have with administration. If your school refuses to take your complaint seriously, you should then involve outside resources like local LGBTQIA+ nonprofits, GLSEN, or your state ACLU chapter. These organizations will help you determine the next steps best suited for your situation.
Some situations might require you to file a lawsuit against your school. You will likely want to have guidance from a legal authority like the ACLU before proceeding with filing or sourcing a competent legal group to represent you. You can also file complaints to the United States Department of Education – but given the political climate, you might not get a good response regardless of your legal rights. If you go this route, remember you only have 180 days to file a complaint with the Department and to file the discrimination as “sex-based.” Complaints that are not fully completed are automatically trashed and not investigated. Include as many details as possible, and keep in mind that your complaint is required to be confidential under federal law.
You’re going to be busy the first week of the semester. Everyone is. Try to get all your paperwork completed before the first day of class and reduce future headaches. Nearly all of this will require working with your campus administration, for better or worse.
As mentioned above, universities do not legally have to have a court order or medical documentation to update your name or gender marker in most of their electronic systems, but the process for doing so likely won’t be easy or straightforward unless they have already set up their systems for these changes. Many schools use ancient software to process and store student information, which is why admins huff and puff at being asked to change a student’s name. However, a process being annoying or difficult is not grounds to deny you from changing your name or gender marker at school. At college, you are paying to be there – the admins essentially work for you, and your comfort, safety, and overall confidentiality are worth pursuing. Some examples of items you can (and should) change include:
Your official school email, including associated accounts with it, like Word and Outlook.
Your public name in homework submission portals like Blackboard and Canvas.
Your school ID.
Classroom rosters.
Sports uniforms, if applicable.
The only items that require a legal order from a court to update in university software are:
Your diploma and transcript.
Financial aid information stored by FAFSA and your college’s financial aid office.
And personal health information stored by your college’s health center.
Anything else can be changed as an unofficial nickname. Your university is able to mark you as your identified gender in the class roster sent to campus professors without a court-ordered gender marker change. Legal orders only require your school to comply, but it is entirely possible to change most items before that point.
Dr. Genny Beemyn has the most current database of universities and colleges that allow transgender students to use a nonlegal name or pronouns in their files, originally hosted through Campus Pride’s TPC. Check their site to see if your school makes the list.
I’m not naïve – and I don’t recommend you be, either. Despite the law and clear instructions, I have been told myself by college admins things along the lines of “no, we can’t do that without court papers” and “hmm, yeah, I think we know the law better than you do and we don’t have to update your information.” I’ve also come across administrators who are extremely willing to make those minor changes – and my experience isn’t an anomaly. Given the environment academic administrators work in, you’re going to get a mixed bag of individuals who are willing to help as well as others who will throw a fit at your request. Some of them might be aware of LGBTQIA+ issues and why it’s important to get these items changed, while other administrators will huff because “it’s against their religion” to treat you with respect or update your information. And unfortunately, they hold all of the cards. In the event you experience discrimination from your university administration, you will have to follow your campus’ procedures for reporting it – which requires more conversations with admin. Depending on how LGBTQIA+ competent your school is, this paperwork could be an uphill battle.
Map of Healthcare Laws and Policy Exclusions by State, Movement Advancement Project
Regardless, the Trans Policy Clearinghouse has a list of colleges that explicitly list their transgender healthcare inclusions – now hosted on Genny Beemyn’s website.
The last major player in this category is housing. Most people don’t know who their roommate will be, although a growing number of universities are trying to match students with compatible roommates based on preferences. This can be even more anxiety-inducing for transgender students since you have to worry further about what gender you’ll be assigned for housing and whether your roommate will be chill with your identity or totally hateful. At least 470 schools are documented as having “gender-inclusive housing” on campus, which means there is a dorm, facility, or other living space that students can live in regardless of gender identity or sex assigned at birth. Genny Beemyn has an ongoing database of schools that publicly list having these housing options available, but the vast majority of high-ranking colleges on the Campus Pride Index will have this available.
Live Your Life: Finding the Basics for Survival
Considering most Americans begin college around the age of eighteen, university presents the first genuine opportunity for students to medical transition through gender-affirming care like hormone replacement therapy. The feasibility of doing so will depend on your school’s healthcare coverage, but the bottom line is that the ACA requires such care to be possible if you manage to complete their required steps, since gender-affirming care is medically necessary. Typically, these steps include sourcing a licensed mental health professional who is willing to write a letter certifying that your transgender identity is ‘established,’ not a phase, and you can make major decisions like beginning HRT based on your current mental state.
No matter how conservative your university is, you are not the first transgender student that has attended it, although you might be one of its first openly trans students. Transgender people live in all climates, including cities, suburbs, and the rural countryside. If your school has an LGBTQIA+ resource center or queer student organization, ask them first where trans students go for gender-affirming healthcare. If your school doesn’t, you’ll have to do some research: ask around online, like city-specific Facebook groups and subreddits, call the nearest LGBTQIA+ nonprofit, or visit a government health department. The last two will have staff available with the purpose of finding relevant resources – so use ’em!
Even if you’re battling administration for the items I referenced in the previous section, you can still email your upcoming professors prior to the semester. Most professors make an effort to use students’ nicknames anyway to foster a better classroom environment. So, if you happen to know who your professors will be, send them an email before the first day explaining your situation and that your assigned name and gender on their official roster don’t match what you go by. Use this email template and plug in your information. Even though my college admin eventually did change my name in their systems, I still had to send out emails since rosters were sent before the admin had made the change.
If you’re going the route of emailing your professors, remember it won’t solve everything. Without your university administration updating official rosters, you will encounter issues with other staff. Most often, this applies to substitute teachers and teacher assistants – subs sometimes get copies of the official roster rather than the one your regular professor uses. This means you can potentially be outed by a sub until your campus information is actually changed.
If you are beginning to live openly trans for the first time, you’ll discover how difficult it can be to advocate for yourself. More than anyone else, you have your best interests in mind – and there are uneducated people in every space, including college. Prepare for headaches, find quick resources to give to curious folks, learn when to shut down ‘curious’ Devil’s advocates, and have a plan in place to deal with incoming microaggressions. This is easier said than done, but I cannot emphasize how important it is for your own sake as well as future transgender students that will inevitably attend your university. Yes, it can be easier to just ride out the semester and not correct the side remarks by your professor – and sometimes, that’s what you need to do to emotionally and physically survive. But by not confronting those hard conversations, you leave the work for the next student that comes.
To an extent, you can also research trans-friendly restrooms, businesses, and events close to campus prior to the semester beginning – although sometimes it’s smoother to wait until you have real people to ask while navigating your first weeks. When you’re early in your transition, you need to feel safe and comfortable. Genny Beemyn has TPC’s previous list of universities with published maps of gender-neutral restrooms on campus, BUT I also recommend the REFUGE app. REFUGE is a free mobile app that lets users pinpoint trans-friendly bathrooms. You might be the first in your area to utilize the app and have a blank slate, or you might find a filled map with a treasure trove of tips. Either way, REFUGE allows you to build an underground resource for yourself and others at your school.
While on campus, the best (and most traditional) way to determine whether a space is LGBTQIA+ friendly is through “safe space” signage. Today, these signs are most common among less progressive schools where acceptance isn’t seen as the norm, but they’re great anywhere. Beyond campus grounds, these apps and sites are good ways to find trans-affirming spaces:
Strands for Trans is an online database for barbershops and hair salons.
Everywhere Is Queer is a mobile app for all businesses (including virtual ones), similar to Strands for Trans. Businesses self-report whether they identify as LGBTQIA+ friendly.
For bars and nightlife, look into GayCities, Travel Gay, and Yelp. GayCities and Travel Gay are better options if you live near a metropolitan area, but Yelp is more helpful for less populated regions.
Beyond websites and mobile apps, the best way to really determine whether a business is trans-friendly is by word of mouth. Find other queer and trans people on campus or a queer nonprofit – their experiences are worth significantly more than self-reported labels online. And while I’m aware of other websites that compile businesses, like Pink Robin, Hey Fam, LGBTQ+ Business Week, LGBTQIA Hub, and the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, these sites focus heavily on e-commerce. Large cities like NYC and the Queer Money Project – and cities are more likely to have listings on apps such as Qlist and MisterB&B.
Support Yourself: Self-Care Matters
In order to thrive at college, you have to think beyond the basics. Between assignments and dealing with less-than-supportive classmates and staff, you will need an outlet for support. Be proactive and plan to create support as your semester begins. And if you’re struggling with coming out at college, Campus Pride has a resource tailored for you – and here is the most current copy of the Coming Out as a Transgender Person Workbook.
The simplest way to get connected with like-minded peers is to join a student organization. Clubs and other associates exist no matter the size of your school, including if you attend community college. Look for organizations that cater to queer identities (if possible) or interests you have. If you find your university lacks sufficient organizations, you’re entitled to create your own as long as you follow your school’s policies and have a staff member to serve as the club sponsor. In my experience, LGBTQIA+ college student organizations are way more active than high school ones – from anti-bullying campaigns to social functions, they’re worth checking out and giving a chance.
Speaking of which, check to see if your college has an LGBTQIA+ resource center. These are specific departments created by the university to handle LGBTQIA+ issues, training, clubs, and support. Schools with resource centers typically score higher on all metrics of the Campus Pride Index since they help recruit and retain queer students by fostering a safe campus environment. If your school lacks an LGBTQIA+ resource center, it may have something related like a “diversity department.” These are more common in community colleges and smaller schools that lack the funds to have multiple departments.
It feels like a stereotype, but queer people are good at finding each other. Use your natural gaydar to find safe friends to connect with. They don’t have to necessarily dress or “look” gay, but trust your gut when you feel good or bad vibes from your fellow classmates. People pay to go to college and learn, so they’re at least marginally more open-minded than the general population.
Being transgender shouldn’t limit you from traditional college activities that your cisgender peers get to enjoy. Don’t limit yourself to hobbies and organizations solely surrounding your queer identity – use every resource available to you and try every club that you find interesting. Beyond clubs, the most common social resources are sports and Greek life.
Currently, per “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” transfeminine individuals are barred completely from participating in college sports. Transmasculine and nonbinary folks might be technically allowed right now, but you’re unlikely to find these spaces welcoming. As most readers probably know, these bans are based on vast misunderstandings of existing laws and policies – but the harm still exists.
The TLDR is that anti-transgender sports bans overwhelmingly overestimate transgender people’s involvement in athletic competitions and overwhelmingly underestimate the laws that already dictate when and if transgender people can perform. For example, while approximately 10,500 people try out for the Olympics, fewer than a dozen might identify as transgender. That calculates to 0.001% of those folks trying out. To not be automatically disqualified during this process, transgender people must provide medical and legal documentation of their gender identity – which includes proving they have been consistently using estrogen HRT and using testosterone supplements for multiple years to force their hormone levels to be identical to biologically female competitors. This standard by the International Olympic Committee is enforced in other sports, and for decades, it was the same applied to student sports. The Trump ban supersedes these precedents and bars trans people from competing no matter what. In the context of school, sports are well-understood as crucial for supporting students’ emotional and physical well-being since they provide an outlet for exercise while fostering team-building. Yet, because of the Trump administration’s ban, transgender students are forbidden from having these experiences.
“Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” is centered on competitive sports, so it’s unclear how strictly it is applied to noncompetitive or intramural sports clubs, but I advise caution since it will largely depend on the political climate of your school on whether they will use the executive order against you.
You don’t find many LGBTQIA+ people in Greek life. Part of it comes from its long history of strict gender roles for frat boys and sorority girls. Another part comes from Greek organizations not being kind to marginalized folks, especially considering how many organizations get accused of sexual harassment and hazing. Then, of course, Greek life is associated with higher incomes since joining these associations generally requires annual fees. Despite this, there are Greek organizations with explicit mission statements that include transgender people – and there are also organizations founded by LGBTQIA+ students.
Some sororities include:
Alpha Chi Omega (ΑΧΩ)
Alpha Delta Pi (ΑΔΠ)
Alpha Epsilon Phi (ΑΕΦ)
Alpha Gamma Delta (ΑΓΔ)
Alpha Lambda Zeta (ΑΛΖ)
Alpha Omicron Pi (ΑΟΠ)
Alpha Pi Delta (ΑΠΔ)
Alpha Sigma Alpha (AΣA)
Alpha Sigma Tau (ΑΣΤ)
Alpha Xi Delta (ΑΞΔ)
Beta Phi Omega (ΒΦΩ)
Delta Delta Delta (ΔΔΔ)
Delta Gamma (ΔΓ)
Delta Phi Epsilon (ΔΦΕ)
Gamma Phi Beta (ΓΦΒ)
Gamma Rho Lambda (GRL)
Eta Epsilon Gamma (ΗΕΓ)
Eta Iota Mu (ΗΙΜ)
Kappa Alpha Lambda (ΚΑΛ)
Kappa Alpha Theta (ΚΑΘ)
Kappa Delta (ΚΔ)
Kappa Kappa Gamma (ΚΚΓ)
Kappa Omega Omicron (ΚΏΟ)
Kappa Theta Epsilon (ΚΘΕ)
Kappa Xi Omega (ΚΞΩ)
Lambda Delta Lambda (ΛΔΛ)
Omicron Epsilon Pi (ΟΕΠ)
Phi Omega (ΦΩ)
Phi Sigma Sigma (ΦΣΣ)
Sigma Alpha Iota (ΣAI)
Sigma Delta Tau (ΣΔΤ)
Sigma Omega Phi (ΣΩΦ)
Sigma Phi Chi (ΣΦΧ)
Sigma Sigma Sigma (ΣΣΣ)
Theta Phi Alpha (ΘΦΑ)
Zeta Omega Eta (ΖΩΗ)
Zeta Tau Alpha (ΖΤΑ)
Zeta Theta Psi (ΖΘΨ)
Some fraternities include:
Acacia
Alpha Sigma Phi (AΣΦ)
Beta Gamma Pi (ΒΓΠ)
Beta Theta Pi (BΘΠ)
Chi Phi (XΦ)
Chi Psi (XΨ)
Delta Chi (ΔX)
Delta Lambda Phi (ΔΛΦ)
Delta Phi Upsilon (ΔΦΥ)
Delta Sigma Phi (ΔΣΦ)
Delta Tau Delta (ΔΤΔ)
Delta Upsilon (ΔΥ)
Kappa Delta Rho (KΔP)
Kappa Kappa Psi (KKΨ)
Kappa Psi Kappa (ΚΨΚ)
Lambda Chi Alpha (ΛXA)
Omega Delta Phi (ΩΔΦ)
Phi Delta Theta (ΦΔΘ)
Phi Kappa Tau (ΦKT)
Phi Sigma Kappa (ΦΣK)
Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠKA)
Pi Kappa Phi (ΠKΦ)
Pi Lambda Phi (ΠΛΦ)
Psi Upsilon (ΨY)
Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣAE)
Sigma Chi (ΣΧ)
Sigma Epsilon Omega (ΣΕΩ)
Sigma Phi Beta (ΣΦΒ)
Sigma Phi Epsilon (ΣΦE)
Sigma Nu (ΣN)
Sigma Tau Gamma (ΣTΓ)
Tau Beta Sigma (TBΣ)
Tau Kappa Epsilon (ΤΚΕ)
Theta Chi (ΘX)
Theta Delta Chi (ΘΔX)
Theta Xi (ΘΞ)
Zeta Alpha Delta (ΖΑΔ)
Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT)
And some all-gender Greek associations include:
Alpha Delta Phi Society (ΑΔΦ)
The Euglossian Society (ΕΥΓ)
Lambda Alpha Lambda (ΛΑΛ)
Lambda Delta Xi (ΛΔΞ)
Nu Delta (ΝΔ)
Phi Sigma Pi (ΦΣΠ)
Th Delta Sigma (ΘΔΣ)
Theta Pi Sigma (ΘΠΣ)
Zeta Delta Xi (ΖΔΞ)
Sigma Omicron Rho (ΣΟΡ)
Even if you are introverted, shy, or otherwise not a social person, I highly recommend creating an in-person support system. Go to club meetings, join your local community, and make IRL friends. Entirely online support systems don’t foster the same level of mental wellness – although they can still be useful. For that purpose, here are some online resources for transgender college students.
⭐ Looking for generic trans resources? Click here.
Between going to class, making friends, and inevitably dealing with conflict, you need to set aside time for self-care. Do things you enjoy. Engage in therapy. Work on setting boundaries. Develop hobbies to do in your free time that don’t feel like work. And if you struggle with self-care, here’s an info hub by GSA Network.
And of course, small things matter. Assuming your dorm or living space allows it, cultivate your room to foster a sense of pride. You’ll be spending a lot of time in your room, so make it inviting – hang up a pride flag, put up some posters, and decorate the space to inspire joy. After a potentially long day at class dealing with people, don’t you deserve to feel comfortable and proud of who you are?
Movies are an important part of culture – for some, film provides a simple stress release and a means to entertain ourselves; for others, it is another teaching tool that allows us to critique society through art. Movies also influence us, inspiring us to be creative – and they hold the potential to feed propaganda, too. Despite its relatively short history compared to other art forms, film has become incredibly integrated into daily life: you won’t find a person who doesn’t like movies to some degree, whether they’re action-packed time-wasters or thoughtful stories that reveal new insights through their narratives. Each person who watches a film will take away a different message, which is why movies are a great format when books or traditional art fail.
Throughout my work, I’ve put together many lists like this. While everyone is capable of theoretically learning about other cultures and perspectives, most are unlikely to. Unless it’s directly in their face, few go out of their way when they could watch the latest release from Marvel or Disney. I’ve spent plenty of time trying to make digestible recommendations to get folks interested in transgender media. To celebrate Pride, here are the most popular movies mentioned when looking for trans-specific films.
Nearly every movie on this list is categorized as “indie” – transgender stories aren’t seen as compelling or profitable enough for big producers yet. 3 Generations centers on a transgender boy as he navigates coming out to his family. Notably, this film has bad reviews, but it always gets suggested when you search the internet for transmasculine films due to the extreme lack of them. If you’re looking for something trans to watch, go for it – but there are better movies on this list. 3 Generations falls short because of it focuses too much on the cisgender family members. It holds a lot of potential for telling a great story but flubs portraying gender identity. Critics generally agree that the film had good intentions but forces too many compromises for the transgender main character to appeal to the cisgender adults around him.
Content Warning / Available on… Roku Channel, PLEX, The CW, Peacock, YouTube, Google Movies, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango
A much better movie about transgender people dealing with family, 52 Tuesdays explores the relationship between a transgender man and his teenage daughter after he comes out. The daughter is limited to only see him on Tuesday evenings for the next year (hence the film title) and the drama that always comes with transition. The main gripe comes from it being released in 2013, right before transgender people were thrown into the media spotlight, so there’s lots of problematic reviews attempting to explain transness.
Content Warning / Available on… Kanopy, YouTube, Google Movies, Amazon Prime, Fandango, Apple TV
Marina is a Chilean transgender woman who, after her boyfriend dies suddenly from a brain aneurysm, has to deal with his family as they harass her. Death is a complicated process, and she’s strung through the wringer as they take away everything from her. The movie even won an Oscar in 2018 – it’s bittersweet and manages to relate well to real trans issues. Chilean activists credit the film as a major help in advancing a gender identity law in 2018 that finally allowed transgender Chileans to change their legal gender.
Content Warning / Available on… Peacock, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango, Netflix*
Adam (2019)
Transmasc* | 73% RT | Comedy | NR | 1h 35m
Based on the novel Adam, the movie follows cisgender teenager Adam while he lives with his older sister – who is involved in New York City’s LGBTQIA+ scene. Adam eventually develops a crush on a lesbian girl who assumes Adam is a transgender man. Adam goes with it, lying about his sex assigned at birth and gender identity. The premise is overused, and the lesbian girl comes out as bisexual by the end of the movie after Adam reveals he’s actually cisgender. Adam still tells an interesting story, but it has a lot of potentially problematic issues. Sexuality is fluid and complicated, but the movie normalizes cis men’s fantasies about turning lesbians; lesbians are attracted to women, but Adam fuels lesbian attraction to transgender men; and of course, any movie that associates transgender people with lying should be taken with a grain of salt.
On the other hand, the movie is directed by a transgender man (Rhys Ernst), who made slight changes to the original book due to criticism. For what it’s worth, Adam does show how folks’ minds can be opened once they engage with other communities.
Content Warning | Available on… Tubi, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Roku Channel, YouTube, Google Movies, Fandango, Apple TV
Another recommendation due to the lack of actual transmasculine films, Albert Nobbs is interpreted as transgender… ish. Albert is a butler in 1800s Ireland who has lived as a man for thirty years to work despite societal restrictions. It’s difficult to decide whether Albert is a cisgender woman trying to survive in a male society or if Albert is a transgender man existing in the few routes possible to him, like IRL figures like Albert Cashier. While most folks involved in the film likely lean into the former interpretation, I believe the movie is significantly more interesting if you view Albert as a very early transgender man. However, the 1800s is a brutal time to be alive – disease and abuse are rampant, and Albert does eventually die by the end.
Content Warning | Available on… YouTube, Google Movies, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango
Alice Júnior (2019)
Transfemme | Comedy Drama | NR | 1h 27m
This movie is so small that it doesn’t have a Rotten Tomatoes score – but the three critics that have reviewed it have had positive things to say. Alice is a transgender girl who makes YouTube videos, forced to move out to the conservative Brazilian countryside and attend a Catholic school. It’s a coming-of-age story about Alice getting her first kiss despite bullying and harassment.
Content Warning / Available on… Kanopy, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Another Oscar-winner, All About My Mother is considered a classic among transgender films. After her son is killed in a car accident, Manuela recouncils with her ex-partner Lola – a transgender woman who never knew she had a son with Manuela. Along the journey, she meets other folks in the trans and sex work community. It’s messy, just like real life, and explores motherhood, HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, and topics that scare traditional Hollywood away.
Content Warning / Available on… Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
As We Like It / Jie Da Huan Xi (2021)
Transmasc* | NR | Romantic Drama | 1h 47m
As a Taiwanese retelling of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, the film explores Orlando and Rosalind’s love – but every single role is played by a woman to play on the historical reality that women were banned from the theater during Shakespeare’s time. It’s mild and a good watch if you’re seeking something more interesting than the classic Shakespeare version. It’s up to you to interpret the characters as transgender men in straight relationships or lesbians defying traditional gender roles.
Content Warning / Currently unavailable to stream in the United States
This Taiwanese film is based on the real life of Parinya Charoenphol, a self-identified kathoey who participated in professional boxing to help pay for her gender affirmation surgery. Despite its age, the movie manages to be a decent representation – it’s packed full of action, and transgender stories are rare in the sports movie genre.
Transfemme | 89% RT | Romance, Comedy, & Drama | R | 1h 35m
Honestly, I’ve heard a lot of good things about Boy Meets Girl – and it’s a fantastic alternative to those tired of sob stories, tragic tales, and dramas. Ricky, a transgender woman, works as barista in a small Kentuckian town with big dreams of moving to NYC to become a fashion designer. Unlike most movies, Boy Meets Girl uses an actual transgender woman (Michelle Hendley) to star in the lead role.
Content Warning / Available on… Hulu, Roku Channel, Tubi, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Transmasc | 91% RT | Historical Drama | R | 1h 58m
There isn’t a more “classic” transmasc film than Boys Don’t Cry – due to the lack of representation and visibility in media, it’s essentially our Brokeback Mountain. It was released in 1999 and portrays the real and tragic murder of Brandon Teena, a victim to an anti-trans hate crime in rural Nebraska.
If you’re looking for a light-hearted movie to watch, do not watch Boys Don’t Cry. Honestly, don’t watch it unless you’re really ready for it. Among transmasc forums, watching it seen as a rite of passage – but it’s a traumatic and gruesome film that brings gravity to trans hate crimes. Beyond that, it’s important to remember this film takes some pretty large liberties from reality: both of his murderers are alive in prison today, and the negligent sheriff Charles Laux was kept until retirement instead of fired for gross misconduct – although Laux did pass away in 2021 (good riddance). There’s also fair criticism in Hilary Swank’s portrayal of Brandon Teena as a cisgender woman. Lastly, I have a personal gripe that Boys Don’t Cry is the transmasculine community’s centerpiece film, but Brandon Teena was kind of… not a great guy. IRL Brandon should absolutely be alive today, but he had a lot of flaws and adored toxic masculinity, which isn’t something young trans guys should be looking up to. Take him with a grain of salt and hope for better stories in the future.
Looking for a more accurate telling of Brandon Teena’s story? The Brandon Teena Story was released a year before Boys Don’t Cry as a crime documentary.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Fandango, Hulu*
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
Transfemme | 58% RT | Comedy Thriller | R | 2h 15 m
Kitten is forced to balance life during one of Ireland’s most dangerous periods in recent history – transgender people don’t stop existing during major events, and she finds herself constantly surrounded by conflict due to The Troubles. Between her troubled youth, joining a punk rock band, and getting involved in sex work, Kitten struggles through external and internal turmoil while searching for her biological mother. Breakfast on Pluto is one of those films that critics hate but audiences love – so it’s got its own cult following.
Content Warning / Available on… Pluto, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
There are definitely better and worse movies out there, but By Hook or By Crook makes the list due to having a transmasculine main character. Shy is a transgender man who leaves for San Francisco and meets Valentine along the way – the two commit various petty crimes to make ends meet, so my main qualm with the film is similar to Boys Don’t Cry as transmasculine representation. I’m sure Shy is a complex character, but most transmasculine characters focus too heavily on toxic masculinity and fuel anti-trans stereotypes about transgender people being liars and criminals.
Troy suddenly takes his transgender son Joe out into the Montana wilderness to make their way to Canada – without telling Joe’s mother, largely due to her not being supportive of their son’s gender identity. Joe has a rough relationship with both of his parents, since his mother actively preaches against his transgender identity, and his father hasn’t been the most present due to prison and drug addiction. As expected, Joe’s mother reports to the police and has a search out for her missing child – and Troy’s drug addiction eventually catches up to him while on the trail. Compared to the last movie, criticslove Cowboys but audiences are mixed due to the film having a pretty slow pace at times.
Content Warning / Available on… Tubi, Roku Channel, Philo, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Ron Woodroof works with transgender woman Rayon after discovering he has AIDS during the 1980s. The health industry is against treating AIDS due to anti-gay politics, and thus Ron is forced to source medication from alternative sources to stay alive. Together, Ron and Rayon distribute treatment to others also failed by the mainstream health establishment.
Dallas Buyers Club is genuinely a good film, and it’s based on the real events Ron Woodroof experienced when creating the Dallas Buyers Club – a front he used to supply medication and supplements relieving AZT symptoms and AIDS.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Death and Bowling (2021)
Transmasc | Sport-ish Drama | NR | 1h 4m
A relatively short movie, Death and Bowling follows a transgender man who is made the captain of his local lesbian bowling league after the former captain passes away. If you’re seeking something sport-adjacent, it might be a good watch – assuming you can find somewhere to stream it.
Hollywood has never portrayed transgender people fairly – and it likely take decades before we’re accurately and positively represented. Disclosure is a COVID-era documentary that details transgender portrayals in mainstream media and its affects on public opinion on transgender rights. Since it was produced by Netflix, you’ll only be able to stream it via their service.
Sonny is a bisexual man married to both a cisgender woman (Angie) and a transgender woman (Liz) who struggles to maintain control of an escalating situation when he attempts a Brooklyn bank robbery. He draws national media attention and the ire of the FBI, and Dog Day Afternoon shows an accurate portrayal of what Sonny and Liz’s relationship would have been like with a lot of heart. The film doesn’t shy away from portraying anti-transgender harassment and discrimination, and there’s a substantial point in that while Sonny is a criminal, he truly loves Liz and his love for her (and his own bisexuality) aren’t what make him bad.
Content Warning / Available on… Hulu, Paramount+, fuboTV, Sling, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
There are very few full-length Native American transgender films. Drunktown’s Finest was directed and performed by Native American artists and tells three separate stories that collide together – one of which focuses on transgender woman Felixia. Reservations are underfunded hellscapes drained of resources and disconnected from the rest of the country, and the three main characters are all seeking something beyond their Navajo town.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
I wouldn’t actually recommend Ed Wood if you’re wanting a real transgender movie, but it’s still on this list. It portrays the real life of Ed Wood, the American filmmaker behind numerous pulp films between the 1950s to 1970s – including Glen or Glenda, the central film Wood is trying to create in Ed Wood. Glen or Glenda was one of America’s very first movies with transgender representation, which is why Glend(a) is depicted as a transvestite and also why Ed Wood was awarded Worst Director of All Time at the 1980 Golden Turkey Awards. Ed Wood was directed by Tim Burton, who was fascinated by the exploitation culture dominating 1950s Hollywood.
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Emilia, a Mexican cartel boss, transitions as a transgender woman to finally live as herself with the help of doctors, lawyers, and other experts. Even though it’s difficult to leave her past life behind, Emilia manages to and even creates a nonprofit for victims of cartel violence – but it all comes crashing down when Emilia’s ex-wife finds new love and separates her from her children.
Critics enjoy Emilia Pérez, and it’s based on an opera libretto. It even features an actual transgender actress in the lead role – but audiences have absolutely trashed its ratings. Most of the hate reviews relate to it being a musical, since the public is seemingly exhausted of live-action musical movies, BUT Emilia Pérez has also been criticized for being poor representation of the transgender community as well as Latin America. There’s a heavy focus on the necessity of gender-affirming surgery, and of course – the movie centers on a transgender woman being a high-profile criminal, aggressive, and ultimately a liar despite it being released in 2024.
Two-Spirit / Transfemme | Dramatic Fantasy | R | 1h 37m
After a devasting earthquake hits Oaxaca, Mexico, a fashion designer joins a community muxes for research. The earthquake has a profound emotional impact on the community, and the film follows them process these emotions while fighting for legal recognition as a third gender in Mexico.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV
This is an artsy movie, born out of Japan’s New Wave era and combines arthouse and experimental cinema with the documentary genre. Funeral Parade of Roses follows Eddie, a transgender woman, as she navigates the queer scene in Tokyo. It takes direct inspiration from the Greek classic Oedipus, where Eddie eventually murders her mother and unknowingly sleeps with her father.
After his release from prison, Enrique returns home to find his wife having an affair and a new daughter – Vanessa has come out as a transgender woman and is transitioning despite Enrique’s lack of acceptance. The film focuses heavily on Enrique and Vanessa’s relationship as he struggles coming to terms with cisnormative ideas and toxic masculinity. It’s based on the Bronx neighborhood of the same name, and Gun Hill Road is notable for being one of the first films to have a transgender actor portray a transgender role.
Content Warning / Available on… Tubi, YouTube, Google Movies, Amazon Prime, Fandango
I included Hedwig and the Angry Inch on this list, but Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything!, and similar films get an honorary spot here. Hedwig isn’t actually trans, and honestly, the premise is pretty problematic – but the film is based on the campy rock musical released in 1998. Hedwig is a gay man born in East Germany, persuaded to have a sex reassignment surgery to travel to the United States as her boyfriend Luther’s wife. Her surgery is botched, Luther leaves her for a man, and the Berlin Wall falls to combine East Germany with West Germany. Driven by the allure of stardom, Hedwig goes on a journey to become a musical sensation despite trials, copyright infringement, and general misery.
Is Hedwig transgender? I’d argue possibly more so than the lead characters in Priscilla and To Wong Foo, but these films barely pass by as queer camp classics. It’s important to remember that Hedwig all hinges on the premise that Hedwig was forcibly given a botched sex reassignment surgery – she eventually accepts her identity as a woman, but that’s a pretty harmful trope to perpetuate since anti-transgender activists foam at the idea of transgender people being persuaded into bodily mutilation.
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After huffing a magic can of aerosol, Trinity discovers she can speak with the dead – and Holy Trinity is an hour and half comedic fever dream as she grapples with this power. Alongside her, Trinity is joined by nonbinary lead character Baby, who follows her alternative sexuality and spirituality journey.
Andrea is the eldest child of a dysfunctional Italian family during the 1970s who bonds with a Romani girl and his mother Clara eventually after coming out as transgender. Things have to break before they get better, which includes Andrea’s family. Andrea, Clara, and Sara all feel like outsiders to the rest of the world – whether they’re trapped in a body they don’t identify with, a loveless marriage, or a hostile world.
Content Warning… Tubi, Freevee, YouTube, PLEX, Amazon Prime, Fandango, Google Movies
Lingua Franca (2019)
Transfemme | 87% RT | Romantic Drama | NR | 1h 35m
Olivia is pursuing a marriage-based green card to avoid ICE deportation while taking care of Olga, a Russian-Jewish woman living in Brooklyn in the early stages of dementia. Lingua Franca is Isabel Sandoval’s third feature film, and she stars as the lead character in addition to directing, writing, and producing the movie. It’s pretty well-liked, and it’s a solid choice if you’re wanting to support a transgender creative.
Content Warning / Available on… Tubi*, Netflix*, Amazon Prime
Major! (2015)
Transfemme | Documentary | NR | 1h 35m
While most people are aware of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, less know about Miss Major Griffin-Gracy – a formerly incarcerated transgender woman of color who has fighting for transgender rights for over 40 years, including during Stonewall. Major! is a documentary film giving insight to her life thus far and the campaigns she has been a part of. Miss Major survived Attica State Prison, sex work, and a lifetime of anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination, and her story is one of the few from the frontlines of Stonewall.
Nonbinary actor Lío Mehiel plays Feña, a young transgender man attempting to rekindle former relationships with his father, estranged half-sister, and straight ex-boyfriend. After coming out and transitioning, Feña has lost a lot of people in his life – within 24 short hours, he’s sept through the extremes of human emotion as people finally re-enter his life.
Content Warning / Available on… Amazon Prime, Netflix*, Google Movies, Fandango, Apple TV
Ludovic is unapologetically herself, and My Life in Pink is her journey in getting her family and community to accept her identity as a transgender girl. She might just be seven years old, but she knows she’s a girl – her parents struggle adjusting to this new knowledge as they try to impress their new neighbors. The film has a lot of funny moments as well as tough ones: Ludo attempts suicide during the film after being assaulted and she’s ostracized by her community, but her parents accept her gender identity by the end of the movie despite her age and it being the 1990s.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Amazon Prime, fubo, Google Movies, Apple TV
After being framed for the queen’s murder, Ballister Boldheart goes into hiding and meets Nimona who takes interest to Ballister for his “villainous” deed. The two have to find evidence to clear Ballister’s name, but he’s led to believe that Nimona is an ancient monster from historical legends. The film is about friendship and acceptance of one’s self – Nimona has lived their entire life feeling like they can’t fit in anywhere due to their magical shapeshifting powers. Nimona is implied to be nonbinary and genderfluid, even though the film uses predominantly feminine pronouns to refer to them.
Ruth Applewood shocks her wife after celebrating their 25th marriage anniversary with her plans to transition into a woman in the rural Midwest. Her transition drives the family apart, but they eventually find their way back to each other after months of conflict and harassment.
I want to write an additional note that while the film has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and pretty good audience reviews, the inspiration behind Normal is problematic. In an HBO interview, writer and director Jane Anderson said she hadn’t sourced any actual transgender people when creating the book or movie, and based the premise of the film by viewing transition the “ultimate betrayal” of love. The film wouldn’t hold up well if created today, especially with that mindset.
Based off Virginia Woolf’s novel, Orlando follows an androgynous nobleman who transforms into a woman. The story begins in the early 1600s until the present day (1992) due to Queen Elizabeth I’s magical wish for her to not fade, wither, or grow old. Virginia Woolf was queer herself, and Orlando has inspired many others with different takes on the story – including the 2023 documentary Orlando, My Political Biography, which has gotten even better reviews than the original as it combines Woolf’s story with a modern understanding of transgender identity.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Google Movies, Amazon Prime, Fandango, Apple TV
Paris Is Burning is one of the LGBTQIA+ community’s most classic films, giving an inside look at NYC’s ballroom culture during the late 1980s. It was the Golden Age of New York’s underground scene for queer and transgender people of color – and without ballroom culture, we wouldn’t have modern drag today. There’s a touch of how many transgender people identified more safely as just gay drag performers, but it also capitalizes on how social these events were in a time LGBTQIA+ people were forced underground due to the AIDS epidemic.
Of course, I feel inclined to note Paris Is Burning has its own controversies: while the film is integral to queer history, it can also have flaws. The Black and Brown performers in the film were generally exploited and the profit made wasn’t distributed well – which is why multiple performers in the movie later took director Jennie Livingston to court. Others have pointed out that Livingston, at the end of the day, was a cisgender white woman. Without her, Paris Is Burning may have never existed, but she still took advantage of a vulnerable community for her own gain.
Enjoy Paris Is Burning but want something more contemporary? Kiki was released in 2016 and is regarded by critics as a sequel to the original documentary – although there are notable differences, such as Kiki‘s focus on youth, activism, and the realities of living in NYC’s underground scene.
Content Warning / Available on… Max, Hulu, Roku Channel, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Fandango, Apple TV
I’ve tried to watch Romeos a few times, but I can never make it very far into the film before switching to something more enjoyable – it’s a German romantic comedy drama from the early 2010s, and there’s just something about it that I can’t fall in love with. Despite that, I’d still recommend it if you’re looking for something pretty cheesy or if you’re looking for a gay romance featuring a transgender man – Romeos is remarkable in the fact it’s one of the very few movies out there that is both transmasc and MLM.
Content Warning / Available on… YouTube, Amazon Prime, Fandango, Google Movies, Apple TV
After leaving his rural hometown to move to Auckland, Caz starts anew as he transitions as a transgender man. Years later, he returns to Rūrangi and has to face all of the people he abandoned when he left for the big city – include his father, childhood best friend, and ex-boyfriend.
Transfemme | 89% RT | Biographical Drama | R | 1h 52m
Based on the real relationship between Barry Winchell and Calpernia Addams, Soldier’s Girl is a drama about Barry’s murder – he was murdered in 1999 by his fellow soldiers for dating a transgender woman (Addams), and his death played a big role in Don’t Ask Don’t Tell discussions. Calpernia is a showgirl in Nashville where Barry is stationed, and Barry becomes subject to harassment and violence when his jealous roommate Justin Fisher spreads rumors about Barry and Calpernia’s relationship.
Content Warning / Available on… Tubi, Crackle, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime
Ren is an aspiring writer who accompanies her parents and younger sister to a beach resort and Something You Said Last Night follows her trying to navigate the resort, relationship with her loving but overbearing parents, and desire to be independent.
Content Warning / Available on… Pluto, Tubi, Sling, Xumo, Roku Channel, Plex, Fandango, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Google Movies, Apple TV
Robert Eads was a real transgender man who died of ovarian cancer due to doctors wrongly believing his life wasn’t worth potential harm to their reputations. The film’s title comes from the Southern Comfort Conference, a real major transgender conference that was considered the largest in the United States from 1991 to 2019 – Robert’s ultimate goal was to live long enough to attend. He transitioned later in life, so the movie touches on many of the tough relationships older transgender people have with their parents, children, and even grandchildren – but Robert has always been content living with his chosen family, including his transgender girlfriend Lola.
During the early months of the COVID pandemic in Brooklyn, Bahlul joins his uncle Terry as he recovers from a broken leg. Stress Positions is narrated by Karla, a bisexual/lesbian transgender woman living in the same building. Critics are generally impressed by the film, but it has a lower score by audiences – likely due in part to America’s exhaustion of thinking of the pandemic.
Content Warning / Available… Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Leo, a transgender man, goes on an unplanned weekend trip with his best friend Eleanor. It’s their first time spending time together since Leo has transitioned, and Leo has been looking for a break from all of his auditions, acting classes, jobs, and situationships. Spending time with Eleanor begs the question: can bad sex and good friends mix?
Content Warning / Available on… Tubi, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Fandango, Apple TV
I often group Tangerine with Gun Hill Road – both are great films, but they have hard moments due to how well they portray reality for transgender women in tough situations. Sin-Dee and Alexandra are transgender sex workers who find out their pimp has been cheating with a cisgender woman. They eventually get the attention of Razmik, an Armenian cab driver and chaser who leaves his family on Christmas Eve to meet them across town. Between the two films, I enjoy Tangerine more – but both have their moments.
Content Warning / Available on… Max, YouTube, fubo, Sling, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Fandango, Redbox, Apple TV
Magdalena emerges from the Cruces River after being left for dead many years ago. She returns to her family’s dairy farm to find her husband Enrique (who understandably has a heart attack upon seeing his dead wife), daughter Cecilia, and grandchildren. Due to pollution, fish are dying at an astronomical rate and the environment is collapsing in The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future‘s arthouse style.
Content Warning / Available on… Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Fergus is a member of the Irish Republican Army during the later years of the Troubles who kidnaps a Black British soldier as collateral for an imprisoned IRA member they want released. He eventually finds himself in London and meets meets Dil, a transgender woman he falls in love with. Unlike Breakfast on Pluto, Fergus plays an active role in the Troubles – he’s expected to assassinate a prominent British judge, and the Troubles were messy.
Content Warning / Available on… Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Based on the real life of Lili Elbe, one of the earliest individuals to ever receive bottom surgery, as she sheds the masculine gender roles she’s been forced to endure throughout her life. After years of being unable to be “cured” of being transgender through psychotherapy and other pseudo-conversion tools, she’s recommended a new but controversial surgery. Lili is the first person Dr. Kurt Warnekros has performed the surgery on, and like, real life, Lili dies after complications from the second round of surgery.
The Danish Girl was one of the first big movies to feature a transgender lead character in mainstream media – the film won multiple accolades, including an Oscar. However, it was also criticized for having a cisgender man play Lili’s role: Redmayne’s portrayal of Lili was one of the first big discussions on the importance of having transgender people play transgender stories.
Content Warning / Available on… Amazon Prime, Netflix*, Google Movies, Fandango, Apple TV
Frustrated by his father controlling his life, Joe escapes to the woods with his best friend Patrick and a new companion named Biaggio, who just happened to tag along for their adventure. They build a house out in the woods while the rest of the world fears Patrick and Joe have gone missing, and things go awry when Joe invites Patrick’s crush out to their hidden home. Biaggio is implied to be agender, and while they don’t use the term outright, Biaggio is confident in their nonbinary identity.
Content Warning / Available on… Paramount, Roku Channel, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Movies, Apple TV, Fandango
Following How to Survive a Plague, David France produced The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson to chronicle the suspicious death of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries co-founder Marsha P. Johnson, one of the most prominent figures in the Stonewall Riots and gay liberation movement along with Sylvia Rivera. When Marsha died in 1992, police ruled it as a suicide despite evidence suggesting foul play – the film re-examines the events leading up to police finding Marsha’s body floating in the Hudson River.
Decades after its initial release, the Wachowski sisters who wrote and directed The Matrix franchise have stated the films are an allegory for transgender identity – which makes sense if you take in account the Wachowskis came out as transgender women in 2012 and 2016. Like Fight Club, The Matrix is adored by cisgender straight men for a lot of the wrong reasons, but the film has a lot of heart that made into a classic. The red pill has been likened to real red estrogen pills, and the Matrix’s sense of disconnect is meant to portray gender dysphoria. In the Wachowski’s original script, Switch was meant to be a woman in the Matrix and a man in the real world – but the idea was scrapped since “the corporate world wasn’t ready.”
If you’re looking for a transgender story, I would recommend other movies on this list before The Matrix – but it should stay on your radar if you’re up for critiquing a sci-fi classic with a modern transgender lens.
Content Warning / Available on… Peacock, Sling, YouTube, Google Movies, Fandango, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
While on this list, The Silence of the Lambs is NOT a movie to celebrate or inspire pride – but it’s important when discussing transgender history and visibility in film. Even though Buffalo Bill explicitly states he is not transgender, transgender identity is central to the film and the movie plays a major role in how transgender people were portrayed as psychopaths in mainstream media until recently. Bill is a serial killer who purposely targets women to assemble a flesh suit for himself – since he is routinely kills women to be a woman, it’s hard to separate Buffalo Bill from transness. The Silence of the Lambs did fantastically well both critically and commercially by using these references of Buffalo Bill as transgender, but LGBTQIA+ activism being a minor issue during the time period meant there wasn’t enough backlash to really force the question. The film’s success encouraged a new era of mocking transgender people – and it incited fear that transgender people are deranged and violent freaks.
Even if the public wasn’t ready to really separate Buffalo Bill from transness, The Silence of the Lambs did create a minor turning point in transgender cinema: unlike previous films that use “transgender psychopaths” like Psycho and Dressed to Kill, The Silence of the Lambs did go to incredible efforts to state Buffalo Bill is not transgender – but of course, that doesn’t matter too much if they’re still profiting off the public’s belief that he is.
Content Warning / Available on… Max, Hulu, YouTube, Sling, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango, Google Movies
Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker follow Black and Latina transgender women who work as sex workers in NYC’s Meatpacking District during the 1980s and 1990s in an area referred to as “The Stroll” prior to its gentrification. It provides another viewpoint of what transgender people were experiencing in NYC to other films like Paris Is Burning.
Content Warning / Available on… Max, Hulu, YouTube, Sling, Roku Channel
J is thirteen years old and lives in Chicago and has been recently told they have to “pick” a gender due to the effects of long-term puberty blockers decreasing bone density. There’s some truth to this – puberty blockers do decrease bone density and can become a clinical concern for those on them for a long period of time, which is why they’re used for transgender youth prior to moving to traditional HRT. However, this isn’t really something J would be concerned about at thirteen – transgender youth are generally expected to be on puberty blockers until sixteen, and bone density concerns are easily addressed with the medical care that accompanies puberty blockers being prescribed.
Disregarding this technicality, They is… okay. There aren’t many films that feature nonbinary stories, which is why it didn’t get forgotten about completely.
Content Warning / Available on… Crackle, Google Movies, Fandango, fubo, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Again: there are not many nonbinary films out there. This will change in the next decade or so; I remember ten years ago when there were about one or two transmasculine films out there but a wealth of short films. Nonbinary media is currently in a similar boat, so I feel confident in predicting there’ll be a good variety to pick from in time.
They / Them is a slasher set at a conversion camp for LGBTQIA+ youth, focusing on nonbinary Jordan who is constantly harassed by camp staff like the other campers, and the new camp nurse Molly who disagrees with the camp’s mission. It has a good premise, since it hinges on the disgust and rage LGBTQIA+ people have for despicable “conversion camps” like the one in the film – but it bombed due to its clumsy formatting and predictable ending.
Filmmakers have always been clumsy when portraying transgender people, and they were definitely clumsy in Laure/Mickaël’s character as a transgender kid. It’s unclear whether Laure/Mickaël is meant to be nonbinary, transmascline, or a lesbian girl, since the film ends with them presenting with their female birth name after being harassed for the entire movie for presenting as a boy. It reminds me a transmasculine version of My Life in Pink if it had a worse ending that left the main character “fixed” as cisgender. It’s considered a noteworthy film when discussing trans media, but it wouldn’t stand if released today.
One week before her bottom surgery, Bree receives a call from seventeen-year-old Toby from a NYC jail claiming to be her son. Bree’s therapist forces her to make contact with Toby in order to proceed with her surgery. Thus, she flies out to find Toby, who ran away from his stepfather’s home, and finds out his mother died years ago via suicide. She convinces Toby she is a Christian missionary and plans to bring him back to his stepfather while on a country-wide road trip – and the two inevitably bond along the way.
Content Warning / Available on… Starz, YouTube, Hulu, fubo, Sling, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime, Philo, Google Movies, Fandango, Apple TV
Transmitzvah (2024)
Transfemme | Comedy | R | 1h 42m
Rubén (aka Mumy Singer) embraces her female identity and rejects her planned Bar Mitzvah. Years later, she returns home after tragedy strikes the family as a famous Yiddish singing sensation, and Transmitzvah is their family coming to terms with who they are, together.
There aren’t many films that feature transgender people pursuing parenthood after transition – and Two 4 One is one of them. Adam is a transgender man who has a one-night stand with his ex-girlfriend to help artificially inseminate her with an at-home pregnancy kit. An accident causes them both to become pregnant, and the film follows Adam grapple with being pregnant and his sense of being a man.
Content Warning Unavailable / Available on… Tubi, Amazon Prime, Fandango, YouTube, Google Movies
Link impulsively runs away with his younger brother Travis from his abusive home in a run-down Canadian trailer park to find his mother, who he recently discovered was alive after believing for years she was dead. They meet Pasmay, a Mi’kmaq pow wow dancer who becomes interested in Link when they meet at a grocery store. The three of them go on a journey to find Link and Travis’ mother, and the boys rediscover their Indigenous heritage along with way.
Last week, I posted about five of the most common myths spread about transgender people. Misinformation sells – media has always benefited from spreading fake news, but current politics have heightened its spread. Here’s five more common myths spread about transgender people.
Myth #6: Transgender women are a threat to women’s spaces.
That’s a broad generalization that isn’t backed by any research. Transgender women are no more a threat to women than cisgender lesbians “threaten” fragile heterosexuality. Due to stereotypes and stigma, most transgender women already enter spaces rather timidly because they don’t want to push that narrative. Women’s bathrooms? Transgender women are just there to do their business and be on their way like any other woman. Domestic and sexual violence shelters? Maybe it sounds unbelievable, but transgender women are actually harassed more often than their cisgender counterparts – and they’re just looking for safe resources when at those centers.
At its core, this myth relies on the belief that transgender women are predators. Homophobes have labeled LGBTQIA+ people as dangerous for decades despite more accurate allegations against stereotypically conservative professions like law enforcement and religious officials. The myth centers transgender women as inherently masculine, often taking it a step further to imply that masculinity is always dangerous and transgender women are unable to lose this status due to being assigned male at birth. It also works on the flip side, since individuals who advocate for this myth don’t view transgender men as threats – due to being assigned female at birth, transgender men are unable to hold the same predatory status and are therefore welcomed in women’s spaces. It asserts that biological sex and mythical masculine-born energy dictate one’s ability to harm others.
Two comics from Assigned Male on the topic, by Sophie Labelle
Myth #7: All gender-affirming care is medical. All transgender people seek surgery, and children are being pushed into getting serious operations.
“Gender-affirming care” refers to any service that benefits transgender people, especially if that service helps to affirm our chosen gender identity. Medical services like hormone replacement therapy and surgery are classified as such, but so do non-medical services like binders, gaffs, haircuts, clothing style, pronouns, names, etc. There is not a single transgender person out there who engages with medical gender-affirming care before being well-acquainted with non-medical services. Before the normalization of informed consent, it was legally required to socially transition to access HRT – but it is still required for some transgender Americans who have insurance coverage that dictates letter approval as a prerequisite for HRT. Beyond HRT, individuals have to prove they’ve been on HRT for several years in addition to being socially transitioned to have surgical procedures, and many states require certain surgeries, usage of HRT, or documentation to allow transgender folks to legally change their gender documents.
Many transgender people do seek surgical procedures (often referred to as top or bottom surgery), but there is no single “one-size-fits-all” surgery for us. Not all transgender people can undergo or afford surgery, especially if they are disabled, live in a hostile or rural area, or have medical coverage that purposely doesn’t include transgender care. Lastly, not all transgender people want surgery, and that doesn’t make them less transgender. Anyone who identifies as a gender identity other than the one assigned to them at birth qualifies as transgender, but the label does not require folks to feel a certain way about their body. Most often, transgender people forgo bottom/genital surgeries since they have high complication rates and can have less-than-satisfactory results. And as mentioned above, it takes a lot of work to access these surgeries compared to other aspects of gender-affirming care.
Regarding any stories on minors being pushed into serious transgender procedures, I would kindly ask you to reconsider the validity of their publishers. It is already difficult enough for transgender adults to access surgeries or for transgender minors to be prescribed puberty blockers. The possibility of a transgender minor accessing surgery before age 18 is nearly zero. Minors have numerous barriers to gender-affirming care in addition to the ones transgender adults face – even the international WPATH guidelines require minors to have multiple healthcare providers recommend services. The only trans-related surgery minors can have feasible access to is transmasculine top surgery, since any other procedure would be paused until the individual turns 18. And I say feasible because transgender minors cannot reliably access top surgery since it’s extremely barred.
Myth #8: Transgender people are mentally ill.
In my previous post, I wrote about how cisgender people struggle to understand transgender experiences. Since they have never had to think critically about their relationship with either gender identity or sexuality, cisgender people come to the assumption that rebelling against their natural worldview means transgender people must hate their bodies, since anything else wouldn’t make sense. This assumption fueled and twisted research on transgender identity for decades – and it accompanied many other problematic ideas.
For reference, during these early years, you would also be labeled as mentally ill if you were a woman who cried too much, refused to be a servant to her husband, or stood firm that women ought to be equal to men. Queer individuals were also considered mentally ill, as were anyone else that failed to conform. Calling transgender people mentally ill purely based on their identity is as faulty as saying women still experience hysteria because they’re unwed.
Today, it’s a bit complicated: transgender identity itself was internationally removed as a mental illness in 2018 via the World Health Organization, and the current psychiatric diagnosis is gender dysphoria. The disconnect between one’s biological sex and internal gender identity is the only part of transgender identity classified as a mental illness today. There’s still stigma with that association, but mental illness does not hold any inherent goodness or badness to it. Before the classification change, transgender identity itself was labeled as illness, whereas today only the distress experienced from being misgendered, unaffirmed, and otherwise not respected as ourselves is classified as illness, and that distress can be a lot.
By making that move, the World Health Organization, American Psychiatric Association, and DSM also links gender-affirming care as a cure for gender dysphoria as a mental disorder: it has been well-documented that gender-affirming care eliminates gender dysphoria, and such care is internationally recommended as the best practice for transgender patients. Once a transgender person is affirmed as their gender, they generally experience little distress due to their sex assigned at birth – and that lack of distress qualifies as a lack of illness.
There is one more reason why gender dysphoria is still classified as a mental illness, and it essentially boils down to capitalism. Due to the American health insurance industry, individuals must have a diagnosis that qualifies care as “medically necessary” for companies to cover services. Without any diagnosis, American corporations would be quick to deny transgender Americans access to gender-affirming care unless they were willing to pay out-of-pocket, which is why WHO, the APA, and the DSM left gender dysphoria in the DSM rather than removing it entirely. However, it is predicted this might change – the field of psychology is leaning into classifying gender dysphoria as a medical condition rather than a psychiatric one, similar to how obesity was classified as predominantly a medical issue. This would remove some of the leftover stigma of being a “mental disorder” and allow transgender individuals to continue accessing gender-affirming care via health insurance coverage, since it would be diagnosed by a medical professional. The only potential issue with this route is that few medical professionals are adequately trained on transgender issues, similar to their lack of training on mental health as a whole. Unless folks live in a region with plentiful trans-friendly and knowledgeable providers, they may be further limited since doctors are generally unwilling to diagnose if they feel unconfident.
Myth #9: There are only two genders/sexes.
Gender is real, but it’s still a social construct. Social constructs are ideas that affect us as humans because of their perceived importance, but have little to no impact naturally.
The two comparisons I commonly use as alternative social constructs are money and race, since they are, in fact, social constructs. Without money, you wouldn’t be able to convince someone to build you housing or be paid for work, so money is real, but it doesn’t have any natural value since you’re not going to commonly find wild animals trading currency. Race matters because it identifies groups of people with each other (for better and worse), but it doesn’t have any natural meaning since, again, you’re not going to find animals identifying based on fur patterns, skin textures, or any other feature.
Gender roles, expression, and identity are all socially real but lack actual natural value. Western society traditionally emphasizes two genders, but that’s just one among thousands that have existed across human history. Other societies have held three or more genders for centuries, and western society is rapidly moving to a three gender system as nonbinary identities become socially accepted and legally recognized.
Stating there are only two sexes is more accurate than claiming there are only two genders, but it’s still not fully true. Frankly, it’s over simplistic: sex is complicated, which is why we’re taught there are two sexes while early in our educational journeys, but that view expands if you continue to learn about biology. Biological sex is composed of chromosomes, gonads, hormone levels, internal genitalia, external genitalia, and a mess of “secondary sex characteristics” like body hair distribution, breast tissue, vocal pitch, body fat, bone structure, muscle mass, etc. Most people align with one end of the sex spectrum, but intersex people can be born anywhere along it – and there are countless ways intersex conditions are expressed, meaning there are vastly more than just two sexes if you account for each possible intersex condition.
Myth #10: All transgender people are a little gay, and it’s at least a little bit gay to be attracted to a transgender person.
Statistically, transgender people are more likely to identify as queer compared to cisgender people – but that’s more attributed to the fact transgender people have already critically thought about their relationship with gender, so they’ve very likely thought about their sexuality. While cisgender heterosexual people hate to consider it, most people float somewhere along the straight-gay binary – but unless they have taken the time to reflect on their sexuality, few identify as queer when it is more convenient to be straight.
The other half of this myth is a lot to get into. Attraction is complicated, and sexual anatomy matters in some relationships – but I’ve always been of the opinion that gender and identity labels need to matter more. If you are a woman dating a transgender man, you are in a straight relationship; you can be bisexual and date him, but you’re not in a lesbian relationship. Stating otherwise demeans that partner of his gender for your own comfort – and people being obsessed with the comfort of previous sexuality labels is the most common I’ve come across. Hearing your partner call themselves a lesbian while they’re dating you as a man hurts, even if they don’t think it’s harmful, since it devalues your gender. A cisgender man dating a transgender man is a gay relationship, and it’s messed up how many times I’ve come across men who say transgender people are the nice little stepping stone between being gay and straight.
A cisgender woman dating a transgender woman is a lesbian relationship, and a cisgender man dating a transgender woman is a straight one. Doing mental gymnastics with this to defend your sexuality puts transgender people in danger – it is predominantly transgender women who are assaulted and murdered because straight men cannot bear being thought of as gay after being with a transgender woman, leveraging trans panic when brought to court – although it does happen the other way around, such as in the murder of Brandon Teena.
On one hand, labels shouldn’t have to matter that much – it’s why so many people just refer to themselves as queer since it avoids getting into a whole mess of other labels. But if your identity as a lesbian, gay man, or straight person matters that dearly to you, realize that our gender identity matters just as much to us as transgender people.
I was 14 when I realized I was transgender, back in the year 2014. Not much later, to my dismay, Caitlyn Jenner came out to the world – her novel identity fascinated the world, and that extended to my hometown in rural America. Suddenly, peers at school were talking about what they supposedly knew about transgender people, and my parents, who wouldn’t know I identified as trans for another year.
I’m well-versed in trans misinformation. Frankly, most transgender people are: it comes with being a marginalized person, expected to educate every single person you meet with unwavering patience. I don’t fault folks who get exhausted and frustrated after years of educating their friends, family, and strangers – that exhaustion led to the rise of Buzzfeed-like “Dear Cis People,” “100 Questions for White People,” and similar articles, videos, and posts during the 2010s that tried to rephrase that expectation. I always wondered when I would become frustrated and exhausted, likely to lash out like a stereotypical “blue-hair liberal.” Yet, eleven years later, I haven’t gotten to that point even though I’ve spent a decade in activism and educating cisgender people throughout those years. I can still manage patience, under one condition: I do not educate for bad faith. Many individuals purposely spread disinformation and “want to ask questions” to trans folks with the express purpose of being the Devil’s advocate. Those individuals are not open to actually learning and come with an agenda to demean or “convert” trans people. You cannot change them in one conversation, and they are not worth the effort. Anyone actually interested in understanding transness, that is not coming from a place of hatred, is worth teaching – even if they stumble on their journey.
Today, there’s more disinformation online than misinformation. There is a semantic difference: misinformation is false info spread, regardless of whether the person sharing knows if it’s true or not, while disinformation is purposely shared with knowledge that the info is false. All disinformation is misinformation, but disinformation is more nefarious. A family relative who shares a misleading post on Facebook about transgender people might not know its facts are wrong – that’s misinformation. If that relative knows that the post is incorrect, it becomes disinformation. There’s another conversation to be had on how to correct people with misinformation, since people hate being told they’re wrong and take corrections as a personal attack. Misinformation wasn’t that big of a deal ten years ago when flat-earthers and autism moms against vaccines were laughingstocks.
Misinformation is a big deal, and I don’t mean to be an alarmist. It truly holds the potential to cost human lives. We are more familiar with current events, such as the effects of misinformation about the COVID vaccine pushing more Americans to forgo the vaccination, leading to more immunocompromised people dying and more healthy Americans suffering from “long COVID.” Or, when Russia hacked American media during the past election cycles to spread disinformation and seat Republican candidates better suited to their interests.
Even before the 20th century, transgender people have always been around. If you look hard enough, you can find traces of gender-diverse people spanning centuries and Roman emperoress Elagabalus. Transness was only recently documented, and it’s only entered the public subconscious and mainstream in the past couple of decades. People claim the same about how many queer people exist today compared to fifty years ago, or how autism is supposedly on the rise. When identities are no longer criminalized and it becomes okay for people to publicly identify themselves, people incorrectly assume there’s an “explosion” of people suddenly queer, autistic, or transgender. The same belief was held on a sudden rise years ago of people identifying as left-handed or folks being diabetic. There was never a real increase, but there was a perceived explosion of left-handed individuals because they weren’t being burned at the stake for writing differently, and people were able to survive diabetes with the discovery of synthetic insulin, creating a “spike” of diabetic people.
This myth is fairly easy to dispute, for now. In some countries, information is regulated: when governments censor topics in published books, movies, and content on the internet, it’s easy to convince people that transgender people don’t exist. We are not at that point yet in the United States, but the GOP does want to move towards that future, evidenced by forced removals of transgender people mentioned in history, research, and educational curricula. Thus, trans history matters.
Myth #2: Transgender regret is common.
Compared to other medical procedures, transgender services like hormone replacement therapy and surgery actually have astonishingly low regret rates. Every surgery has a regret rate, whether it’s from complications, lack of satisfaction, or another reason entirely. The average knee surgery has a regret rate upwards of 30%, breast implants maintain a regret rate of up to 47%, and successful pregnancies have a regret rate around 17%.
The reason transgender people have an astonishingly low regret rate is because of these hoops, but it also deters people from getting care when it could benefit them. Trans regret only gets media coverage because detransitioners become viral on the internet from their sob stories. It’s unfortunate when it actually happens, but stories from detransitioned folks of how they were tricked are made up: even in “fast” informed-consent, you have a barrage of questions to answer from doctors to access prescriptions, changes take weeks to show even minor things, and you have people with you throughout the process to check in. Despite this reality, the belief that medical professionals are diabolically trying to force people to be transgender gets clicks.
Another way to think about trans regret and medical care is to compare it to other services. All procedures have risks and there can always be complications. Those risks are not worth denying the service as a whole. It’d be impossible to fathom a world where cancer treatments are banned because a small percentage of people have negative experiences on a life-saving treatment; the same should be applied to transgender procedures since they are documented as life-saving, too.
Myth #3: Transgender people want to trick cisgender people.
This myth has numerous layers, but at its core, it’s the insecure and paranoid belief that transgender people want to trick cisgender folks into having sex or that transgender people get some joy out of “tricking” people into perceiving us as our affirmed gender. Transgender people want to be respected as their authentic selves, but we don’t get joy from “tricking” others like our identity is a prank.
Trans people tricking poor cisgender folks into having sex is a real problem – and it’s been used as the punchline trope in comedy for decades. It even has legal recognition in most states, referred to as “trans panic defenses,” where cisgender people accused of murdering a transgender person can legally claim they were so angry, upset, or shocked that someone was transgender that they just had to assault them. The legal procedure comes from the underlying fragility of cisgender people’s sexuality, since there’s nothing worse than being thought of as flirting (or worse) with a transgender person, and gives cis judges and juries a reason to excuse anti-transgender hate crimes.
Disclosure is the process of telling a person that you’re transgender, and it’s a very personal decision that comes with inherent safety risks. Every trans person knows there is some risk in telling someone new, ranging from a new possible ally to a barrage of insults to even being hate-crimed. Some people prefer being out because they feel safe to do so, while others remain stealth – but not because they’re hoping to trick someone.
The transgender community advises sexually active folks to have that tough conversation with a prospective partner before you’re in the bedroom. Each person is different: a transgender woman who has had bottom surgery might not need to disclose her transgender status during a one-night stand because there’s nothing actually distinguishing her from other women compared to the safety risk of telling a stranger that you’re trans; a transgender man might feel inclined to tell a women he’s been seeing that he’s trans because aspects of his transness could affect their potential future together.
Cisgender people get frustrated about disclosure: they feel entitled to know whether someone is transgender. Some cis folks believe they “always know” when someone is trans, too. Yes, it is ideal for transgender people to be open about their identities, but cisgender people cannot be entitled to that knowledge as long as we exist in a society that is dangerous to live in. In comparison, there are so many other things you might want to know when having a one-night stand or going on a date with someone, like whether they’re infertile, if they have a stable job, if they have a disability, or already have children. But we all understand we are not entitled to automatically get that knowledge, and it completely upends how humans socially interact with each other via the social script.
On the other end of the spectrum, there is a community of cisgender folks who want to have sex with trans individuals because they fetishize us as a kink. Chasers (or “admirers,” as they call themselves) actively seek us out for sex. Any porn website will have a transgender category. Trans-specific dating apps exist purely for chasers’ convenience. We do not need to “trick” cisgender people into having sex with us. Should transgender people like chasers? That’s another topic for a different post – the ultimate point is no, we don’t trick cisgender people.
Because of the above, there is actually a subsection of the transgender community that identifies as T4T, or “trans for trans.” These trans folks only date other transgender people – but unlike chasers, they do so because they feel safer and better understood by other transgender people. We don’t have to explain our transness or the complications of gender theory to another transgender person to feel heard; we don’t have to fear that they might believe we’re going to hell for being trans or go into a violent rage because of who we are.
Myth #4: Transgender people are sexually aroused by their bodies. / Transgender people hate their bodies.
I combined two common myths for this one because both relate to how cisgender people fail to empathize with trans experiences. The first part, or the belief that all transgender people get turned on by their bodies, relates to Freudian-era pseudoscience and confusing transvestites with transgender people.
There are individuals who are sexually aroused by their bodies: the scientific terms are autogynephilia and autoandrophilia. But unlike transvestites, transgender people do not transition because they seek sexual pleasure. Generally, transvestites just stop at crossdressing (aka not continuing transition by seeking hormones or surgery) because they don’t actually want to identify as another gender. Yet transvestites were infinitely more interesting to research during the early years of sexology, so research papers were written for years with this base assumption that transgender people transition out of kink.
Are transgender people allowed to be sexually aroused by their bodies? Cisgender people are allowed to feel confident or sexy when looking at themselves in the mirror. It would be hypocritical to say transgender people do not deserve that same right. To feel comfortable in our bodies, that includes having the capacity to feel sexual in them, too. But that’s more a philosophical question outside of the realm of this myth.
The second part, or that transgender people must hate their bodies, also dates back to early research on transgender people. Cisgender people have always struggled to grasp what causes a person to want to be a different gender – very few cis people think critically about their relationship with their sex assigned at birth, so gender isn’t something they’ve really considered. To rebel against their natural worldview, they believe transgender people must hate their bodies – anything else wouldn’t make sense.
These assumptions permeated the very beginning of transgender researchers, and even trans-friendly providers held these stereotypes. It became quickly obvious that to transition socially, medically, or legally, transgender people had to adhere to these stereotypes since cisgender people held the power to prescribe medicine or affirm legal changes that transgender folks did not. To allow trans people to transition, doctors wanted them to fit their rigid boxes of what they believed transness to be – and that always included the stereotype that transgender people absolutely hate their biological bodies.
Today, there’s a decent understanding within the scientific community that transgender identity does not come from a hatred of one’s body but rather a disconnect between one’s internal versus outward gender. That disconnect can include feelings of hatred, but it doesn’t have to. The term “gender dysphoria” refers to that disconnect, ranging in feeling just uncomfortable to more extreme disgust or hatred. There is also a community of individuals promoting the idea that gender euphoria is just as important as gender dysphoria when discussing the need for transition – transgender people should not be expected to hate themselves. To be happy and fulfilled people, we need to be allowed to feel content in our bodies.
Myth #5: Transgender people want to dominate in sports, prisons, schools, etc.
We aren’t asking for unlimited access to dominate sports, we want the right to play fairly as ourselves. Until the past year or so, transgender people have been playing small roles within sports without issue: most leagues have written rules on how transgender people may participate, which usually requires two to three years of documented hormone replacement therapy. HRT is the key factor on supposed “advantages,” since hormones dictate muscle growth, strength, and stamina in all human bodies. A transgender woman who has been on prescribed estrogen for five years has no biological advantage over a cisgender woman – and quite frankly, cisgender women do hold an advantage if they compete with naturally high testosterone or a hormone disorder. Other aspects of transition, like surgery or legal status, have zero bearing on competitive performance.
For emphasis, transgender people have been officially allowed to compete in the Olympics since 2004. The exact rules have varied, but the general consensus to be allowed to participate is hormone replacement therapy. And the standards used by the Olympics are used in countless other sports and minor leagues.
Some folks might still get up in arms about other “advantages” transgender may have, but none of them warrant barring a group of people from fair play. A transgender woman who is six foot might have an advantage at basketball, but so does a cisgender woman who is also six foot. It’s those small advantages that drive people to play sports based on what they’re good at. It’s the nature of competition and sports. Getting up in arms about bone structure or child socialization is just as nonsensical as barring people based on race, ethnicity, disability, and even class.
This myth is more ludicrous in school settings. It’s difficult to argue against the benefits of school sports: they provide exercise while giving youth crucial team building skills while they socialize in a structured setting. But due to the stigma transgender people automatically get from participating in sports, very few of us do – and even fewer participate in school sports. Even in the most liberal states, transgender students still have to adhere to established protocols, which almost always relate to documented hormone replacement therapy. Out of the thousands of students that participate in school sports each here, only one or two of them identify as transgender. If they’re playing by the rules, it’s hardly fair to ban them based on identity alone.
Lastly, transgender people don’t go to prison to use taxpayer dollars for gender-affirming care. It’s way easier to transition beyond prison, and the dangers transgender people are exposed to in prison are never worth it: compared to cisgender adults, transgender people are roughly 10 times more likely to be assaulted by both fellow prisoners and prison staff. Most transgender people are forcibly detransitioned while incarcerated, so the reality is closer to transgender people asking if they can access or continue medical care while incarcerated.
Most people have never considered the difference between “gender” and “sexuality” – unless you’re questioning or identifying as LGBTQIA+, there’s little reason for folks to give it a second thought. However, understanding these two concepts is key when discussing many oppressions, like sexism, heterosexism, and cissexism, and helps make you a better ally to transgender folks.
What is Gender Identity?
In the simplest sense, gender identity (or just “gender”) is who you ARE or how you view yourself. Everyone has a gender identity, even if it is the same one as they were assigned at birth. You might identify as a boy, a woman, as genderqueer, agender, or nonbinary – but you still identify as something. GLSEN breaks up gender even further into three parts: gender expression, gender attribution, and sex assigned at birth.
Gender expression refers to how you display your gender or lack thereof. It’s a combination of hairstyles, fashion choices, behaviors, and habits that reflect your inner gender identity. Most people choose expressions that match their gender, such as dressing masculinely as a man or femininely as a woman, but expression doesn’t dictate gender. Women can have masculine expressions, men can be feminine, and nonbinary people can be androgynous or have a gendered expression. Expression is also the pronouns you state you use to match your gender and titles like mister, miss, and mx.
Gender attribution is how your gender is perceived by others, for better and worse. Gender very rarely occurs in an isolated bubble, and due to being a social concept, gender is both real and fake: people take aspects of your gender expression and sex to make quick assumptions about your inner gender. Attribution is most annoying when those assumptions are wrong, resulting in misgendering and deadnaming, but it’s one of many natural instincts people have when meeting individuals. When attribution goes well, it has positive benefits – being affirmed as your gender is a spectacular feeling as a transgender person, just like being misgendered is a miserable experience. Attribution is the pronoun and gender that others assume you are, such as a man, woman, nonbinary person, or other identity. Like expression, gender attribution does not dictate your gender identity. Other people assuming you are nonbinary does not make your gender identity nonbinary. However, it does often have an impact on your mental well-being and how you visualize your gender/passing ability.
Sex assigned at birth (SAAB) refers to the label medical professionals gave you upon birth, such as male, female, or intersex. SAAB is a “historical term,” unlike “sex,” which is used as a whole. Sex accounts for your current biology, but most aspects of biological sex are malleable, despite what anti-transgender activists claim. SAAB refers strictly to the sex you were perceived at birth, reflecting a part of your personal history but not necessarily reality. After high school, biology becomes complicated: science well-establishes sex is more than just a male/female binary and biological sex is instead composed of chromosomes, gonads, phenotype, and behavior. Modern science allows three-quarters of biological sex to be changed. SAAB refers ONLY to the state you were at birth and accounts for gender identity since SAAB determines whether you identify as cisgender or transgender. And like gender expression and gender attribution, SAAB does not dictate your gender identity – although all three parts can influence your overall gender.
The most common examples of gender identity are man and woman, although plenty of others exist. Technically, “cisgender” and “transgender” are descriptors of gender identity – everyone is either cisgender or transgender based on whether they identify as the gender assigned to them at birth. Cisgender means “same,” referencing folks who identify as the same gender they were assumed as at birth. Transgender means “different,” referencing those who identify as a gender identity other than the one assigned to them at birth.
Where do nonbinary folks fit in? Nonbinary is an identity associated with anyone who falls outside of the male/female gender binary. Currently, most nonbinary individuals are classified as transgender since they weren’t labeled as nonbinary growing up. Eventually, as more people are raised as nonbinary or without traditional gender, there will be folks who were raised as nonbinary and still identify as such – those people will be both nonbinary and cisgender. There are a few people today who fall within those categories, but it’s relatively rare.
What is Sexual Orientation?
If gender is how you view yourself, sexual orientation is who you’re attracted to. For most folks, it’s pretty straightforward – and like gender identity, everyone has a sexual orientation. Individuals who are attracted to the “opposite” gender as themselves are straight or heterosexual, like a man who is attracted to women. Those who identify as gay or homosexual are attracted to people who are the same gender as themselves. Queer, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, and other labels often reflect folks who don’t fit within that strict straight/gay binary – such as people who are attracted to one or more genders, or none at all.
Attraction can be further broken down: most people are familiar with romantic and sexual attraction, but it’s valuable to learn the inner workings of sexuality and attraction to better understand queerness and asexuality.
Romantic attraction happens when you want to be romantic with another person, like feeling the desire to date, kiss, hold hands, etc.
Sexual attraction is the desire you feel to be sexual with another person, like wanting to have any type of sex with someone.
Platonic attraction happens when you feel an emotional magnetism to someone, like feeling the desire to know someone better or become their friend.
Aesthetic attraction comes from appreciating someone’s look or fashion, like when you admire someone’s style but don’t necessarily want to date them.
Sensual attraction is the desire to hug or cuddle someone in a non-sexual tactile way.
Intellectual attraction is an attraction caused by wanting to engage or debate someone in conversation.
It’s perfectly normal to experience multiple types of attraction, and it’s also normal not to experience attraction. Most people experience a number of attractions all the time – many friends feel platonic, aesthetic, and intellectual attraction without romantic or sexual attraction; some folks might feel all forms of attraction when they’re in love with someone.
The key point is that gender identity is YOU, while sexual orientation pertains more to who you’re attracted to. As mentioned before, everyone has both a gender identity and sexual orientation – even if you don’t think about it very often, you still have labels like gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, religion, class, etc. A straight man has a straight sexual orientation and a masculine gender identity, just as an asexual nonbinary person has an ace sexuality and nonbinary gender. Gender and sexuality matter to some folks and not others, just like how other identity labels matter more to some individuals ,like race and class. Gender and sexuality are also pretty fluid – you’re allowed to experiment and explore these identities, so what you find works now may not be what you identify as in ten years, and that’s alright!
Extra Credit: Historical Gender & Sexuality
I think it’s also worth noting that our modern definitions for gender identity and sexual orientation are reversed from what they used to be just 50 years ago. During the post-WWII sexology renaissance, there was a lot of research into gender and sexuality in the United States and Europe. However, this research was heavily dominated by straight white men inspired by pseudoscientists like Sigmund Freud and didn’t account very well into humanistic or people-first approaches. Many of these early researchers supported gender-affirming care, but they still fundamentally believed sex and gender were combined – in their view, LGBTQIA+ people existed due to anomalies and disorders of “regular” functioning.
This resulted in papers that documented folks who were assigned male at birth and identified as women (known as transgender women today) as “transgender/transsexual men,” and folks assigned female at birth and identified as male (known as transgender men now) as “transgender/transsexual women.” The distinction between gender and sex didn’t become widespread in academic settings until feminist scholarship found its roots during the 1970s, so these men used labels based on biological sex. Further, they applied sexuality based on this understanding: an individual assigned male at birth, identified as a woman, and was attracted to men would be classified as a gay/homosexual transgender man since, according to their standards, the individual was attracted to the same sex as themselves. Today, that same individual would be classified as a straight transgender woman. These differences can become confusing very quickly, but they’re important to remember if you delve deeper into transgender history or the history of gender.
Know the basics about hormone replacement therapy but feel like there’s still more to learn? Previously, I wrote about the basics of HRT – the process of taking prescribed synthetic testosterone or estrogen to align one’s physical body and sex characteristics with their gender identity. Despite the GOP’s war on transgender people, HRT has been firmly backed by medical science for nearly a century as the best treatment to prescribe. No amount of conversion therapy or repression is as effective nor humane as accessible trans-affirming care – and ‘trans regret‘ and ‘social contagion‘ theories have been repeatedly debunked by scientific research.
DISCLAIMER: This post is for informational purposes only and does not provide professional advice. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with questions regarding medical conditions or treatments.
What’s the difference between HRT 1.0 and HRT 2.0?
My previous post explained the basics of hormone replacement therapy, puberty blockers, common myths, and recommended routes to accessing legal HRT via informed consent and written letters.
In today’s political climate, it may not be possible to access HRT through traditional legal routes. In contrast to my previous post, HRT 2.0 provides an overview of alternative routes – but remember the above disclaimer and be mindful of the legal risks involved. When possible, always get HRT prescribed through traditional legal routes. Don’t take risks when they aren’t necessary. For American adults, we are currently still at a point where it is feasible – and safer – to obtain HRT through mainstream doctors. Even when there are no local doctors physically available, telehealth now offers transgender folks the ability to get legal prescriptions online.
“DIY HRT” is the practice of obtaining and administering hormone replacement therapy without a licensed medical provider or prescription. Today, it’s fairly rare within the United States as long as individuals have physical and financial access to a provider, but it was the most common method for transgender folks decades ago when most healthcare professionals were unwilling to prescribe HRT. Beyond the US, DIY is still a common practice in countries where transgender identity is strictly regulated or criminalized.
By nature, DIY HRT communities are difficult to find on the mainstream internet, but they aren’t impossible to find. In addition to the medical disclaimer, DIY HRT communities are not open to minors. You might be able to find basic information, but these communities are already on high alert due to their potentially illegal nature and therefore generally unwilling to have open discussions with individuals under the age of 18. DIY HRT and its legality vary drastically by country – even within the United States, synthetic estrogen and testosterone have different laws applied to them. Throughout most of the world, possession of HRT isn’t a criminal offense, unlike the trade of unprescribed medication. To circumvent this, this article uses the same logic as most DIY communities on the clear web – this article is for purely informational purposes, and I do not endorse DIY HRT. As mentioned above, I actually advise getting your hormones from a licensed provider when possible.
Is DIY HRT Dangerous?
Anecdotally, it’s generally safe. All medicines and procedures carry some inherent risk, and hormone replacement therapy is no different. Traditional HRT carries no substantial medical risk compared to cisgender people, although there are (often discredited) doctors who will attribute unrelated issues to being on HRT.
DIY HRT isn’t much different as long as you know the potential risks and benefits of basic hormone therapy. The largest health risks associated with DIY are reduced by monitoring and appropriately adjusting your hormone levels through regular blood work – a process you’d normally do with a licensed provider, too. Blood tests are not negotiable; most external signs cannot feasibly identify whether you’re on a safe or unsafe dose. Monitoring your levels protects your long-term health.
Where do I learn more about DIY HRT?
For clear web users, there are two sources: r/TransDIY and The DIY HRT Directory. The Directory provides details on medication levels, distributors, and blood work, whereas r/TransDIY offers an open forum for discussions and questions in addition to general guides. The Directory currently does not offer any contact feature, so you should visit r/TransDIY for support.
The most common form of synthetic testosterone is injection-based, usually as testosterone propionate, testosterone cypionate, or testosterone enanthate. Both cypionate and enanthate have long half-lives (which determines the length of time the testosterone will last in your body). Gels are rare, but occasionally possible to find – although it is difficult to source the amount of gel needed for appropriate hormone levels.
For all forms of HRT, you begin on a much lower dose initially and progress to a stable regular dosage based on your blood work. Most medical providers mimic the natural hormone cycle of cisgender men, putting individuals on a low dose before increasing over the first few years, and then slightly lowering to a long-term level.
DOSAGE
Low Dose
Initial Dose
Typical Maximum
Testosterone Cypionate
20 mg per week IM/SQ
50 mg per week IM/SQ
100 mg per week IM/SQ
Testosterone Enanthate
20 mg per week IM/SQ
50 mg per week IM/SQ
100 mg per week IM/SQ
For more info on dosages, mainstream providers have guides available online for informed consent purposes.
Do NOT try to achieve a higher dose than what is needed. In addition to long-term health risks, high hormone doses are subject to the possible ‘spillover effect’ (clinically known as aromatization), where excess HRT will convert to your naturally produced sex hormone (aka estrogen).
Vials of injectable testosterone are often compounded as 200 mg/mL, 250 mg/mL, or 300 mg/mL. In common language, in a 200 mg/mL vial, there is 200 mg of testosterone in each milliliter. If the vial contains 10 milliliters of liquid testosterone, there are 2,000 milligrams of total testosterone in that vial.
Due to this, you will have to do math to calculate exactly how much liquid to inject to achieve your target dosage. Medical providers would calculate this for you, but you’ll have to do so when calculating for DIY. The formula used is:(amount you want to inject) ÷ (concentration of the vial) = amount to inject per dose in mL.
EXAMPLE: John has acquired a 200 mg/mL vial of testosterone and wants to have a 50 mg per week dose. (50) ÷ (200) = 0.25 Based on the above formula, John should inject 0.25 mL per injection.
Since injectable testosterone is fairly thick, it requires a thicker needle for proper injection. For intramuscular injections, it is recommended to use needles between 1″ to 1.5″ in length and 23-25g gauge (needle thickness). Subcutaneous injections should use needles between 1/2″ to 5/8″ in length and 25-30g gauge.
Compared to transmasculine DIY, which usually only requires injecting and monitoring testosterone levels, effective transfeminine HRT requires both synthetic estrogen and testosterone blockers.
Additionally, estrogen can be ‘homebrewed’ rather than purchased through a pharmaceutical company unlike testosterone (which cannot be produced at home). Within the DIY community, estrogen is commonly ‘homebrewed.’ Homebrewed estrogen is produced by individuals through raw estradiol ester/bicalutamide/etc powder. Pharmaceutical-grade estrogen is produced by legitimate pharmaceutical companies – these forms of estrogen are widely considered safer, but they are more expensive than homebrewed sources.
The most common form of estrogen is pill-based – they’re the most prescribed by licensed doctors and also the easiest to DIY. Synthetic estrogen does not harm the body the same way testosterone does in pill form, which is why transmasculine folks opt for injection routes. Always use bioidentical estrogens such as estradiol hemihydrate or estradiol valerate. Never use non-bioidentical estrogens for HRT. Estrogen can also be taken as a gel, patch, or injection – pills are cheapest per month, while injections are cheaper annually or long-term.
The most common testosterone blockers (antiandrogens) are pills that must be swallowed, which include spironolactone, cyproterone acetate, and bicalutamide. Spiro is the most famous, but is considered a weak (but much safer) antiandrogen. Cypro and bica are considered strongly effective but must be used with caution due to harsher health risks.
DOSAGE
The following guidance is considered a higher-than-average regimen than what most individuals may use. Adjust accordingly based on blood testing.
REGIME 1
Cyproterone acetate | 6.25-12.5 mg per day
Estradiol | 3 mg twice per day
REGIME 2
Bicalutamide | 50 mg per day
Estradiol | 3 mg twice per day
For DIY cypro, you will need a pill cutter to create the above dosage. If your testosterone levels are not adequately suppressed, increase your estrogen dosage.
Bica may cause blood testosterone levels to INCREASE slightly, so make sure your T is adequately blocked. 50mg is advised as generally adequate for testosterone suppression when combined with estradiol.
For more info on dosages, mainstream providers have guides available online for informed consent purposes.
Do NOT try to achieve a higher dose than what is needed. In addition to long-term health risks, high hormone doses are subject to the possible ‘spillover effect’ (clinically known as aromatization), where excess HRT will convert to your naturally produced sex hormone (aka testosterone).
Sourcing & Supplies
How do you find DIY HRT? Considering its legal status, it can be difficult to find – the following information and links are from major sources like r/TransDIY and the Directory. The Directory has not been updated in a few years, but r/TransDIY continues to be moderated – check its information for the most current verified distributors.
Injection Supplies
It’s fairly easy to get syringes and injection equipment – you don’t need a prescription to access them. Most countries allow you to purchase needles from any pharmacy, although you may need to speak directly with a pharmacist. Online, Amazon is the most popular source for American DIY users.
Amazon states needles are ‘not suitable’ for human use – but this is untrue and put to skirt around American Amazon regulations that prohibit the sale of medical supplies.
Medications
Listed below are the most common and reputable pharmaceutical distributors for DIY HRT. Use extreme caution if using a source that is not listed below or on either r/TransDIY or the Directory. Most in the DIY community purchase legitimate pharmaceutical-grade medication from foreign companies that permit the sale of these drugs internationally. To use these companies, you will have to learn how to buy cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or utilize an international system like Zelle or MoneyGram.
When purchasing HRT internationally, it is best practice to buy small amounts in case it is confiscated by customs. Individuals are rarely prosecuted or arrested for attempting to order international HRT, but your shipment can be seized. By ordering in small amounts, you reduce the amount lost when seized. Domestic purchases are not screened like international shipments, so there is little to no risk of losing your order.
Another route for DIY-ish HRT is stockpiling, which works well alongside informed consent and other methods of obtaining legal HRT. Since hormones are prescribed at an exact dose by providers, there are two ways to stockpile HRT from stockpile-adverse providers (although there is a growing number of providers that understand the volatile political climate transgender Americans are facing and why folks want to stockpile). Both methods described below are slow processes – you’re not going to be able to stockpile overnight through your provider.
By purposely taking less than your prescription in the days leading up to blood testing by your provider, your hormone levels will show up as low. In response, most providers will prescribe an increased dose to stabilize your levels. Once prescribed, individuals return to their former dosage regime and save the excess for future use.
Some individuals purposely take a lower dose regularly than their prescription to save the excess for stockpiling. This method is used when an increased prescription cannot be received but will result in slower transition, similar to the effects of low-dose HRT.
If possible, do not travel with DIY HRT – especially testosterone. Testosterone is strictly regulated compared to estrogen, and unprescribed medication can be charged as possession of a controlled substance if found by airport security. If you MUST travel, clearly label your testosterone in a large clear Ziploc bag and throw in over-the-counter medication like aspirin and allergy meds alongside in the bag. Airport security will be less likely to hound you for a prescription. If you are arrested, do not say anything to the police and contact a lawyer as soon as the opportunity is presented.
Blood Testing
Especially when beginning HRT, blood testing is recommended every three months – although every six months becomes more common later on. For DIY, you should get a blood test after one month on HRT and then every three months. It is advised to find a healthcare facility local to your location for blood testing, although you may have to ask to manually see your results. For accurate results and monitoring purposes, ALWAYS get your estradiol (E2) and total testosterone (T) tested every time. Additional information from blood tests are useful for monitoring potential side effects of HRT, but not as mandatory.
Transfeminine
Testosterone levels should range at 50 ng/dL or lower and estradiol should range at 100 pg/mL or above.
Transmasculine
Testosterone levels should range between 300-1,000 ng/dL and estradiol should range between 10-50 pg/mL. Unlike transfeminine HRT, testosterone hormone therapy naturally lowers naturally produced estrogen more easily.
