Inspired, in part, by the new Amazon Prime series Clean Slate starring George Wallace, Laverne Cox, and Telma Hopkins, we take a different approach to this week’s show: We talk directly to those of you who may be confused about transgender people, who are both increasingly visible and increasingly under attack these days. We understand that many of you — many of us — grew up without learning or being taught accurate information about sex, gender, and sexual identity, and so many of us labor under misconceptions about our transgender friends, family members, and neighbors. But that can change if we approach these subjects in good faith, with an open mind, and an acceptance of our shared humanity.
So, with that in mind, we consider some common questions that we think many people are unclear about:
- What does it mean to be transgender?
- According to science, aren’t there only two genders and two sexes? For some background information that may be helpful, please read this Scientific American article.
- Isn’t this a “new” thing? How come I never heard of transgender people before?
- Hasn’t the number of kids identifying as transgender exploded in recent years? Aren’t adults “indoctrinating” them?
- What about kids getting gender affirming care? Isn’t that dangerous and won’t they regret permanent or life-altering treatment? This article in Mother Jones provides some useful statistical information.
- Isn’t it unfair to allow transgender athletes to compete in girls’/women’s sports?
Please listen to our answers to these questions. We think they may help people are confused and don’t know what to think. And, if you are interested, please watch this interview with George Wallace an Telma Hopkins on Clean Slate.
In addition to the audio podcast you can find here, you can watch a video version of this episode (and future episodes!) on our YouTube channel and on Instagram (@jenn_and_dave).
We hope you enjoy the show, please feel free to leave us a comment, and we’ll talk again soon.
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