From ‘Born This Way’ to ‘Born in the Wrong Body’

Check out my article on Reality's Last Stand!

Dear readers,

Please check out my latest post published on the fantastic Reality’s Last Stand where I explore the movement from the gay activist slogan “born this way” to the trans/queer activist idea of “born in the wrong body.” It was an interesting topic to delve into!

From ‘Born This Way’ to ‘Born in the Wrong Body’

In the years following the debut of the television show I Am Jazz in 2015, audiences witnessed the real-life ramifications of this “born in the wrong body” narrative play out right before their eyes. From the age of 11, Jazz’s puberty was medically blocked, and he has undergone a series of increasingly drastic hormonal and surgical interventions to fix his supposed brain and body mismatch by altering his body.

This change in messaging reflects a wider shift that occurred between gay and trans/queer activism. The change marked a movement from themes of self-acceptance to those of self-hate, and from an atmosphere of positivity and hope to one of negativity and despair.

Consider, for example, the It Gets Better project. It Gets Better was started in 2010 by journalist, activist, and commentator Dan Savage and his husband, Terry Miller. The goal of the project was to uplift young gay people by reassuring them that despite their current struggles and feelings of isolation, their lives would improve. The project was in response to gay youth suicides in general and to the suicide of a teenager named Billy Lucas in particular. Rather than lashing out at society and focusing on how hateful and bigoted other people were, the project sent a message that it was possible to be gay and lead a happy and fulfilling life.

Contrast this approach with contemporary narratives surrounding “trans kids,” where suicide is depicted as an almost inevitable result unless they are allowed to medically alter their bodies. Just look at what happened when Danielle Smith, the Premier of the Canadian province of Alberta (my home province), announced that she would be restricting medical transition for minors. It resulted in cries that she and her government would directly contribute to the suicides of trans people. “The side effects of not letting trans people be who they are is death. It’s death,” declared one Albertan parent. “Doctors warn new rules on Alberta trans medical care will increase risk of suicide and self-harm,” proclaimed a headline in the Edmonton Journal.