I THOUGHT I COULDN’T BE GAY AND TRANS
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ต.ค. 2024
- It's Transgender Day of Visibility and my podcast, Transmission, is coming back! What a day! To talk about why both of those things are important, I tell you the story of how thinking I couldn't be trans AND gay kept me in the closet for fourteen years. Wheeeee!
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TRANS DAY OF VISIBILITY
"10 Things You Can Do for Transgender Day of Visibility" from TSER www.transstuden...
"On Trans Day of Visibility, Do More Than Make Yourself Seen" by Milo Primeaux www.advocate.c...
MORE VIDEOS FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE:
TRANS GUY ANSWERS MOST GOOGLED TRANS QUESTIONS • TRANS GUY ANSWERS MOST...
My ULTIMATE Trans Book Rec List • ULTIMATE TRANS BOOK RE...
I AM NOT A #HOTTRANSGUY • I AM NOT A #HOTTRANSGU...
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Hi! My name's Jackson Bird and I make (hopefully) funny, (sometimes) educational videos for LGBTQ+ nerds like me and the people in our lives that want to understand us better.
Here on JACKISNOTABIRD, you can find new videos every Wednesday answering big questions about LGBTQ+ issues, social justice, and what happens when you put gummy worms on a waffle iron. Wanna subscribe? www.youtube.com...
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SAME SAME SAME same same same
Literally, this video reminded me of your video about the exact same thing before I even looked at any of the comments.
All I can do is agreed with this comment, because if I said I didn't I would be lying like I have with most of my life and feelings around others.
Riley J. Dennis hey again notice me 💜💜💜
I was just going to comment that you recently made a similar video, and actually I would love to see a video where you two have a discussion about it!
It's really nice to be able to relate to these people because I'm actually transitioning as well, into a lamp
First positive trans rep?
Jackson Bird.
Louie P What's 'it', I only see a dude talking about his life. No 'it' in sight.
Louie P What? You are referring to a living being as an it which is by definition incorrect, if anyone is delusional its you.
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/it
Louie P confused? For me that person seems really secure about both his sexuality and body's sexual signs now
@@pandaescarlate7268 they're a Christian, so i think the preacher is projecting.
Same. This whole video is just same. My whole tweenage years. Same.
Had a similar experience in that I didn’t know I could be a trans guy who liked guys. I’m 41 years old and just started my physical transition a little over 4 months ago!
I keep telling myself, it’s better late than never.
Jeremy Duer good luck with your transition my friend. Im a cis guy that is attracted the transguys
You lot are fucking strange. Each to their own but seriously wtf
@@joeharris4936 that kinda seems like a fettish...
@@pauliemc2010 what?
@@niagillies3358 well if its like specifically going after trans guys over cis guys it seems like they are just looking to fulfil a sexual fantasy, I personally tend to be more attracted to men than women but sometimes I am attracted to fairly masculine women and nonbinary people, like I guess im probably grey ace but like sex just seems boring and I get the impression that when people tend to look to date trans people they are fetishising them for what genitals they expect the person has
you: gay
me, an intellectual: bisexual
He literally said that he is bisexual but when he was a kid he thought he only liked boys, and he learned that trans people couldn't be gay. You're missing the whole point of the video
Noah Bowser i know, it's a meme
intellectual bisexual
Noah B r/whooosh
Jack, do you know of Lou Sullivan? He was a trans, gay, HIV+ activist in the 1980's & early 90's. He faced a lot of struggles in identifying as both trans & gay during that time period. There's a really wonderful, in-depth biography about him by Brice Smith. I would recommend checking it out if you, or anyone else, is looking for a good read!
Yes! I love reading about Lou Sullivan!
Bea best biography ever. Lou was a remarkable man.
thank youuu
@@jackisnotabird you can't be a gay man if you have female genitals a vagina gay men don't like that, and it's super homophobic to say such things my friend has Detrans recently she went through so much abuse from straight men pretending to be gay just to get in her pants stop this homophobic behaviour.
@@jackisnotabird ftm can't be gay, gay men will never accept homophobic convert abuse from female genitals
I'm gay and not trans. But oh, can I relate to the conflicted feelings and questions and denial...and cluelessness, of growing up not-straight, and somehow having to deal with this, whether you deal with it well or not. I did not deal with it well. I wish I'd had friends who had helped me through it. Mostly, I could barely edge around the topic, to try to see if friends were OK with it, or if, hmm, any of my guy friends might, you know, like me back or want to, uh, test things out. :-/ It is still very tough for people who aren't straight to get the support and love they need, and figure out relationships, and test things out. At least it seems that way to me. I didn't deal with it well, it caused me real problems, trying to figure myself out, and I did very badly my first time through college. I didn't come out until after my parents were gone and I was desperate. And since then, I feel like I'm still always learning or unlearning. I want a world where a kid like me or a kid like Jackson was can be loved and supported for who they are, without being scared, without being bullied every day, without being worried they won't be accepted by their family and friends, and where they can start those relationships just like the straight kids, where they can ask someone they like, just as easily, and no one thinks anything of it, where it's just as OK as it is to be straight. -- And I never thought I'd see even the progress that we have made. The thing is, there's still so far to go. -- Jackson, keep being a champion for this. Your videos on LGBT topics, and your other videos, are all so worthwhile. I love the Waffle stuff and the sci-fi and fantasy fandom stuff. I am so glad TH-camrs like you speak out and stand up. It is so needed, if people are ever going to understand and change their minds and hearts.
Loved this, and it reminded me a lot of Riley’s video about how it took her so long to realize she was trans AND a lesbian. It’s a great video. As far as when I felt represented, when Darryl came out as bisexual on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, I was literally jumping for joy. Positive bi representation is rare, and even though he’s a cis guy and older than me (I’m a cis lady in my late twenties), it still felt amazing.
I love Darryl!! :)
reminded me of that riley person's video too :P
Riley J. Dennis Riley, pls. haha I thought of you, too! (& myself a little bit)
It reminded me so much of Riley's video that I wasn't sure whether I had already watched Jackson's video.
Riley is a homophobic man
I honestly don't remember what exactly was my first positive representation of transgender people in media. In all honesty, it might have been you. I saw your coming out video before I started watching the rest of your videos (I wouldn't start doing that until after my first Granger Leadership Academy) but I do remember that your video left me with a deeper understanding of an identity that, beforehand, I hadn't known much about.
What I do want you to know, dude, is that I know for a fact that to a few people I know, you were their "Ring of Keys" moment. For a few people who I love like family, you were the catalyst that lead them to realize that they weren't alone, that people like them existed and that was okay. That's a truly powerful thing.
Same same same! I totally figured out I was trans in middle school but convinced myself it couldn't be true because it was so much easier to be a straight girl than to be a gay trans guy! Three years later I learned you can't just ignore it all...
The first real positive trans rep I can think of is ... TH-cam, actually. It was DEFINITELY TH-cam that taught me what being trans ACTUALLY means - both definition-wise and also the experience that comes with it. Trans content creators like you and Ash and Stef and Riley and Chase and Chandler and ... others that I'm forgetting about rn probably are the reason I have a /decent/ understanding of what being trans means. (For a cis person, anyway.) I genuinely can't think of trans fictional characters that left an impression but I CAN think of a bunch of TH-camrs that are trans and talk about it and are visible also like, LIVE THEIR LIFE. Which is pretty cool. - jessie
Kat and Jessie i prefer youtubers like kalvin garrah, miss london and storm ryan tbh
I've seen South Park, I've seen Family Guy, I've seen a bunch of other shows and also some documentaries, and none of them ever mentioned hormones!
@@avam6080 ew.
@@DUWANGlai_kangyi oh yeah i know. 2 years later and i have grown out of that phase for the better. i am no longer a transmed
Simply straight
Tbh my first positive trans representation was you, Alex Bertie, Skylar, and Ryan Cassata. You were the first one I found, through the Will It Waffle series, and watching your videos led me to the others. Now, I have a fair collection of trans youtubers that I watch, and I’ve seen shows with trans people more recently popping up. Before you, I didn’t even actually know the difference between trans women and trans men, and I could only vaguely conceptualize nonbinary people.
I figured out that I am trans at 19 and didn't come out until I turned 20. I'm now on hormones and so happy. I'm also gay and I'm very happy. 😊
Hello, bisexual buddy!! Your video on bisexuality actually helped me come to terms with my own, so thank you for that
I didn’t know what I was and now I don’t have to be stuck in this shack of misleading information
"I probably should've been born a boy in the first place."
Exactly. I'm amazed how long it took me to translate that almost constant thought.
No one is born in the wrong body
@@mushroomkaiyoti111 really commented shit like this on at LEAST two separate threads get a fucking hobby
Yeah, I always felt very strongly that I was supposed to have been born a girl. But it took me decades to figure out that meant I was trans. In hindsight, I can't understand how it wasn't obvious.
I think that you were actually my first positive trans role model! Thanks for making these videos.
That bi graphic 😂😂😂
this is actually so relevant because just the other day i was sitting in my life science class which focuses on the brain, and during a lecture about sex, gender, and sexual orientation, my professor, though trying to be sensitive to lgbtq folk, was just so misinformed and had no idea about how to talk about it. i'm cis but it made me really sad to think about how many trans students had gone through or were in that class and saw him struggling to talk about their identities in a respectful and educational manner. after the class, i emailed him a VERY long email kindly explaining what he could improve in the slides. 2 days later and he emailed me back thanking me and telling me that he updated the slides to include the information i gave him! it just really makes me hopeful that people can still learn and change and eventually we will be in a world where the lgbtq education we get 1) exists and 2) is accurate and helpful
TH-cam videos like yours are the first positive representation that I saw. Videos like these are crucial and it’s so great you are making them. Also I wanted to thank you for these videos as I’ve shown them to my parents throughout my coming out process and it helped them understand a lot better. Thank you so much!
When I was initially figuring out my gender one of the thing that pushed me into figuring out I was a boy was how right describing my attraction to men as gay was. It sort of just clicked and I've been very openly gay ever since.
This is so much like my story. I just went farther and married a guy that I loved but was not sexually attracted to. It has made our marriage so hard but we are still together and making it work. I think I am attracted to girls but I haven't really allowed myself to explore that possibility for fear of being unfaithful to my husband. I have two kids now and I'm finally looking into starting testosterone. I sometimes wish that I had known more early on so that I could have transitioned before now. I love my husband and I love my kids and I could never wish them away. It would have made my life so much easier but it's never too late to start.
You are the first positive representation of trans people in my life. And I’m happy to still be watching your videos couple of years later.
WOW i needed this so much. Currently coming to terms with being trans and I'm 23. I was always "boy crazy" but I definitely like girls more & I think I just wanted to be the boys. Great video, Jack!
Just found your video and wanted to thank you SO SO much for posting! I'm 30 and live in Alabama where I was raised (during the 90's lol) and this resonates with me on so many levels. I just came out 4 months ago after identifying as nonbinary publicly for two years. I've been looking through so much content trying to find more stories like this to see how many other people might have had an experience similar to mine that led to discovering themselves beyond teenagerhood... always nice to know you're not alone! So again thank you, I really appreciate you sharing your story
"I had liked girls that whole time" is the most JK Rowling-ish thing to say. Thank you for your work!
this aged like milk
@@Mileshuh LOL
Ok so I saw my first positive representation of transgender in the media was on TH-cam Miles Chronicles I don't think anyone would know who he is. But he was and still is a person that I look up too transgender wise and so many other TH-camrs. I want to think youtube but at the same time I don't because I've seen few trans users get their videos demonitized so yeah
Who wouldnt know Miles??
Erin Martinez I freaking love Miles
Mui Kun people that don't really like people like him I guess
Sad
I love miles so much who wouldn't
The first time I saw a trans person in media was Adam from degrassi which I felt was actually pretty good.
The first like REALLY positive(and true) trans representation I saw was Laura Jane Grace.
the first positive representation of a person Just like me was you and you BLEW UP my world! Thanks and love you lots!
This one hits home real hard.
I’ve always been confused why is a trans guy who’s attracted to guys considered gay? Isn’t being trans a gender identity and so wouldn’t a trans guy be heterosexual in that case?
Gay trans guy = Straight woman
No.
Heterosexual women can never be gay men.
Oh My God ! This is the first time I ever heard someone tell a story similar to mine ! Of course I’ve seen trans people in the media but I never saw someone truly like me ! YOU are the first person that truly represent me ! And I thank you for that ! I am a very new suscriber who might have cried a little watching your video but who’s already a big fan ! Thank you very much !!!
I'm pretty sure it wasn't the first positive trans-representation I've seen, but the first one I can remember is your voice-change video. And watching this almost two years ago started the whole questioning-process for me (even though I didn't allow it to exist until the start of this year). So, thank you so much for that, I feel like I'm slowly finding out who I really am.
To be honest the first positive trans representation if I think about it was you. Even if I didn’t realise straight away.
So thanks for that you got me here.
Hi, Jack. I am 22 years old and I am questioning my male gender. The first positive transgender reflection I ever saw it's you, you are pretty much saving me from depression... A little bit 😅
never thought it would really be possible! but hey stumble upon this and made my day! I thought i was the only one. Thank you so much for sharing! 🤗
My first positive trans rep was one time in middle school (8th grade I think? Idk) when our health teacher explained to us what transgender meant/was, and she seemed very supportive (bless her)
(I'm cis btw)
It's so fascinating watching this. As a cis pansexual woman who also grew up in Texas, there are parts of this that I relate to so deeply. I've never questioned my assigned gender, but my sexuality has been this amorphous thing for far longer than I was willing to admit to myself. I didn't accept that I may be something other than straight until I was 22-23 years old because I was so determined that I had to be straight. I remember being as young as eleven or twelve and being freaked out by the very thought that one of my classmates thought I was a lesbian. I remember being in high school and having what I now realize were crushes on girls, and just being determined to tamp them down.And prove to myself that I liked boys by finding a boy to crush on. I did this every time I found myself thinking about pretty girls. Every. Single. Time. I remember being in my first couple years of college (so 19-20) and my mom asking me if I was a lesbian (and if that's why I was single) and freaking the fuck out. And its from exactly what Jackson talks about. The conversations here aren't open, aren't enlightened, and I'm in a fairly liberal part of the state and went to a high school that was largely accepting of those who were different in these ways. But still that culture of homophobia is very present and often stifling. And the thing is, I still struggle with those things. I'm out to small circles but I haven't come out to my family yet, and I'm 27 years old. Because there's still just so much misunderstanding around these topics that broaching the topic is so hard.
Thank you for making this video, it honestly made me feel relieved, cause there are times when I feel like I wanna be trans but also bi(?). Tbh I’m still trying to figure out my gender identity and stuff like that. I think it’s because when I was a kid (3-10yrs old) my parent would say things like “all men are bad”, “don’t trust men”, “You don’t need to get married”, and stuff like that, so then I felt like I identified as being lesbian because I didn’t like men (I wasn’t sure if I liked women but I prefered to be around women, but I didn’t really have any long lasting female friends), there were times in my childhood were I would wish I was a guy so I can hangout with the guys in my class(cause the games they played looked so much fun and I wanted to join into there conversation then). I remember I tried to make myself like girls (and it kinda worked) and look like a guy like always having short hair, and never wearing dresses or skirts when ‘I’ get to decide what to wear (Idk why I did that but it was like I was preparing myself for being a guy). When I got older and realized that I was basically being brainwashed by my parent, I started hanging with guys, who became my best of friends. At some point I started to be attracted to guys (but they’re all fictional though T-T) but girls as well (who are out of my reach, literally and figuratively), but there are also times where a part of me still wishes to be guy, even if I’m somewhat ok with being a girl... something I question if I’m like this because I read too much bl and want to live that fantasy ~_~;, especially since right now the only guys I’m attracted to are not real, and if there were any guys that were attrated to me I’d be like the girl from “Kiss Him Not Me”... but if I were a him then kiss me not him... T_T I’m a sick human being .
I think the first trans person I saw in the mainstream media was when I was thirteen and read Jeff Garvin's "Symptoms of Being Human" which is about a genderfluid person. This was only two years ago, which is kind of sad, if you think about it. I knew some trans people from my adminship on LGBTQ+ accounts, but there was nothing really on those people in the mainstream that I was exposed to. Now, living my life as a trans masc individual (ik, the header does have my dead name)(gotta love being closeted to the relatives who have your email) I wish I could've been able to figure this all out sooner. Thanks for being amazing at what you do, Jackson, and I'm super excited for transmission season two! (Not that anyone cares, but my real name is Vic, lmao)
Vic Iwashyna I read that same book:)
That book sounds so cool vic!
Im sorry, i just love calling trans(*) people by their prefered name, it gives me joy. Like so so so much joy
When I was eight I saw a TLC (I think?) documentary that followed a woman's transition, but I can't remember if it showed the concept in a positive light or not. I just remember thinking "why would anyone choose to be female?". It took me hella long to figure out my gender/sexuality situation too because growing up I knew I liked boys and girls, but every label I tried felt wrong because I still hadn't addressed the real issue: the fact that I wasn't cis. Though I was attracted to men the idea of being with a one made me uncomfortable because of the roles women are expected to play in m/f relationships, while the word "lesbian" made me uncomfortable because it implied "female". Then I figured out I'm nonbinary and now you know I'm flying that bi flag like a kite
Dani Naranjo this hits hard
HOW MASCULINE A WOMAN FEELS DOES NOT MAKE YOU MALE ❤
Shush
The first positive representation of a trans person I saw in the media was a documentary on Jazz Jennings. I was twelve at the time and I was instantly intrigued and watched virtually every video I could find about her and other trans people
This video has helped me a lot. This is the same case with me. Thank you so much for this! :)
I didn’t realize other people struggled with the same issues about their bisexuality. Thanks for sharing 💗
I’m so glad that a portion of kids today (including me) are growing up in a place where the knowledge is there if you can find it. I’m a cis, straight girl, but seeing all those different genders and orientations is so amazing. Y’ALL ARE AMAZING!!!! My first representation I saw was Ash Hardell!
Coming out at 44 as ftm I realised at 11 myself but I'm 1985 it was unheard of and my mother told me I would always be a girl. Flash years later after many of the issues you mentioned and when someone close to me came out it hit me like a bolt of lightening and yes I'm gay as well. Always loved men and I don't think that's gonna change. I'm so relieved to see I'm not alone. TH-cam is answering a lot of my questions I never would have gotten 33 years ago.
geez this is amazing- loved your video so much!!!
and actually I'm feeling the same, I feel like I'm a gay trans guy and I like it, I'm proud of it and I won't hide it, no way.
OMG man. You speak my mind. Man. You speak my mind. 🤯🤯🤯
Thank you for this video...
You just made my life easier, thanks a bunch and I mean it!
My first positive interaction with a trans person was when I met my friend Aiden at group therapy for depression in high school. He was amazing.
This exact thing happened to me except he was called Darren lol
I knew trans people existed long before I ever applied the term to myself. I saw documentaries about kids and thought I'd already missed the train, and that I wasn't trans """"enough"""" because I didn't pop right out of my mother's womb knowing exactly who I was. But it was in the back of my mind for a really long time and eventually I started trying on every nonbinary identity under the sun because I was too ashamed to consider that I might actually be a guy. And then I found your coming out video and saw myself immediately. I used to stay up late watching tons of your oldest videos to help myself stop panicking and feel like less of a freak. So really you were the first positive representation I had, or at least the one that really mattered. Thanks for that :)
You're my favourite youtuber at the moment. So thank you!
I'm so thankful that the first trans people I met were already my best friends
I remember my middle school had books revolving around trans characters... (All of two, to be exact, and I read them both.) that was my introduction to transgender-ness in general, so I don't think I was in any sort of mindset to judge whether it was good representation or not. But I'm inclined to think so, because I didn't finish those books with any negative sentiments towards trans people. I kind of want to say that my actual first encounter with positive trans representation came in my senior year of high school with a documentary my sociology class watched, but having read those books feels like an important step too, because by the time we watched that documentary I was already aware of most the issues it brought up.
Yayyyyyy I’m glad the pod is back!!!!!
I'm bisexual, too, and grew up in a really conservative church. So, I feel you on the burying the attraction to girls deep down. I'm cis, though. So, hearing how complex that was for you being trans is... Tough. I'm glad you're down with your awesome trans, bi self now!
Oh... How things change in 2 years' time. 7 weeks on T today, lol.
I love this!!! Thank you for making this video!!
I know Eddie Izzard is more none binary but he's the first person I can think of! I was four
When I met my friend, she actually helped me realise I was trans and helped me come out
Honestly, the first positive experience I ever had with trans people and culture was the one transguy I met in highschool. I'd been struggling internally with a lot of gender dysphoria, and he, as one of the first trans people in our "LGBT" group, was one of the first people to validate me for feeling how I do. I didn't feel like a misfit anymore.
I actually didn't know what trans meant until about 8th grade, because I had only then been questioning my sexuality and gender. It was in some old, poor quality BBC video that I saw the first person I'd ever known to ID as trans. He had a good job and a loving wife, and I remember it just clicked and instantly made sense. I didn't see anything "wrong" with the notion of being trans until I tried talking to my sister about this new thing I'd learned about; she wasn't as immediately accepting at the time. But I think it's incredible that the first time I saw a trans person was a positive one, even if, now that I think about it, he was also straight... So he wasn't exactly the representation someone like you would've wanted to see. But even now there's so much more representation, and it's all thanks to people like you who take it so seriously! I may be cis, but I love your content and appreciate the difference you make. (P.S, I can't wait to hear your podcast on Saturday!) ~Megan
Cole on The Fosters was the first "positive"/dynamic trans guy I saw in media. I know he goes through a lot and has some pretty awful stuff happen to him early in the time he was on Fosters, but the way the other characters rallied behind him and gradually started respecting and defending his identity was just so amazing.
My son is a teen who is transitioning and he just came out as gay. It's really truly a thing.
I'm trans and gay.. Finally, someone answered my question.
Cis woman here - I really think you are the definitely the first positive representation of a transgender person that I stopped and actually paid attention to. Was watching your waffle vids before you came out and I already loved you, so it was a natural next step to stop and listen empathetically during your coming out vid and all the subsequent teachings. It’s really been so educational, and inspired me to do further research online through articles and videos in order to become a better ally for trans people (youth in particular) - plenty of whom I have met and established relationships with at my work as a youth librarian, since then. I recommend your videos to teens and other staff members who are looking to educate themselves, too!
Oh! Also, Bi Visibility Day is 9/23 in most places. Your story is something that we should hear on both days! 🙂
im almost 24 been out 100% for 4-5 years. knew I was trans in high school but didn't really know what it was til til I started talking to my only trans friend at the time about it. hes younger than me we met in an unlikely place at a low time in our lives. but maybe its weird to say but he was like my first exposure to anything trans related. I didn't know shit about trans stuff. i did a lot of my own research before i went to him about it but i was still confused after talking to him about it im like yes someone gets it! he totally understood how i was feeling and its like yesss im not alone!
This is unacceptable all these people are basically suffering from traumas that happened in their lives most from sexual abuse, sexual activity at a young age and the rest from other experiences that have led them to convince themselves that they're something other than what they were born as because to accept their real unchangeable identity is to accept what happend to them and because most of them aren't brave enough to face their trauma they I stead look to tuna way from themselves and the traumatic event by claiming a new identity whereby they can control the narrative of and lay a chosen claim to a particular outlook that allows them to dissasociaate with the lack of control they felt over their identity by taking elements of the traumatic experience in most cases and using that to form characteristics of their new chosen identity, really just people who need to stop running from the truth but society due to corporate media pressure has fallen inline with the narrative to make society even sicker than it already was🤫
My first positive trans representation was a friend who came out when I was 22, and she was very vocal online, it was great for me. After she came out I said to my husband, "I feel like im like that but in the opposite direction and not quite all the way" and he was like yeah ok you should talk to her about it! And I never did... Instead I researched endlessly and came out in a year. 2 years later and you have a happy trans person right here. Finally.
i was 12 on tumblr, and that was the first time i saw transgender people in a positive light. i still felt like i couldn't possibly be a boy, due to internalized homophobia and transphobia, but i knew that i wasn't a girl, either. it took me three more years to understand that i was a transboy. i know that tumblr isn't exactly the best source of information, and it can be extremely toxic, but i'm glad it gave me some sort of explanation for what i was feeling.
This is just default settings with extra steps
This is such an important message!!!!!! My first experience seeing a trans person was one of my friends and that's when I realized that transitioning was an option. That I didn't have to be miserable anymore.
The first time I saw positive trans visibility was when I was younger and used to watch the show Degrassi. There was a FTM trans boy named Adam, who was beautifully written and showed his journey in such a great way. The show even made commercials where they talked about some hotlines trans teens could call if they were feeling like they had no one else to talk to. It was really well done, even if Adam was played by a cis girl.
Adam was also my first real experience with a transgender character. He quickly became one of my favorite characters on the show, and I even wrote some fanfics from his PoV. (I shipped Adam and Fiona pretty strongly until Fiona came out as being lesbian.) I learned a lot from the way they portrayed Adam's character, and while I'm sure they made some mistakes along the way, Adam was the reason I started becoming aware of and caring about trans issues. Now, with TH-cam, I can actually learn even more about being transgender from people who actually are trans. And I know I still have a lot to learn. But Adam is why I started caring, which is why I feel it's so important to have representation in media. Degrassi has never been a perfect show, but it really helped me to understand a wide variety of different people and issues better. And it even made me consider my own sexuality for the first time after growing up Catholic. Still working on that one, too.
This video explains literally everything that I've ever had to explain to anyone lmao.
So proud of you
I LOVE Jackson Bird because this is actually super comforting to me. However, there is one thing I want to point out, he said he grew up in Texas and was therefore conditioned to homophobia and transphobia but a general lack of knowledge will so that to a person too.
I grew up in Wisconsin, to two very open minded parents, but neither of them felt the need to teach me what it meant than to be different than how people perceived someone.
Because of this I came out to my parents in stages because I got older I learned wtf I was feeling and what that meant. I was 16 when I came out to my mom about having a crush on my very straight female BFF. I Waited as long as I did because of the stigma behind being bi that I saw all over the internet and heard in school. How all that meant was that I was a whore.
Coming out as non-binary, even harder because now I was delving into things that didn’t have a common terminology for a long time. I came out to my parents and they thought I was “just doing what was trending” so back into the closet I went, and still am. To them.
Figuring out that my sexuality wasn’t tied to my romantic (don’t) wants is something I still haven’t voice because it still isn’t something I can describe to my parents.
I know, first class, white person problems I get it. But I will always push super hard for accurate and reliable representation of LGBT+ in media because of how I ended up learning about 99% of what makes me who I am.
Deciphering whether or not the representation I was seeing on TV were meant to be taken positively or negatively, taking those horribly over simplified tropes, figuring out where the accuracy was just not there, and whether or not this was a reliable thing.
I need to hear all this again, but through a megaphone. 📣 THANK YOU SM! You’re absolutely amazing, Jackson, and I enjoy watching, reading, and listening to all the content you put out. So, thank you for all that you do!
To answer your question, the first positive media representation of a canonically trans person within media that I can _recall_ definitely has to be Laverne Cox’s Sophia from Orange Is The New Black. I know I’ve seen other instances of trans people being portrayed in mainstream media before then, but nothing that ever left much of a positive or last impression on me quite like Sophia’s story. Laverne is such an amazing actress and person- she really brought life to that role. And, sure, OITNB isn’t a perfect representation of minorities in general, but I feel it was a step in a more positive and informed direction than other moves within mainstream media in the past.
I love this so much this is great!!!
oh okay so the first time I saw a positive truthful representation of a trans person was when I met a trans guy during a GSA meeting when I was in 9th grade. He was friends with two of the seniors (and lived with one of them because he was kicked out of his house for obv reasons) and came in to educate the health classes with us on LGBT stuff.
I was 2 months away from 28 years old when I came out as agender. Now I use the label agenderboy, after really exploring my masculinity and validating soft masculinity as masculinity. Before I figured out that I’m non-binary trans I identified as pansexual, but now I identify as gay, which to me that means I’m trans and I only date trans people. I don’t have a genital preference and I’m attracted to masculinity, femininity, and androgyny, and there is a special place in my heart for soft masculine trans guys.
Isis King on America's Next Top Model was the first positive trans role model I can remember off the top of my head. I thought she was fabulous and so courageous!
I enjoyed your eloquent and articulate description of your situation. I'm looking to increase visibility by having a gay/bi trans man as one of the protagonists in my latest book, and I find the stories of those who have gone through the challenges you have inspiring and worth telling others!
This is so freaking educational. I was questioning this but couldn’t ask anyone cause religious fam. I’m religious but still researching but please don’t take that as an attack. I love everyone I just need to learn some things that I never got the chance to and this helped. So idk thx for making the video! :)
Can you tell I was nervous typing this? 😅
I remember watching a documentary on tv about trans kids when I was quite young myself. They talked about many trans-related issues and other things like puberty blockers and even talked to a young girl frightened of puberty and how puberty blockers aren't permanent if they "changed their minds" etc. At the end of a documentary the young trans girl went to meet older (visibly) trans women and I'm 100% sure seeing this girl and an older trans woman next to eachother made my mind shift from what I thought were "men in dresses" to "trans women". And I still think that that was the first step to me still caring a lot about LGBT+ issues even though I'm cis and back then also assumed I was straight. So yes, representation matters, mostly to trans people, but also to cis people do they can learn to understand and ultimately be better to the trans people in their lives.
Kind of a convoluted was to be a straight woman. It's cheaper the regular way.
Yassss but I’m like more than 90 percent sure I’m just a gay trans guy lol but yesssss I feel where you are coming from. Literally has been my experience. I came out as Trans Masculine October 11th 4 days before my bday.
And I'm just now learning this...
The broadway take on La Cage Aux Folles has some really amazing, beautiful themes around early trans women (I believe it was from the 80's?). The song "I Am What I Am" literally gives me chills. I mean, other than Jackson Bird, that's the immediate positive trans rep coming to mind, and it's not even a rep really, more of a... an acceptance arc.
idk when exactly i started feeling like im transgender but i saw that youtube recommended me a sam collins video a few weeks ago and when i found out he was transgender and living his best life and he’s happy and doesn’t live up to 99% of the stereotypes put on trans people i started to think that thats how i want to live, i want to live happily as the gender i identify with. as a 16 year old transgender guy, i knew nothing about gender dysphoria or the process of transitioning prior to discovering sam collins😭 and i feel like a whole new world opened up to me and since then ive been researching how to socially transition (and medically, but obviously a little further down the road) and how to come out to the people around me by watching videos about other trans men and their experiences. your videos are really helpful to me🥺🥺 but theres a lot i still don’t know and im hoping to transition at some point in the future. ive had this feeling for a long long time and never knew what it was. but now that i know and i can do research about it and educate myself i hope itll help me and people around me come to terms with being transgender🥺
I didn’t know we were almost the same age. That makes me feel much better. Like idk it’s always nice to see guys transitioning later because it helps me feel more valid.
The first time I saw positive trans representation in the media was Laverne Cox on Orange Is The New Black, and I only started watching the show because I heard there was representation in it. It sucks that I had to specifically look to find something, especially because I had no knowledge or way to articulate my feelings about transness until I started seeing info about it on tumblr circa 2012. Visibility is SO important.
we learned about trans people in health class in freshman year and i had my first trans awakening when i realized how jealous and envious i was of the trans guys
I am a gender questioning? teen and I've actually been struggling with that thought process myself. People always talk about how I shouldn't make my life harder than it should be, because being gay and trans would be too much, and where I live at the moment, it's not dangerous per se to go around talking about it, but you would make a lot of enemies. And probably end up in a lot of fights. This really hit home for me.
As for your actual question, I actually had bad influence when trans stuff started out. Even when I was younger, I didn't get in contact with that stuff a ton, and my first explanation of trans(sexual at the time) was from my dad, who at the time didn't understand it all that well. I remember clearly how that conversation stuck in my head so bad, but nowadays my dad is actually really chill with transgender stuff, it's really relieving. My main source of LGBT was school when I was younger, and I found out about students in my classes become trans one year, and I did some research. It led me to TH-cam, because I like learning about interesting subjects, and although you weren't the first transgender TH-camr that I came across, as of now you are actually my main source of confidence in my own gender and in those around me, as I don't live in a place where that comes naturally.
So thank you so much for existing and helping reach out to people who really need the support, like myself.
"grew up in texas"
oh shit same lmao haha
I have had a lot of things done to masculinize myself but haven't taken HRT just bc im scared of balding 😭 idk if I'm brave enough to do it but I know it would make me happier
Same growing up in Texas is like omg 💀
I am a 42 year old trans woman, I feal your pain. I grew up in Texas as well So did not start anything unill last year. I like women so I just thought I was messed up in the head. But I am happy now. with be glad to have my SRS done though. Hug Piper out
I thought I was like a tomboy lesbian, but I came out as trans ftm. I then felt I could only date girls because I wanted to be the manliest man because anything ig feminine gave me hella dysphoria. But now im more of like fuck it, im pretty into everyone. I just dont really care anymore. Boys are hot as hell. Girls too, what a rollercoaster😂.
Actually a mood XD
Same thinking
The first time I saw positive representation of a trans person was when I was young. I’m not going say any names, but I found this young man and a group of friends he belong to on their TH-cam channel. I started watching them and enjoyed their content. I was young and it took me some time to understand ‘hey, this young man was born different, but he is happy and has good, funny friends. I’m happy for him.’ I’m so glad to know of him, not having met him irl, but I hope to someday. One of my cosplay idols.
Thank you for making this video, I was in serious need of something good that would confirm that trans males can be gay. I thought that that meant that they were not trans but this is what I needed to here. I am closeted and really want to come out to my dad so if I get 50 likes I will. (I know that a lot of people say that if they get likes then they will come out but I really mean it)
I don't know if you did come out finally, but good luck!
I’m 38 and I’m a “cis male” but I can honestly say that when I was younger I thought “wow. Women have better hair, better clothes etc. Maybe it would be cool to be a woman” but because we didn’t have a media frenzy that was continually forcing Trans policy down the worlds throat I never thought I can transition so I should. Here I am. 15 years later happy that I didn’t let myself get confused by the media and what was trending and cool. In the end I’m glad I stayed a man. Chances are if you were boy crazy but liked the way boys looked you were just a Tom boy. Not everything is about a dysphoria not every kid confused by life and about about their sexuality will transition. Mid to late 20 is still very young to be “certain”, take it from a guy pushing 40.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS FUCKING VIDEO!!!!!
As a certified gay trans I thought I couldn't be trans and gay for the longest time. I'd already figured out I was trans at age 12, but I was completely in the closet (and also in denial for that matter), for about a year. Around age 13 I came to terms with being trans fully and I started trying to understand my sexuality better. I started trying to force myself to like women because the only other trans men I'd seen were straight and I thought you literally couldn't be trans and gay. It's also worth mentioning that at this time as a young teen I was in all these "fandom" spaces online and the only portrayals of gay men I saw were gross, fetishistic and were mercilessly objectified by cis women, I thought this was the way I would be treated and decided I "didn't want to be gay". I did eventually come to terms with myself though. All of this is very weird, my relationship with my sexuality is still complicated... But I loved this video wow thank you for this..
SAME! When I first came out as trans I was with my current partner today (we have been together almost 10 years and we had been dating for about a year-and-a-half when I came out to him). I am also an FTM and I was afraid that he wouldn't want to be with me when I came out, but thankfully he stayed and accepted me for who I am. It never really occurred to me that I "couldn't" be a gay trans man until my mom struggled with understanding what I was going through, and told me it would be easier for her to understand if I was transitioning into a man and left my boyfriend to be with a woman. It was really confusing for me. But thankfully she got over that mindset. We are still together and engaged actually. I used to call myself bi, because I can consider some women being attractive, but I feel like I could never see myself sexually with a woman. That's just my preference. So I identify as gay. My fiance is extremely supportive and also identifies as gay, and sees me as the man I was meant to be. Also the first time I ever saw a positive representation of trans people was an episode of Degrassi, when they first introduced the trans character Adam. And that was actually how I discovered I was trans.