Surprising Words That Can Hurt

02/07/23 • 39 min

A national Trevor Project survey of trans and nonbinary people found that being affirmed and having pronouns respected by most people in their lives dramatically reduced rates of depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts.

One of the most significant ways we can support LGBTQ+ community members is through effective, affirming communication. Words are incredibly powerful. Choosing our language carefully when speaking with trans and nonbinary people isn’t as difficult as many people seem to think; in fact, in many cases, it literally takes fewer words.

So, in today's episode, we go through some everyday words that when used in reference to trans experiences could be quite hurtful and disaffirming for trans people. We also cover terms that have recently been replaced, words that may once have been accepted, but are now completely outdated.

In addition, we address generational issues for certain terms, such as "sex change operation," which many trans people today would not feel comfortable with using or hearing. We’re sure you can understand why the term “gender confirmation surgery,” which is now widely used, would likely feel more accurate and affirming.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

How simple words can make a world of difference to someone else (4:32)
What's wrong with the word "choice"? (6:05)
Transition is not the same as change (7:18)
What the word "preferred" implies when addressing a member of the LGBTQ+ community (12:23)
Being transgender is never a "phase" (16:41)
About the issues with the term "gender dysphoria" (24:12)
Gender and the workplace (31:56)

Resources:

Confronting Gendered Workspaces by Jackie Thornhill. Article
National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2020
Family Acceptance Project. San Francisco State University
Family Acceptance Project Research & Recommendations Handout

Connect with Jackie and Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

How simple words can make a world of difference to someone else (4:32)
What's wrong with the word "choice"? (6:05)
Transition is not the same as change (7:18)
What the word "preferred" implies when addressing a member of the LGBTQ+ community (12:23)
Being transgender is never a "phase" (16:41)
About the issues with the term "gender dysphoria" (24:12)
Gender and the workplace (31:56)

Resources:

Confronting Gendered Workspaces by Jackie Thornhill. Article
National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2020
Family Acceptance Project. San Francisco State University
Family Acceptance Project Research & Recommendations Handout

Connect with Jackie and Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Violence Against LGBTQ+ People

Trigger warning: Today's episode touches on extremely sensitive and upsetting topics.

We’re addressing the harrowing hate crime at Colorado Springs’ Club Q on November 26th, where a shooter took the lives of Daniel Aston, Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, and Derrick Rump and injured another 25 people.

The killing was stopped by Richard Fierro, a US Army veteran who, unarmed, managed to stop the 22-year-old gunman. Mr. Fierro's heroic actions not only saved many lives, but also sent a powerful message: the LGBTQ+ community is fighting this war with love, not violence, and they are going to win it.

We discuss the underlying reasons behind the shooting, the rise of hate (as well as increasing support) for the LGBTQ+ community across the country, and the lack of humanity displayed by right-wing spokespersons when addressing grueling hate crimes.

Jackie also shares her thoughts on the tweaks to legislation that could prevent these and other attacks and the cracks in gun control that consistently fail to stop the wrong people from accessing firearms.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

About the brutal attack at Club Q (3:02)
The things we can do to prevent this from happening again (7:08)
What makes someone decide to get a gun and harm other human beings? (17:01)
We must start asking who are we handing guns to (19:13)
How can LGBTQ+ people feel safe? (23:23)

Connect with Jackie and Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Meet Jeanette, Jazz Jennings' Mom, from I am Jazz

In today's episode, we’re thrilled to be joined by Jeanette Jennings, mother of the amazing spokesperson, YouTube and TV personality, and LGBTQ+ rights activist, Jazz Jennings. You may know Jazz and Jeanette from their popular award-winning docuseries, now in its 8th season on TLC, I am Jazz.

Jazz was diagnosed with gender dysphoria at age three and socially transitioned at 5. She is one of the youngest publicly documented people who have identified as transgender. In 2007, when Jazz was only six years old, her story caught mainstream media's attention when Barbara Walters interviewed her and her family for 20/20.

Throughout our conversation with Jeannette, we learn about the blessings and the most challenging parts of Jazz's journey as a transgender child, how Jeanette has fought for Jazz’s rights, and the support they received from friends and relatives. Jeanette also talks about how important it is for transgender kids' parents to set their egos aside and make informed decisions seeking the best for their children.

We also discuss gender-affirming care, the story behind the interview with Barbara Walters, an interview with Oprah, and tons of behind-the-scenes golden nuggets from Jazz's family reality show, I am Jazz.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

A bit about Jazz's journey as a transgender kid (6:15)

A family in transition (10:47)

Jazz's experiences in kindergarten as a girl. How Jeanette learned to pick her battles (19:01)

The most challenging parts of Jazz's transition (28:27)

About the American states that don't provide gender-affirming care as a political decoy (42:43)

What we can learn from transgender people's life experiences (58:29)

Some behind-the-scenes stories from the show I am Jazz (1:09:13)

Resources:

I am Jazz on TLC

Trans Kids Purple Rainbow Foundation

The Family Acceptance Project