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Ladies, gentlemen and those of us
smart enough to have
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transcended gender.
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CHEERING
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I know, I know, I know.
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I'm fabulous.
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My pronouns are bad, bitch.
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CHEERING
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For me!
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This place is wild.
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It's rule-breaking, gender-bending,
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and it's at the forefront of what
I see as a gender revolution.
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Gender - it's not about what sex you
are.
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It's about whether you feel like a
woman, a man, both or neither.
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What are your pronouns?
They, them, she, her.
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They, them, she, her.
He, him, they, them.
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It's a subject that gets some
people very worked up.
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People get so upset when they see
someone like me in a dress.
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And often very confused.
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Bender gender, system offender.
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Will exploring different gender
identities across the world...
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..help me understand gender
and myself better?
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Is this actually meant to be
serious? No. Quite.
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Half? OFF-CAMERA: Halfsies.
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For me, I think that gender is
probably
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the most interesting
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thing that runs through
all of humanity and society,
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but it is the conversation that
people have the least.
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This is probably the first time I've
spoken about gender like this
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ever in my life.
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And it's been 29 years too late.
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SHE LAUGHS
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When I was younger, I was a little
girl who liked dressing
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up in boys' clothes.
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I didn't like Barbies, I liked
Action Men, I liked cars.
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But then, if someone ever mistook me
for a guy, I'd be like,
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"No, I'm a girl! Can't you see
that?"
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I think I started having these
gender identity crises
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when I was a teenager.
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I felt very alone.
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Completely. There was no-one I could
talk to.
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But that's why even
admitting it to myself was
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so difficult. I just thought I...
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There was something very wrong with
me. I don't know.
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The whole thing is very odd.
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I'm still figuring it
out for myself.
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I know I'm not alone in feeling
confused about gender.
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So, to understand more about myself,
I'm going
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to meet some fabulous
genderqueer folk.
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There's no better person to start
with than one of my favourite
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friends. This is Mik.
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Mik's glamorous alter ego is
drag queen Gottmik,
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who you might recognise
from RuPaul's Drag Race.
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All right, this is the angel of my
life.
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This is William's studios. Oh, my
God.
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A lot of artistry happens here.
I got ready for Drag Race here.
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Literally covered this whole place
with all my stuff.
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THEY LAUGH
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This is iconic. This is iconic.
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Traditionally, it's males that
perform as drag queens,
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but what makes Mik so unique is
that he didn't start life as a boy.
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So I'm a trans man, which means
I was assigned female at birth
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and then transitioned into a man.
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But I definitely love playing
with femininity.
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And that's why I love drag so much
because it just allows you to do
that.
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So I'd utilise it to
kind of explore my boundaries.
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I wake up as a guy,
I go to sleep as a guy and Gottmik,
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that female-ish persona,
is 1,000%
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just my art form.
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When did you first, like, discover
people can transition?
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Well, I'm from Arizona, where it's
very, like, conservative.
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When I was, like, 18 years old,
and I met, like, a bunch of trans
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women that, like, taught me what
trans was, and it just clicked.
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I didn't transition for so long
because I was very feminine
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and all the trans guys
I ever saw were just very masculine.
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So I used drag as a way to kind
of see what I was comfortable with,
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and it kind of helped me
find my gender and realise that I'm
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1,000% not a girl,
I'm 1,000% a guy.
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It's amazing.
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I started hormones, and it was
just like everything fell into place
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and I like... It was almost like
every issue
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I had was just, like, solved
in one second.
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Born a female, now a man with
a glittery drag persona,
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Mik's proud of his complex identity
and his journey has got me
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thinking about my own path.
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If someone had asked me as a kid
if I wanted to be a boy, um,
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I do wonder about this a lot.
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Like, if I hadn't have become
famous, would it be different?
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If I wasn't a model,
would it have been different?
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Yeah. I mean, it is scary.
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When I started transitioning, I was
a celebrity make-up artist and
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it was just scary, because I was
like, "Oh, my God, like what am I
going to do?
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"Go to my celebrity clients and just
like, 'Hi, I'm a man today.'"
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And so I can't even imagine
even, like, playing with gender
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and trying to figure out shit
in front of the world like that.
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Like, I think gender's so stupid.
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Masculinity and femininity doesn't
define your gender
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and it doesn't define anything
except for just, like, how you
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want to present to the world, you
know?
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All right. So, where do you think
you're headed with this?
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I honestly don't know.
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MIK SIGHS
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The older I've gotten, the less I'm
just trying to get
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approval from my family.
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I wonder if I said, "Guys, I want
to transition into being a man,"
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what they would do.
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And by the way,
I would never say that to them.
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And this is the thing,
it's nothing against them.
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They love me. It's just some people
don't understand what that is,
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and it's like they look at you like
they don't know you suddenly.
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I love you so much. I love you more.
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No, but I mean, that's the fun...
It's like I want to be a daddy.
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Yeah, you are a daddy,
no matter what.
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I'm feeling really inspired.
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Maybe I can use drag to
explore my gender.
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So, Gottmik's put me
in the make-up chair.
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I love that I'm
thickening your brows.
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Yeah, you are.
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What we're trying to build right
now, like a gender...
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Bender. Bender. System offender.
Yeah.
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Bender gender, system offender.
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MIK LAUGHS
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I used to think that
moustaches were nose hair.
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I used to get, like, the foam
shaving cream,
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I used to put it on my face
and pretend to shave
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with, like, the end of a moisturiser
bit because it's hard.
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Non-transferrable. OK.
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Ven-gen, Gen-ben,
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welcome to the world.
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It's scary. WHISPERS: In a good way.
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Oh, my God, you literally look like
Zac Efron.
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This absolutely matches my eyebrows,
like, kind of perfectly.
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I mean, it's not, not...
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You honestly look hot as all hell.
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Ah!
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MIK LAUGHS
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And after a bit of that Gottmik
magic, I'm really feeling it.
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Wow. Wow. What gender's happening
here, ladies?
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Yeah. Gentleman. You look cool.
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I've been obsessed with drag queens
for, like, the last couple of years.
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I hadn't really ever done it,
though, in practice, dressed
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in male drag.
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Apart from when I was,
like, nine years old, when I would
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go down the street dressed as a boy
to try and see if people believed
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me, or if I would get away with it,
or what people would treat me like.
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For me, drag is an outward
expression of how
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I feel inside in some way,
shape, or form.
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My gender is this
kind of like multicoloured
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sea, sometimes it's wavy
and sometimes it's completely still
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and sometimes there are these
massive tidal waves.
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But it just, it's... For me,
it never feels fixed.
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I know, from my own experiences,
thinking about gender can
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really make your head spin.
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So, let's back it up a bit
and get to the bottom of what gender
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actually is and how it differs from
sex.
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Let's talk about gender, baby!
Gender.
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It can be controversial.
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So I've called in my fellow Brit
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and medical expert Dr Ronx to
give their perspective.
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We're going to do cue cards.
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I'm a bit nervous.
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Gender.
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Gender is essentially how
somebody feels inside.
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It's an innate feeling,
and it's not, um,
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necessarily related to somebody's
sex assigned at birth.
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I mean, should we talk about what
sex is?
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Because I think people can, um, uh,
confuse sex and gender.
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Yes, exactly. Sex.
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OK. Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex.
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Medical term used to divide
people into two binary categories
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based on their, usually
external, sex organs.
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So, male, female.
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Wah! Trans/transgender.
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So, society assumes that
if you have a vagina,
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then you are going to feel that
you are a woman.
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And if you have a penis that you are
going to feel that you are a man.
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So, trans people feel that
their gender isn't aligned to the
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sex they were assigned to at birth.
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So, if we think about a female child
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may not grow into a woman,
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they might identify as a man.
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Yeah, yeah, of course.
But the thing that we need to be
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very, very clear about is
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that the trans experience is
different for absolutely everybody.
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Not everybody wants to
evolve into a binary gender.
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Also, not everybody will take
hormones or have a change
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to their physical appearance or, in
society, behave in a gendered way.
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Me! Non-binary.
My gender identity is nonbinary.
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So I use the pronouns "they",
"them",
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and I do not identify as a man or
woman.
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I have a vagina and therefore I'm
socialised by my
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family and by society into
womanhood.
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But that doesn't mean that
I have to walk around the world
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as a woman.
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So I also call myself trans.
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So, what... What is your sex?
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Um, I mean, my sex is... I was...
I have a vagina.
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I, personally,
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I've always grown-up without
feeling like I have a gender. Yeah.
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But it's more that I didn't belong
in any of the gender stereotypes.
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For me, the whole feminine
identity was so annoying
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because I was like, "I am a person
that likes to play outside,
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"to build, to climb,
to do crazy things."
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And in a dress
that my mother used to try
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and put me in all the time,
and with really long hair,
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I was like, "I can't do any of those
things." Yeah. So it was really
confusing.
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I think more people would be
comfortable with the gender
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that's been assigned to them
if we didn't have all of these
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societal pressures that
come with it.
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Wow. It's so true.
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Some estimate that for around 98%
of folk, their sex
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and their gender match up.
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But about 2% feel differently.
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In the West, we've now got a set
of words for gender identities.
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But around the world, other
cultures often see
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and name gender diversity
differently.
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00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:10,240
300 miles south of Mexico City lives
the indigenous Zapotec people.
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And for more than 500 years,
they've recognised not two,
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but three distinct genders -
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men, women, and muxe.
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Felina, like most muxe people, was
recorded male at birth.
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I love that.
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Muxe make up about 6%
of people in Felina's hometown.
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Most work in stereotypically
feminine trades such as cooking,
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hairdressing or embroidering
traditional dresses,
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worn as a symbol of muxe pride.
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00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:28,560
Muxe people rarely marry.
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Despite romantic
relationships with men,
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they're expected to stay home
and take on caring responsibilities.
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Today, Felina is bringing together
muxes from all over the state for
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00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:02,440
an annual festival celebrating muxe
culture, visibility and bravery.
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The Catholic church is not exactly
known for supporting gender
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diversity. But here in Oaxaca, it's
a big part of the muxe festivities.
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HE SINGS SCRIPTURE
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It's the start of a three-day
celebration of all things muxe.
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It turns out it's not just Oaxaca
that has more than two genders.
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India has the hijra.
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00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:48,600
In Naples, Italy,
there are the femminielli.
238
00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:52,760
Many indigenous Americans
recognise two-spirit people,
239
00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:58,160
whilst Samoa has four genders - men,
women, fa'afafine, and fa'afatama.
240
00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:04,560
And the Bugis people of Sulawesi
have five genders,
241
00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,640
similar to Western concepts of man,
women, trans man,
242
00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:10,840
trans women, and nonbinary.
243
00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,120
No, don't eat the bird.
244
00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:20,600
I think the Western culture that
I grew up in, with just two
245
00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:24,400
genders, men and women,
is far too restrictive.
246
00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:31,000
No wonder some people are showing
the world options beyond this
247
00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:35,760
binary, like writer, performance
artist and activist Alok.
248
00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:38,040
What do you want from me?!
CAR BEEPS HORN
249
00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:39,680
SHE LAUGHS
250
00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:41,880
CAR BEEPS HORN
251
00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:45,760
Alok's taking me to a tailor in the
West Village whose family has been
252
00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:50,680
dressing the gender-nonconforming
community for 35 years.
253
00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:53,280
Hi, how are you? Oh, my gosh.
254
00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:56,720
Yeah, your dress is ready, I think.
255
00:16:56,720 --> 00:16:58,800
But I want you to try it on. Oh! OK.
256
00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:08,920
How do you like it? It's really
great.
257
00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:11,600
The length is good. And it looks
great.
258
00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:13,800
Can we get more room up here?
259
00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:15,800
More room here? Yeah.
260
00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:17,240
My shoulders are kind of wide.
261
00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:19,040
We can do that. Thank you.
262
00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:23,960
People get so upset when they see
someone like me in a dress.
263
00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:26,160
They'll be like,
"That's a man in a dress!"
264
00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:28,040
Like, so what?
265
00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:29,960
What about just
looking like yourself?
266
00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:31,640
Mm. Exactly.
267
00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:33,720
And how do you define your gender?
268
00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:37,920
I don't like defining my gender
because I'm fluid, which
269
00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:42,680
means on a given day, I could look
like something completely different.
270
00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:44,840
I don't see it as necessarily
being my gender
271
00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,720
when I wear what society
calls "girls clothes",
272
00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:50,720
because my gender is internal,
it's not external. Mm.
273
00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:54,200
Do you think the binary has really
affected us badly? Yes.
274
00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:56,600
Is that kind of more
along the lines...?
275
00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:58,960
We're constantly saying, "You're not
masculine enough,
276
00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:00,320
"you're not feminine enough."
277
00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:02,520
We're constantly made to
feel like we're not enough.
278
00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:05,920
Being a man has to be opposite
with being a woman.
279
00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:08,520
And it only gives us two options.
Yeah, put in a box.
280
00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:12,480
Black and white, this or that.
Like, all of us have
281
00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:14,440
fluidity in us, but we're constantly
trying
282
00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:17,800
to put people into these binary
boxes because it's easier.
283
00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:21,440
Meeting you, you're
so outside of gender,
284
00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:25,560
and you have such a confidence
in your masculinity
285
00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:31,520
and it, for me, was a wake-up call
that all of us
286
00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:34,920
are in this journey of trying to
figure out who we are outside
287
00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:36,720
of what we've been told.
288
00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:40,800
And that, actually, in a world
without that pressure,
289
00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:44,040
that societal pressure,
who would we be? You know?
290
00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:46,360
But these things have just been
so ingrained into us.
291
00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:50,760
I realise how much internalised
shade I have against myself and not
to anyone else.
292
00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:53,520
But it's still, you know, especially
with whatever your parents'
293
00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:55,880
beliefs were or your grandparents'
beliefs were.
294
00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:58,520
I mean, it just...
It does take a long time to change,
295
00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:01,880
but the quicker it happens, the more
that people will find freedom.
296
00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:05,720
What I often say is they will
try their best to destroy you
297
00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:07,200
and call it love. Yeah.
298
00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:10,160
That it was often that people who
said that they loved me
299
00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:12,440
first who were policing my gender.
300
00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:17,200
I had to deny myself, erase myself,
"invisibilise" myself.
301
00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:19,360
So I didn't allow any video
recordings of me.
302
00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:20,440
I didn't want any photos.
303
00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:23,320
I didn't want audio recordings
because I felt like I was too
feminine.
304
00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:25,800
My voice was too girlie
and my gestures were too girlie.
305
00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:28,160
And so I just literally
became in a straitjacket.
306
00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:31,800
I wouldn't express myself at all.
307
00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:34,280
Can I ask how your relationship is
with your family now?
308
00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:35,800
It's so much better now.
309
00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:40,600
I think because they saw how this
is what happiness is.
310
00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:42,240
Yeah. It's so important.
311
00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:45,920
And one of the things I wanted to
ask you is modelling, do you
312
00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:50,240
feel like it's difficult for you to
figure out what your own image is?
313
00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:53,200
Yeah. Really. Um, I...
314
00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:55,640
Like, my identity as a person,
I don't...
315
00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:58,120
I don't really know what that is.
316
00:19:58,120 --> 00:20:03,600
In a way of like, I went
from being a suicidal, depressed
317
00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:07,800
teenager to going straight out of
school and becoming a famous model.
318
00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:10,280
I don't know who I am.
319
00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:12,880
Like, a lot of people don't know who
they are, right. Right.
320
00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,800
You know, I'm nearly 30,
and I still feel like I'm 16.
321
00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:20,760
Both Alok's experiences
and my own show how harmful rigid
322
00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:24,600
ideas about masculinity
and femininity can be.
323
00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,960
For what it's worth, if I'd
grown up in a world that understood
324
00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,960
the complexities of gender a bit
better, I think
325
00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,600
my childhood would've been a lot
easier and happier.
326
00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:40,400
When I was a teenager, I mean, I
had a lot of mental stuff going on.
327
00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:44,760
Pretty heavy depression,
suicidal thoughts, like, you know,
328
00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:47,680
I had a mental breakdown. It was
all, I think, to do with finding
329
00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:49,800
identity and sexuality
330
00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:54,360
and gender and, um,
yeah, I think a lot of that was...
331
00:20:54,360 --> 00:20:56,040
It was pretty rough, yeah.
332
00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:59,000
Because I wasn't like everyone else.
333
00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:00,720
But actually, I was wrong.
334
00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:10,760
Like me, a lot of people growing up
feel unsure about their gender.
335
00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:12,400
The big question is - why?
336
00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:17,880
One theory is that it's to do with
how you develop in the womb.
337
00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:20,600
It starts with the chromosomes you
inherit, which set
338
00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:23,600
you off on the path to
being male or female.
339
00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:29,040
Then, around week
eight of development, sex hormones
340
00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:33,280
like testosterone or oestrogen
kick in to shape your body.
341
00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:37,800
But sex hormones may also influence
whether connections
342
00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:42,200
in the brain develop in more male
or more female ways.
343
00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:45,840
One DNA study of 30 trans men
344
00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:48,960
and trans women identified gene
variants that affect
345
00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:53,640
the amount of sex hormones produced
just before and just after birth.
346
00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:59,080
These variants could cause you
to have a body that's one sex
347
00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:04,000
and a mind that feels
and acts quite differently.
348
00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,920
It's one possible reason why gender
is more diverse than just men
349
00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:09,520
and women.
350
00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:12,640
But perhaps surprisingly,
so is your body.
351
00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:15,200
Because when it comes
to our sexual anatomy,
352
00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:18,320
there can be dozens of biological
variations.
353
00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:27,400
Meet River Gallo - they're intersex.
354
00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:30,760
That means they were born with
reproductive or sexual
355
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:35,280
anatomy that didn't medically tick
the boxes of male or female.
356
00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:39,080
I used to religiously not
step on cracks.
357
00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:40,520
Oh, of course, me, too. Yeah.
358
00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:43,120
If you do two in a row, it's good
luck. Three in a row, it's bad luck.
359
00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:45,880
Then you have to spin around ten
times, kick a lamppost, spit on the
360
00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:48,800
floor and go, "Aye, aye sailor." Ow,
Ow.
361
00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,280
THEY LAUGH
362
00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:53,960
That's what happens when you don't
do the luck thing.
363
00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:57,160
Fuck you, tree. Ow.
364
00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:01,560
River's family runs
an El Salvadorian restaurant.
365
00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:05,320
And I cannot wait to find out more
about their extraordinary story...
366
00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:09,000
This is my mum. Thank you so much
for having me. I'm Cara.
367
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,800
Hi, nice to meet you. Baby! Hi, Mum.
368
00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,560
..and to try their famous pupusas.
369
00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:19,520
Cheese and meat. Cheese and meat.
Yes, pupusa.
370
00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:23,480
I always say the pupusas
paid for my college.
371
00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:25,200
THEY LAUGH
372
00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:30,200
Tell me a little bit about you
growing up.
373
00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:32,480
I knew there was something
different about me
374
00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:36,400
since I was 12, you know, which is
when, um, my doctors told me
375
00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,640
that I was born without testicles.
376
00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:42,600
I was put on testosterone to start
going through puberty.
377
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:44,200
And then, when I was 16,
378
00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:48,480
had a surgery to implant prosthetic
testicles into my scrotum.
379
00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:52,720
Those prosthetic testicles actually
give me gender dysphoria.
380
00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:56,160
River, like many intersex people,
felt their sex
381
00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:59,280
and gender was decided for them
by doctors.
382
00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:03,040
It wasn't until I, like, I really
wanted to make a film out of it,
383
00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:06,360
that I realised that my condition
was intersex.
384
00:24:06,360 --> 00:24:07,400
Mm.
385
00:24:09,120 --> 00:24:12,040
River's ground-breaking short film,
Ponyboi,
386
00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:14,040
follows a young intersex runaway
387
00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:17,040
navigating love and seeking
self-acceptance.
388
00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:22,200
It's one of the few films ever to
star an intersex person
389
00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:23,840
as an intersex lead,
390
00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:27,480
and opened up a whole new world
for River.
391
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,280
While I was writing the screenplay,
392
00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:33,440
I discovered my condition is part
of the larger intersex umbrella,
393
00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:36,960
and found that there is like
these intersex activists,
394
00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:39,840
who were really vocal about
their experiences.
395
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:41,960
Was it something you were quite
scared of,
396
00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:43,760
or were you just so happy to
find out?
397
00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:46,480
Like, like surely both, right or
something? Yeah.
398
00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:48,280
Definitely both.
399
00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:50,880
It was like a relief, because I was
just like, "Oh, my God,
400
00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:52,720
"community, people, support."
401
00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:55,920
Like, and then at the same time it
was like,
402
00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:58,760
"What the fuck?" How - why did it
take this long?
403
00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:02,160
Why did no doctor in these
last, like,
404
00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:05,880
ten, 12 years tell me anything?
405
00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:10,000
I recently looked at my journals
from that time,
406
00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:12,040
and it was heart-breaking,
407
00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,000
cause it was like, you know,
408
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,800
there was a lot of talk of like not
wanting to live.
409
00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,240
There was a lot of just like,
just confusion.
410
00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:21,200
Are you going to cry? Mm-mm.
OK.
411
00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:22,320
Just checking.
412
00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:25,120
Slightly, but shut up,
God, you're annoying!
413
00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:26,520
That breaks my heart.
414
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:28,040
How can you not be pissed off?
415
00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:31,560
Yeah, I turned that anger into
activism.
416
00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:33,840
Is it still normal for someone who's
born intersex
417
00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:36,480
to be assigned their gender?
Pretty much, yeah.
418
00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:38,520
Most doctors will just say, like,
419
00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:40,520
this is just kind of, like, what
has to happen.
420
00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:42,120
Leave the kid alone!
421
00:25:42,120 --> 00:25:46,720
And it's also doctors preparing
children to have heterosexual sex.
422
00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:47,960
Because that's what it is.
423
00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:51,040
That's why it's, like, you know,
a hetero patriarchal agenda.
424
00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:54,360
And I think that's part
of the reason why this, like,
425
00:25:54,360 --> 00:25:56,640
what I like to call, like the
intersex tipping point
426
00:25:56,640 --> 00:25:57,760
is now happening.
427
00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:01,640
Now we're finally realising our
shared experience is
428
00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:05,360
collective power to get these
laws made,
429
00:26:05,360 --> 00:26:08,080
so that no intersex child
430
00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,760
has to go through what we, what
we've been through.
431
00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:12,960
What, what laws do you want to
be put into place?
432
00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:15,480
To just ask people to delay
surgeries.
433
00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:17,400
So, saying that, like, OK,
434
00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:22,120
any medically unnecessary surgeries
or cosmetic surgeries should be
435
00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:26,480
delayed until the child can
decide at age of consent.
436
00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:27,520
Yes, exactly.
437
00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:29,920
Within the realm of discovering
who you are,
438
00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:32,520
is it something you'll still
figuring out?
439
00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:34,040
Since I came out as intersex,
440
00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:38,080
and then like, you know,
now being nonbinary and trans,
441
00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:41,720
I definitely feel like I have more
confidence to just like be myself.
442
00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,840
I'm still kind of figuring out
what my identity is,
443
00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:48,880
in terms of being trans, and if I
want to transition or not.
444
00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:53,400
Because at the same time I, I also
feel really comfortable and happy,
445
00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:56,040
inhabiting this non-binary body
446
00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,480
and just kind of, like, rocking
with it.
447
00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:03,120
It was really,
really nice to meet River,
448
00:27:03,120 --> 00:27:05,120
but there was a sadness, you know,
about like...
449
00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:08,840
..being kind of emotionally
unsupported
450
00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:10,960
and going through
all of the stuff medically alone.
451
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:15,120
And I think how crazy it would've
been to have someone medically
452
00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:17,960
make decisions that I couldn't even
have control over, I suppose.
453
00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:24,440
River's story shows our sexual
biology is actually this
454
00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:26,680
kaleidoscope of diversity.
455
00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:31,080
It's estimated that up to 1.7% of
us humans are intersex,
456
00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:33,920
which could mean there are many
hundreds of thousands
457
00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:37,040
of intersex people in the UK alone.
458
00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:41,360
Our bodies clearly don't always fit
neatly into two categories.
459
00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:43,280
So is this the same for our minds?
460
00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:51,440
The University of Cambridge,
461
00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:54,800
where scientist Dr Christelle
Langley has been investigating
462
00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:57,120
if gender shows up in the brain.
463
00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:02,040
What we tried to do in our study was
to look at whether we could
464
00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:06,200
identify typically male or
typically female brains.
465
00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:09,760
So, do brains from males and females
look different?
466
00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:11,160
Well, no.
467
00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:13,120
One grey blob is much like another.
468
00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:16,840
But Christelle wanted to know
if brain activity patterns
469
00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:19,200
could tell you which was which.
470
00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:20,480
Interesting!
471
00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:22,200
But why are we looking at a cake?
472
00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:25,960
So the brain is made up of a number
of different areas and regions.
473
00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:29,000
So things like synapses,
networks, cortices,
474
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:31,720
they all function together, much
like the ingredients of a cake.
475
00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:37,000
Dr Christelle used AI to
analyse 10,000 brains,
476
00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:41,000
half from biological males,
half from females.
477
00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,680
Previous studies have identified
different patterns of connectivity
478
00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:47,600
in each sex.
479
00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:51,360
The AI was tasked with identifying
which of Christelle's brains
480
00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:55,040
were male, and which female,
based on those patterns.
481
00:28:56,560 --> 00:29:00,120
And the results were plotted onto
a brain sex continuum.
482
00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:07,040
You'd expect the brains to divide
neatly into two sexes.
483
00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:10,040
But what Dr Christelle discovered
was that many of us
484
00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:12,120
don't have very gendered
brains at all.
485
00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:17,040
So in our study, what we managed to
show was that
486
00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:19,960
approximately 25%
487
00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:25,000
mapped on to the male end of the
continuum.
488
00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:30,040
And approximately 25%
489
00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:33,720
mapped on to the female end of the
continuum.
490
00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,080
And the really interesting finding
was that actually
491
00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:41,880
50% of people had what we call
an androgynous brain,
492
00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:44,320
and didn't show any of these very
stereotypical
493
00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:46,360
male and female traits.
494
00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:50,480
If you just looked at the connection
patterns of an androgynous brain,
495
00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:54,280
you wouldn't be able to tell if it
belonged to a male or a female.
496
00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:59,240
They share qualities from both,
and it turns out that's healthy.
497
00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:02,960
Androgyny is related to things
like higher cognitive flexibility,
498
00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:05,320
better creativity,
499
00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:10,040
and actually these allow you to
better adapt in society,
500
00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:13,080
and you're more likely to
flourish in social situations.
501
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:18,240
But a more gendered brain leads to
more rigid, insular thinking,
502
00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,720
higher depression,
social anxiety and isolation.
503
00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:26,040
Both the female and the male ends
of the spectrum
504
00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:28,280
had worse mental health.
505
00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:31,000
More research is needed to
understand what this means
506
00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,480
for trans and nonbinary people,
507
00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:37,320
as none were knowingly
included in Dr Christelle's study.
508
00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:41,400
But we do know that all that toxic
"boys should be boys" crap
509
00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:43,080
makes for less happy lives.
510
00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:45,560
All things considered,
511
00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:48,080
I think I would choose
a slice from this cake.
512
00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:50,040
Ah, it's dropping. Sorry!
513
00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:51,080
LAUGHTER
514
00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:52,480
BIKE BELL RINGS
515
00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:56,240
Gender is way too easily
seen for most
516
00:30:56,240 --> 00:30:59,000
as black and white, male/female,
517
00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:03,000
because it's so much more dynamic
518
00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,280
and interesting and fascinating.
519
00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:09,400
It's like the whole thing is just
so, so archaic in so many ways.
520
00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:13,040
OK. Story so far.
521
00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:17,000
Rather than being strictly male or
female, our bodies and our minds
522
00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:20,720
are more fluid and varied than I
ever thought possible.
523
00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:25,240
A massive mix of circumstances
creates millions of unique people,
524
00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:27,400
with their own gender identities,
525
00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:30,280
and that's generating
lots of revolutionary ideas
526
00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:32,840
about who you can be in the world.
527
00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:41,760
In Japan, there's a gender
phenomenon
528
00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:44,040
that's grown over the last 15 years.
529
00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:48,720
Danso, people assigned female
at birth,
530
00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:50,320
working and often living as men.
531
00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:02,880
This is a gender totally
unique to Japan.
532
00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:05,560
There are danso boybands,
533
00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:07,080
danso bars
534
00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:08,480
and danso heart-throbs.
535
00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:13,360
But behind the showbiz
glitz of danso's entertainment
536
00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:15,320
lies a really authentic way of life.
537
00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:24,040
Meet Jin, who lives as a danso
full time.
538
00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:53,160
Like many danso, Jin works as an
escort,
539
00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:55,840
a strictly non-sexual one.
540
00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:57,600
He's got an escort date tonight.
541
00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:56,120
Jin, like most danso,
542
00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:59,240
doesn't identify as what we in the
West would call trans,
543
00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:00,560
or non-binary.
544
00:34:36,680 --> 00:34:41,360
I totally get why the danso want to
live and dress like men.
545
00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:46,200
So far, I've only expressed my more
masculine side through what I wear.
546
00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:47,920
But I've never quite worked out
547
00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:50,120
whether I should go further
than that.
548
00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:52,000
I'm going on a date on Wednesday
night.
549
00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:54,240
So what are we doing on Thursday?
Oh, my gosh.
550
00:34:54,240 --> 00:34:55,440
She will never escape.
551
00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:01,080
When I first started
learning about trans people,
552
00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:04,240
I was like, wait, but I felt that.
553
00:35:04,240 --> 00:35:06,320
Or like, I kind of went through that
when I was young
554
00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:07,840
or that's kind of crazy,
555
00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:10,400
and then thinking, "Oh,
am I living a lie?
556
00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:13,640
Like, is this this giant secret that
maybe I should be a man, or...?
557
00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:15,440
And then like, but also no.
558
00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:18,720
Alfie. Alfie.
559
00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:25,040
I love him so much.
560
00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:31,040
So what would it be like to have a
man's body?
561
00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:32,480
And is that me?
562
00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:35,800
Well, science shows our sense
of gender can be tweaked
563
00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:37,520
if we perceive our bodies
differently.
564
00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:43,160
And someone in Spain can give me a
taste of what that might feel like.
565
00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:49,320
This lushly coiffed cognitive
neuroscientist, Dr Marte Roel Lesur,
566
00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:51,920
is the brains at a cutting edge
laboratory,
567
00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:54,080
packed with very cool tech.
568
00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:56,080
Welcome to the gender swap.
569
00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,200
Yeah. What? This is so cool.
570
00:35:58,200 --> 00:35:59,360
Sit down here.
571
00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:02,800
Here comes the curtain.
Say goodbye to yourselves
572
00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:07,040
In a cognitive experiment called
the full body ownership illusion,
573
00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:10,480
I'm going to swap bodies with
this guy, Carlos.
574
00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:12,640
And once... I don't know why I'm a
little scared.
575
00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:19,000
My VR headset is not showing
my body, it's showing his on me.
576
00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:25,320
Can it trick my mind into feeling
a different gender identity?
577
00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:30,080
They'll have a camera in front, so
that they can see their full bodies.
578
00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:32,440
And what we do is that we
swap the cameras.
579
00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:37,000
We mirror each other's movements.
580
00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:39,200
Oh!
581
00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:42,840
And before long, my head is actually
starting to get in sync
582
00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:44,760
with my masculine body.
583
00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:46,240
Oh, my gosh, this is so weird.
584
00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:53,640
It's a completely multisensory
experience.
585
00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:57,160
By providing these tactile
and visual interactions,
586
00:36:57,160 --> 00:37:00,080
they not only feel that
they're located in this space,
587
00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:02,400
but also that this body
is their own body.
588
00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:04,760
Three, two, one, touch.
589
00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:07,480
Three, two, one.
It's wild.
590
00:37:08,480 --> 00:37:10,520
It is definitely tricking the mind.
591
00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:13,600
There are certain brain areas
that are activated
592
00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:16,440
when people see themselves
from a different perspective.
593
00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:18,560
Brain areas related to the body,
594
00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:21,200
body perception to planning of
movement,
595
00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:24,040
to perspective, to spatial
cognition.
596
00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:28,440
This combination of sight and touch
597
00:37:28,440 --> 00:37:31,240
really makes me feel like I've got
the body of a man.
598
00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:33,720
Whoa!
599
00:37:33,720 --> 00:37:35,240
Argh, I've got man hands!
600
00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:40,200
Oh, no way.
601
00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:42,080
That is crazy, guys.
602
00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:47,920
We open a curtain that is separating
the space between the two people,
603
00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:50,720
and they face themselves as
another person.
604
00:37:56,280 --> 00:37:58,080
This is your hand.
605
00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:00,240
This one right here. No, so
confusing. Not happy.
606
00:38:00,240 --> 00:38:02,040
This one. What?
607
00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:04,240
I feel like I've become Carlos.
608
00:38:05,240 --> 00:38:06,440
Whoa!
609
00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:09,520
Dude, this is crazy.
610
00:38:10,680 --> 00:38:12,200
Our self-identity,
611
00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:15,600
the way we perceive ourselves is
very grounded on our bodies.
612
00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:19,880
The fact that I can see myself and,
and know that it's me,
613
00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:21,520
for example, when I see a mirror,
614
00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:25,000
is very crucial to our human
experience.
615
00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:27,480
However, it's possible to shift
this,
616
00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:29,880
to feel that we are somebody else.
617
00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:32,160
It tells us that gender is much
more fluid,
618
00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:36,320
and it shows that our identities are
more malleable than we thought of.
619
00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:39,480
When the brain's tricked like this,
620
00:38:39,480 --> 00:38:43,480
experiments show a rapid
impact on our own sense of gender.
621
00:38:43,480 --> 00:38:47,440
Women can feel less feminine
and men less masculine.
622
00:38:47,440 --> 00:38:48,960
I'm so confused.
623
00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:50,120
Wow!
624
00:38:51,440 --> 00:38:53,160
That is so weird.
625
00:38:55,240 --> 00:38:57,360
It's the coolest thing in the world.
626
00:38:57,360 --> 00:38:58,600
Oh, my God! Whoa.
627
00:38:59,640 --> 00:39:00,680
Ooh!
628
00:39:01,960 --> 00:39:05,400
Illusion experiments like this
suggest that our sense of gender
629
00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:07,240
isn't entirely fixed,
630
00:39:07,240 --> 00:39:08,680
and can change.
631
00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:10,040
That was so crazy.
632
00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:13,800
I, I knew it was going to be
amazing,
633
00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:17,880
I just didn't understand exactly
how crazy that was.
634
00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:20,320
Yeah, it's a lot. I mean, it's
really like we're...
635
00:39:20,320 --> 00:39:24,080
There is one moment that you
lose your perspective as your body,
636
00:39:24,080 --> 00:39:26,920
you know, and then you are fully
introduced in that body.
637
00:39:26,920 --> 00:39:29,000
Once you're in it for a while,
it's like wow,
638
00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:30,840
you just get so used to it,
I suppose.
639
00:39:30,840 --> 00:39:32,920
It's like, oh, my God, I've got
such muscly legs.
640
00:39:32,920 --> 00:39:35,280
We get a lot of people
interested in trying these
641
00:39:35,280 --> 00:39:37,120
that are transitioning gender.
642
00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:39,560
This is very interesting for trans
communities.
643
00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:42,760
Soon VR could allow trans people to
experience their new bodies
644
00:39:42,760 --> 00:39:46,280
in 3D before permanent
procedures.
645
00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:48,640
It was emotional at the end when you
see yourself and, like,
646
00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:50,480
hug yourself. I was, like, "Cool."
647
00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:52,360
It's like quite, quite
shocking, yeah.
648
00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:54,040
That made me really want to be
quite sad.
649
00:39:54,040 --> 00:39:55,600
Like, "Oh, my God, that's adorable."
650
00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:58,000
Yeah, it's, it's,
so, so, so interesting.
651
00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:06,880
Trying to be a man, I realise, like,
I was a lot more feminine
652
00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:09,440
in the way sometimes that
I moved than I thought I was.
653
00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:11,000
I don't know how much I liked it.
654
00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,160
It was quite uncomfortable,
the feeling,
655
00:40:13,160 --> 00:40:14,880
the sensation of touching someone.
656
00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:16,240
So that's when it became real.
657
00:40:16,240 --> 00:40:18,320
Then it was like, Oh, my God,
I'm in a man's body.
658
00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:19,560
It was really quite crazy.
659
00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:23,400
It made me happy to be a woman,
I suppose, in so many ways.
660
00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:25,520
I was like, "Oh, I'm...weird."
661
00:40:25,520 --> 00:40:27,040
Cos I usually was like,
"Oh, God,
662
00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:30,400
"would I want to look at my dick?"
and I was like, "Not really."
663
00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:32,120
I was like "Oh." Make me feel weird.
664
00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:37,040
I'm in my hometown - London.
665
00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:43,920
And ending this journey where
I started,
666
00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:47,480
with the fabulous folk at cabaret
night, Bar Wotever.
667
00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:52,120
A very, very special haven where,
gender wise,
668
00:40:52,120 --> 00:40:54,560
you can literally be whatever
you want.
669
00:40:55,600 --> 00:40:57,760
Tell me about tonight,
I've never been here.
670
00:40:59,120 --> 00:41:02,640
Bar Wotever is, I feel like the name
kind of says it.
671
00:41:02,640 --> 00:41:05,680
It literally is like a night that
we put on and everything's welcome.
672
00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:08,040
All you have to do is walk through
the door,
673
00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:11,480
and there is a room, a whole
community of people right there.
674
00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:13,240
It's so, so incredible.
675
00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:17,000
How do you - what are your
pronouns? Just so I know.
676
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:19,040
They, them, she, her.
They, them, she, her.
677
00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:20,960
He, him, they, their.
678
00:41:20,960 --> 00:41:22,400
They, them. We did the thing.
679
00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:24,240
She - she daddy.
680
00:41:24,240 --> 00:41:26,080
She daddy, I like that.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
681
00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:28,160
I think that's going to make
a lot of people happy.
682
00:41:28,160 --> 00:41:29,560
Yeah. Yeah.
683
00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:30,680
You'd like that.
684
00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:32,200
There's just like no pressure,
685
00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:35,080
like everything should be allowed to
be fluid, do you know what I mean?
686
00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:37,400
Like, you can try pronouns,
try different names,
687
00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:39,400
try different pronouns,
different expressions.
688
00:41:39,400 --> 00:41:42,000
There's just
so much freedom within it.
689
00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:44,960
Especially at a night like this.
It's like - it's just freedom.
690
00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:50,640
It's liberating to now feel able to
talk about this tricky subject
691
00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:53,520
that I used to just run away from.
692
00:41:53,520 --> 00:41:57,440
This is THE place to see, both on
and off stage,
693
00:41:57,440 --> 00:41:59,960
just how diverse gender can be.
694
00:41:59,960 --> 00:42:02,240
Ladies, gentlemen, and those of us
smart enough
695
00:42:02,240 --> 00:42:03,520
to transcend a gender.
696
00:42:03,520 --> 00:42:05,080
CHEERING
697
00:42:06,880 --> 00:42:09,200
HARD ROCK MUSIC
698
00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:13,800
Come on. It's time for the world to
open up its arms
699
00:42:13,800 --> 00:42:16,640
to gender, in all its fantastic
forms.
700
00:42:20,280 --> 00:42:22,040
And what about your gender journey?
701
00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:27,960
Um, my gender journey is
still on one.
702
00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:31,040
For me, talking about it has just
been a really interesting thing.
703
00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:33,800
I am a she right now,
704
00:42:33,800 --> 00:42:38,040
but like, I like also dressing
up like a man, and being a he.
705
00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:40,000
You don't have to put so much
pressure on yourself
706
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:42,040
to know what you are, who you are,
707
00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:44,680
whether it's masculine or feminine,
it's just who I am.
708
00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:47,120
Now I feel like I dance
in between the lines.
709
00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:49,080
I'd, like, sway back and forward.
710
00:42:50,200 --> 00:42:53,760
I'm a loose willow tree,
blowing in the wind of gender.
711
00:42:55,880 --> 00:43:00,200
I don't think there are actually
words to express how freeing
712
00:43:00,200 --> 00:43:03,720
and how just "right"
I feel in myself now.
713
00:43:03,720 --> 00:43:07,880
I've realised that gender has no
signifier on how you look,
714
00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:11,000
how you act, how you talk,
what you do with your life.
715
00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:15,920
I hope that in the future we can all
exist in the same space together,
716
00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:20,560
and every single gender expression
is completely valid.
717
00:43:22,640 --> 00:43:24,400
I'm just living off this energy.
718
00:43:24,400 --> 00:43:27,080
It's, um, it's a beautiful place
and beautiful people.
719
00:43:27,080 --> 00:43:30,400
I've never really been out
and seen this community in this way.
720
00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:32,040
Um, it's a lot of emotion.
721
00:43:32,040 --> 00:43:34,600
It's a lot of support,
a lot of love.
722
00:43:34,600 --> 00:43:38,360
People can feel very weighed
down by a conversation about gender.
723
00:43:38,360 --> 00:43:40,200
But it is fun. It should be fun.
724
00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:42,520
It should be an experience,
an experiment,
725
00:43:42,520 --> 00:43:44,960
a way of expressing yourself
and playing with it.
726
00:43:44,960 --> 00:43:47,800
Can I go back in? Can I go back in?
Can I come back in?
727
00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:49,600
OK, here I go.
728
00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:51,760
Planet Sex.
96937
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