Ep. 22 - Wrappin’ up season 1 with Mandy Giles
#22 Wrappin' up season 1 of the Everyday Trans Activism podcast with a short solo episode!
Such an incredible season. 21 episodes, 21 guests.
The podcast has never been about me. It's about amplifying trans voices and learning from them.
And I've learned SO much from each one of my guests and hope you have, too.
I might take a wee break for the winter holidays or do a mini-season, but either way, the podcast will be back soon.
If you have enjoyed ANY episode of this podcast, please leave a review. Reviews really help to keep this podcast visible for folks who need to find it.
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Everyday Trans Activism is a production of Parents of Trans Youth, a social impact business providing learning, support, and community to parents and caregivers of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse kids.
Host Mandy Giles (she/her) is the Texas parent of two transgender young adults and a fierce advocate for trans kids, their families, and the transgender community.
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FULL TRANSCRIPT
Mandy: Hey, y'all and welcome to Everyday Trans Activism. I'm your host, Mandy Giles. My pronouns are she/her, and I am the parent of two transgender young adults and the founder of Parents of Trans Youth. Today's guest is me! This is a solo episode to wrap up the first season of the Everyday Trans Activism podcast.
It has been ooh, such an incredible season. 21 episodes, 21 guests. I have learned so much from each of them and collectively. Um, I mean, I really started this as just a way. Cause I knew some really incredible people. And I wanted everyone to, like the world, to have a chance to be a part of these conversations as well.
And so I hope you have also learned so much, whether you are the parent of a trans kid or a transgender, non-binary person or an ally. Or maybe someone who found this podcast by mistake and decided to learn about trans activism. Good on you.
So. I feel it is important for all of us to learn about issues that affect the transgender community, because honestly they affect all of us just in different ways and in different proportions. Um, and actually Joelle Espeut explains this really well in episode 13 that focusing on things that really center marginalized people or the people who are most impacted by the social determinants of equity. And those are her words. Which oftentimes are Black trans women. Focusing on those things is kind of like a ripple effect. Um, that focusing on those issues that affect marginalized communities disproportionately, working on those issues benefits everyone. It's kind of like working from the center out and she explains it in such a better way than I do. And she's so wise, so go listen to episode 13.
And really. It's just like the fucking decent thing to do to use your privilege to uplift folks who need it and who are having their rights taken away by our political and societal structure that centers white, cisgender, heterosexual, rich men.
And so that's why I do what I do at my social impact business, Parents of Trans Youth. Supporting the parents of trans kids with learning, support, and community. And advocating for trans kids and the greater trans community in public spaces. And uplifting trans voices.
So the podcast has never been about me. It's about amplifying trans voices and learning from them. And why I've chosen to exclusively interview transgender folks on season one so that I can use my platform and privilege as a white straight cisgender woman to center those trans voices.
I knew that in particular cisgender folks needed to hear trans folks speaking for themselves. Because I could talk all day about what it means to be a good ally or how to work towards trans activism in maybe in an ally way a cisgender way, but we need to hear it from the people who are actually affected by these issues. The people with lived experience. It just hits different. And those are the people we need to listen to.
And honestly, I wondered how these conversations would be received by the trans community and if they would be helpful or inspiring at all to people other than say parents of trans kids. And the trans people who have given me feedback have said that having these conversations in a very public and accessible way and focusing on their stories as just people doing cool things really humanizes trans folks in a way that you don't see a whole lot right now, especially by people in the cisgender community.
And I mean, I was talking with everyone about activism in their own way. And so we did focus on trans rights most of the time on the podcast. But we didn't go into like, what's sometimes called trans trauma porn or like invasive questions about their medical history, but the conversations focused on what they were doing to move the needle forward and what everybody could be doing. Like. Uh, Brigitte Bandit said in episode 14 that they appreciated being able to have these conversations that change the narrative. And also to be able to talk about how trans voices are taken from them. Um, and Bridget is like a total badass in Texas. And so if you don't know her, go listen to episode 14.
Or when Odetta Boudreau said in episode 17, things like the podcast are the connections that help give us what we need to be and what people are looking for us to be for them in a world that doesn't celebrate and lift them up, like trans kids and we get to do that. Oh, just by saying that again, I have chills. I have goosebumps. Just powerful.
So, I mean, there's no way I could like pick a favorite season one episode, but I will say there were some just fantastic, blow-your-mind moments that left me speechless. Or somewhat speechless because I always have something to say. Like when Tez Figueroa in episode 7 talked about the me that was waiting to be spoken into existence. Again, goosebumps. Gosh, and. I mean, you could probably tell that Tez is a writer and, um, has an incredible way with words. Or even from the very beginning of the podcast in episode 2, Meghan Fairbanks, one of my good friends, gave us an incredible oral history of that horrible traumatic day in May 2023 when Texas Rangers in their stupid fucking cowboy hats and giant guns cleared the entire Texas Capitol level by level until they pushed people out of the doors and outside the Capitol, like pushing citizens outside of their own building. And my description does not do it justice at all. So go listen to episode 2, because Meghan gives a much better account of it and, and the the emotional toll that that day took on, on both of us really, but it. It really. Uh, I loved hearing Meghan's recount of that.
Um, and my guests have given such great advice for people who want to get started in advocacy or activism. Oh, and for allies, oh friends listen up because there was so much wisdom. So many of my guests talked about how it's important for allies to do the work of bustin' our behinds out there for trans rights and trans equality because trans folks are tired and cannot do it all themselves. And this needs to be everyone's issue, like Vienna Cavazos said it so well in episode 5. That allies speaking up for trans rights shows that this is not a specific issue that only one group cares about. That it's human rights that are being attacked. And again, Meghan Fairbanks said in episode 2. We need allies to show up. We need allies to speak on our behalf. And she said, Hey, you may think, well, I'm just one person, but she has an expression. The ocean is made up of nothing but individual drops of water. Oh, beautiful, Meghan. And Nico Lang said in episode 21 trying is the important thing. You don't have to get it right all the time, but you have to try.
And I think that speaks to parents who are learning how to be the best kind of parents they can be for their trans kids. Or for advocates who are trying to figure out where do I fit in, in this world of activism and advocacy that you just have to do it. You just have to try.
So, I think there's a lil' something for everyone in this podcast. But when you really come down to it, it's for people who really care about trans rights and trans equality and want to be inspired to do the work.
So. Thus ends season one. Um, I might take a little break for the winter holidays or do like a mini-season, but either way, I will definitely be back with fantastic conversations with super cool people doing the work for trans equality in their own super cool ways. And y'all, if you have enjoyed any episode of this podcast, please leave a review on wherever you are listening to this. That really helps to keep this podcast visible for the folks who need to find it. And if you have any feedback, go ahead and email me at Mandy@parentsofransyouth.com. I would love to hear I hear from you. I'd love to hear what you think about the podcast and if you have any any suggestions or feedback about the future directions. All right y'all. I appreciate you. Keep listening and keep doing good work.