A weekly question-and-answer podcast that explores life outside the gender binary. We discuss transgender, nonbinary, asexual, queer, and even lesbian & gay topics!
We review Netflix's Will & Harper . Overall we think it's really really good and can help educate people who might need it. Faith says she can't get U.S. State Department Security Clearance because she's too weird. We agreed Mike "I'm a weird guy" Warnke is also probably ineligible. But Weird Al is pretty wholesome ; I bet he could get it. Could you get clearance? Like us on FaceBook so we can haunt your feed. Faith's book, American Transgirl , available now! Music by one of our favorite ban...
We review Netflix's Will & Harper . Overall we think it's really really good and can help educate people who might need it. Faith says she can't get U.S. State Department Security Clearance because she's too weird. We agreed Mike "I'm a weird guy" Warnke is also probably ineligible. But Weird Al is pretty wholesome ; I bet he could get it. Could you get clearance? Like us on FaceBook so we can haunt your feed. Faith's book, American Transgirl , available now! Music by one of our favorite ban...
We're in the news again, yay. First, the stats: The US held 21.0% of the world's prisoners in 2015, even though the US represented only around 4.4 percent of the world's population in 2015. The Wikipedia site "Comparison of United States incarceration rate with other countries" has additional sobering stats. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_United_States_incarceration_rate_with_other_countries#:~:text=The%202021%20US%20incarceration%20rate,in%20adult%20facilities%20in%202015 . Highlig...
Faith and Kath are surprised that they liked this movie so much. Remember Amanda Bynes? She's so funny and we at TGR Headquarters wish her well. The movie is helped by surprisingly funny Channing Tatum in his first movie role and a bonkers story by Billy Shakespeare. Apparently pretending to be the opposite sex is stressful and Bynes said she struggled with depression for months after seeing herself onscreen. Sounds like gender dysphoria is hard even in small doses. Like us on FaceBook so we can...
Today we watched director Billy Wilder's 1959 hit Some Like It Hot, winner of 11 Academy Awards. Our feelings are... complicated. But for a movie with cross-dressing, produced in compliance with the Hays Code 's absurd limitations, it is actually pretty cool. Marilyn Monroe's character gave off "Born Sexy Yesterday" vibes. Pop Culture Detective coined the phrase for characters like The Fifth Element's Leeloo; learn more here ! In 2023, J. Harrison Ghee won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in...
In this episode of The Gender Rebels, Kath and Faith discuss their experience watching "I Saw the TV Glow," a film starring Bridget Lundy-Paine and Justice Smith. They delve into the movie's plot, its themes of isolation and connection, and its potential as a metaphor for transness. The hosts also share their thoughts on the film's visuals, soundtrack, and the Q&A session with the director, exploring the movie's ambiguous ending and queer representation.
This week we saw a reddit post that asked "Would I be a bad leftist if I get SRS?" It started with "my ex told me that girls who get SRS are an obstacle for trans liberation." Wow. We knew Faith needed to weigh in. Caution: we make pretend sex noises throughout this ep. Try to not get too turned on, thanks. Gaslighting means "manipulating someone into questioning their own perception of reality". Support us on Patreon to help us keep making great content, and to get some cool rewards! Check out ...
Listener Claire asks a great question about how to move in a more feminine way. We can't all be ballerinas or elegant gliding angles on ice like the truck drivers of Manitoba, but we can all take some yoga or barre, work on our posture, get video to track our progress, and attempt to emulate the Playboy bunny walk. But ultimately, it all comes down to practice. Barre class and how to pronounce it . (It's just "bar", y'all.) Frances Ha starring (probable possible likely Academy Award winning dire...
Facial feminization surgery (FFS) is not covered by some health plans. If your health insurance company says they won't pay for a surgery you need, you can appeal that decision. Listener Robin asks for tips from Faith, who succeeded with her appeal on her third try. Our other FFS episodes: Faith F's her F Part I Faith F's her F Part II Faith vs Her Health Insurance "Insemination style genitalia" and "gestational genitalia" are terms that Faith thought up in her weird brain and we do NOT recommen...
Ken Ham founded the Creation Museum and Faith got extra credit for going to see him speak on--what else?-- science. This is a cool diagram of all the metabolic processes . Kath remembers each and every detail of this diagram, even now, 20 long years since her graduate biochem class. Amanda The Jedi reacting to "Pure Flix" , the Christian alternative to Netflix. Her other videos are really good, too. Bob Jones University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission...
"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." We misattributed this quote to Lee Atwater. It was in fact Lyndon B. Johnson . Don't feel bad for Atwater; he was no peach either. Here's audio of him spelling out how Republicans should signal that they support racist policies without actually saying racist things. TW for some seriously fucking ...
In our final episode on transgender music, we discuss Jenny Lewis in Rilo Kiley One of The Guys , The Regrettes A Living Human Girl , Liz Phair Firewalker , Metric Too Little Too Late , R.E.M. Hope , and Chvrches Death Stranding . We really hope you liked this series! Buy Faith's book ! It's the mid 1990s, and a high school guy in Georgia is grappling with his queerness, his faith, his friends, and his future in Disgusta by Faith DaBrooke. Sup port us on Patreon to help us keep making great cont...
We're back with even more songs. And this ain't all, there's still a part 3 in your future! In this episode, we discuss: Fraulein Wunder Wenn Ich Ein Junge War or "If I Were A Boy". Faith's judgment: a good song. The Soviettes Middle of the Night Hole My Beautiful Son and the link shows you a picture of Kurt Cobain looking pretty in a dress and lipstick and pearls at 0:52 Lords of Acid I Like It (best known for the song The Crab Louse about pubic crabs) James Laid St Vincent has a song about Can...
You KNOW we have opinions on everything from "Lola" to "Walk On The Wild Side" to "Dude Looks Like A Lady". The good, the bad, and the strange. And this is just part one!! Links galore: Jasper the Colossal Markers and Beer live version. It slaps. Make famous friends by cultivating fandoms for less- famous people. Faith admires awesome YouTuber Lindsey Ellis -- and she reteweeted one of Faith's dog pics! Lake Baikal is a super deep lake . Terrifyingly deep. SNL Ashlee Simpson debacle . Okay, musi...
Transition is expensive. A listener writes in to ask, what's the harm with starting an OnlyFans account to help with the costs? Chasers are creepy, but money is money. She's got systems in place to ensure her anonymity and safety. What do you think? Topics in this episode include: Usury laws Bible says don't charge interest when you lend money, but Christians still seem to like it for some reason . "Caveat" means an old-fashioned necktie, we're pretty sure. Don't Fuck With Cats taught us people ...
Krav Maga is a hand- to- hand combat technique originally developed by the Israeli armed forces. And Faith and Kath took the field by storm a few months ago. Hear how it's going in their women- only classes and their mixed classes. Buy Faith's book ! It's the mid 1990s, and a high school guy in Georgia is grappling with his queerness, his faith, his friends, and his future in Disgusta by Faith DaBrooke. Sup port us on Patreon to help us keep making great content, and to get some cool rewards! Ch...
Listener and Rebel Erin wrote in to ask about mourning her lost girlhood, and also about her obligations to help other transfolx having a hard time with transition. Thanks Erin! Buy Faith's book ! It's the mid 1990s, and a high school guy in Georgia is grappling with his queerness, his faith, his friends, and his future in Disgusta by Faith DaBrooke. Sup port us on Patreon to help us keep making great content, and to get some cool rewards! Check out our website for our latest episodes! Follow us...
Listener Hayley actually wrote in with three excellent questions. She asked the Rebels' thoughts on transgender representation in video games, transitioning in the public eye, and how transgender academics handle a lifetime of publications attributed to their deadname. Buy Faith's book ! It's the mid 1990s, and a high school guy in Georgia is grappling with his queerness, his faith, his friends, and his future in Disgusta by Faith DaBrooke. Faith has been playing Civilization for years and Civ 6...
You know things are bad if the Gender Rebels do a political episode about sports. But ignoring politics is a luxury for privileged people and we're just plain pissed. Sup port us on Patreon to help us keep making great content, and to get some cool rewards! Check out our website for our latest episodes! Follow us on twitter for all our shower thoughts and other musings @TheGenderRebels Like us on FaceBook so we can haunt your feed....
The book is here! The book is here!! The second edition of Trans Bodies, Trans Selves is finally out, featuring 2 pieces by our very own Faith Da Brooke!! We can't contain our excitement even though this 649-page ENCYCLOPEDIA is going to put us out of business. Written almost entirely by trans people, it is an exhaustive resource on healthcare, legal stuff, relationships, history, poetry, and more. And we were so lucky to have the opportunity celebrate the launch by interviewing 2 of the people ...
What does it mean to want to transition, while also being aware gender is a construct? Does transition mean gender is not a construct? Taylor writes in with this excellent question and a few other great insights. Faith brought up the monkeys who wash their sweet potatoes , which is an atypical behavior that nonetheless spread through the troop and was even handed down through generations. They do it today; you can go to Japan and see them. It's an amazing case study of behavior that meets three ...
Listener Emma is early in her journey, and she writes in to ask for tips or reassurance. Your first step on your trans* journey is always LEARNING as much as you can! Emma is already right on track but there are great resources that can help. Check out My New Gender Workbook by the always amazing Kate Bornstein. Also, You and Your Gender Identity: A Guide to Discovery by Dara Hoffman Fox. Our episode Bringing Others In The Closet With You . Sup port us on Patreon to help us keep making great con...
"I don't understand," they say, and now you've got some work to do. Listener Kai asks how to explain what nonbinary means to their boyfriend's religious parents. Luckily, Faith knows how to talk to religious people so you know The Gender Rebels have some thoughts. Checkout our episodes with our nonbinary friend Avery: Everything In Between and Nonbinary Talk With Avery. A nonbinary person is not necessarily intersex, but Avery said it can be a helpful metaphor to people who prefer to start from ...
Memorial Day used to be Decoration Day because you're supposed to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers. Yes, housewives were told to put hot dogs in Jello . We wouldn't make up something like that. NASA briefly considered sending women on the Mercury VII mission but ultimately made John Glenn the first American astronaut in orbit instead. NASA's official selection criteria for astronauts was Less than 40 years old; Less than 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall; In excellent physical condition; With...
Faith is a Star Trek fan, and this is Kath's first Star Trek episode ever. The New Generation's Season 5 Episode 17 "The Outcast" was a heavy-handed, clumsy, well-intentioned episode about gay things. It was 1992 so we're giving them a break. Why is the flight deck called "the bridge"? There's only one way to find out . Be sure and check out Kath's other podcast Lab In the Time of Coronavirus. Sup port us on Patreon to help us keep making great content, and to get some cool rewards! Check out ou...
Kath has questions for Faith about John Cameron Mitchell's discomfiting masterpiece Hedwig and The Angry Inch . (Several unpleasant topics come up, so heed the trigger warning at the start.) Origin of Love is a song that makes Kath cry. Happy tears-- it's ok. Maybe it's time to get an Origin of Love tattoo . That'll give her something to cry about. Learn more about Romy Haag . Learn more about Theo Kogan . Watch Shortbus if you dare. Got a great voice? Are you scrawny or Taye Diggs? You, too, co...
You're a transman but internet trolls only see "trans" and assume you're a transwoman. "YOU'RE NOT A REAL WOMAN. YOU'LL NEVER BE A REAL WOMAN!1!!11!" might feel great. But does it feel great? Should it feel great? What do you do when you accidentally receive affirmation from a hater? Be sure and check out Kath's other podcast Lab In the Time of Coronavirus. Sup port us on Patreon to help us keep making great content, and to get some cool rewards! Check out our website for our latest episodes! Fo...
We've created a podcast within a podcast: The Rebels Go to the Movies! In our first episode, we watch and review The Matrix. SO MANY SPOILERS. So see it before you listen. If you haven't seen it yet, why not????? It's so good! Lily Wachowski recently confirmed it is, indeed, an allegory for the transgender experience. Be sure and check out Kath's other podcast Lab In the Time of Coronavirus. Sup port us on Patreon to help us keep making great content, and to get some cool rewards! Check out our ...
Listener Devin sent this question many months ago (and we re-recorded this episode to replace the one we lost when Kath's hard drive died). It's great to have accomplished everything: coming out, the surgeries, the name change, building a support group. But now what? Be sure and check out Kath's other podcast Lab In the Time of Coronavirus. Sup port us on Patreon to help us keep making great content, and to get some cool rewards! Check out our website for our latest episodes! Follow us on twitte...
