Identity: A Trans Coming Out Story | Philosophy Tube ★

Twitter: @PhilosophyTube

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Elizabeth Alexander, “Coming Out Blackened and Whole,” in American Literary History
Anansi’s Library, “Frantz Fanon, Blackness, and Gender Identity”
Cameron Awkward-Rich, “Thinking Black [Trans] Gender,” in American Quarterly
Talia Bettcher, “Trapped in the Wrong Theory: Rethinking Trans Oppression and Resistance,” in Signs
Christine Burns (ed.), Trans Britain
Kimberlé Crenshaw, “Demarginalising the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics”
Rene Descartes, Meditations
Nancy Fraser, “Social Justice in the Age of Identity Politics: Redistribution, Recognition, Participation”
Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality
Kai M. Green & Marquis Bey, “Where Black Feminist Thought and Trans* Feminism Meet: A Conversation,” in Souls
Eva Hayward, “More Lessons From Starfish: Prefixial Flesh and Transspeciated Selves,” in Women’s Studies Quarterly
Owen Jones, “Feminist icon Judith Butler on JK Rowling, trans rights, feminism and intersectionality”
John Locke, “Of Identity and Diversity,” in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
Audre Lorde, “Learning from the 60s”
Audre Lorde, Zami: A New Spelling of My Name
Charles Mills, Blackness Visible
Mia Mulder, Transsexuals and Suffering
NikkieTutorials, “I’m Coming Out”
Juno Roche, Trans Power
Julia Serano, Whipping Girl
Sydney Shoemaker, “Persons and Their Pasts,” in American Philosophical Quarterly
C. Riley Snorton, Black on Both Sides
Dean Spade, Normal Life
Eric Stanley, “Anti-Trans Optics: Recognition, Opacity, and the Image of Force,” in South Atlantic Quarterly
G.F. Stout, Mind and Matter
Christine Tayleur, “Racism and Poverty in the Transgendered Community,” in Gendertrash
Sylvia Wynter, “Towards the Sociogenic Principle,” in National Identity and Sociopolitical Change
Keeanga-Yamatha Taylor (ed.), How We Get Free
George Yancy, “Black Trans Feminist Thought Can Set Us Free,” in Truthout

#Identity

[nokostunes]

when abigail said "to paraphrase a great trans woman" and put her hand on her chest, i lowkey thought she was gonna quote herself

[jackm]

So, I was one of the people who saw you as a “positive masculine role model” in the past. And I’m not going to lie, it was a bit sad for me watching this at first. But when I saw your smile as you came through the door, I realized that I had never seen you smile like that, and as you started talking about how happy and free you finally feel, I started crying because I realized this felt right. You’re not just an inspiration to men, you’re an inspiration to us all. Amazing video, congratulations. :)

Edit from 2.5 years later: Not a guy anymore lol 🏳️‍⚧️, but I think everything I said here still stands. I will just add that obviously Abigail is a huge inspiration to trans people too!

[nekoeko]

If you ever feel stupid, I discovered this channel yesterday and thought it was run by two different people

[jackb]

Not trans but this vid did convince me to quit my job

[einam]

when she said "I look inside myself and ask: do I feel like a man or a woman? and the answer is I feel happy" i cried a little (a lot)

[jameslanier]

I'm not the dude that came up to you, but you did present me with a model of masculinity that was actually positive after I spent so much time in the alt right pipeline on this godforsaken site. You achieving this gender euphoria has made me nothing less than thrilled for you. I'm not disappointed one bit. You coming out as a woman does not betray the positive influence you've had on me and no doubt countless others.

[Vexlulz]

huge idiot me on twitter unfollowing her before seeing the statement like "who is Abigail I have no memory of following this person"

[Sleepyembers]

“People did brave things in the trenches, but it’s no way to live.” That hits home

[steelplatedheart]

I love that Rhys' performance, despite the script being very "I" centric, made it obvious that it was a performance. Hell, he read from a script most of the time, and the fact that he couldn't get the hair to swoop quite right also felt deliberate. Really hammers home the metaphor that this version of Abigail that we saw before we knew it was a performance really was always just a performance, we just had to zoom out to see the stage dressing.

Really great, very well done, I think Rhys did a great job with it, moving from stilted actor to passionate performance very smoothly.

And of course thank you to Abigail Thorn of Philosophy Tube for, as always, putting on such an amazing, poignant, and meaningful show. I literally cried. Like maybe a lot.

[callumm.]

as an ex Abigail who is just now starting to come out as a trans guy, I'd like to think that I donated my name haha

[StNick]

As a cis man who also felt you modelled what masculinity could and should be, I don't feel like I've lost anything, or like anything has changed. Perhaps you modelled merely what humanity should be, and showed that it was compatible with who I wanted to be. That holds true. What you gave me outlasts you, what you taught me changed my relationship with myself. Go live your life.

[manythoughts]

“my identity is grounded not in the things that bring me pain, or what other people do to me, but in the things that i love, and in the places that i feel at home.” 🥹🥹 that line gets me every time 😭

[endymion]

I suppose the real gender the whole time was the friends we made along the way.

[juqysgx]

hey, I might have been the kid who came up to you (it's George here - saw you at TEDx with my tall partner) and I don't know if I did say that because it was a while ago but I definitely felt it, and I just wanted to say that if it was me, I'm not disappointed, and I'm so happy for you

[ItsSuperEffective]

"I look inside myself and ask, do I feel like a man or a woman, and the answer is, I feel happy"
Idk why but that put the biggest smile on my face

[arimolyki]

I'm one of those kids who looked up to The Man as a 'masculine role model' and I just wanted to say, seeing you now as you truly are doesn't take back from that. Even if it was just a role you had to play, just as I can and have been affected by fiction, these people who never really existed, I can fondly remember what it brought out in me and that's that.
Can't wait to see what you'll create next, Abigail!

[stubley]

As someone who needed a masculine role model at an important time, i think the point that those traits aren’t masculine, they’re just positive traits, is reassuring. Congratulations Abigail ❤️

[mizel]

Having an actor play the character you performed as is the best artistic decision you've ever made on this channel. What a beautiful piece this video is.

[phononanon]

As a cisgender heterosexual man, I was looking at the comments expecting this to be a totally different perspective, and looking forward to the chance to further my own capacity for empathy.

And then I heard what you said about being at war every day. And that’s exactly how I felt when I was in an unhappy, emotionally abusive marriage. And looking back now that I am divorced, I know what you mean about feeling like I can relax.

I waited years to watch this video, and I think I am going to cry every time I hear Blackstar from now on.

[TheZacharias]

I can’t get over how she looks so genuinely happy walking through that door. It’s like she’s stepping out into the sunlight for the first time.