Janet Mock Asks Reporter: ‘Who Was the First Person You Came Out to as Cis?’

[Shana A]

Janet Mock Asks Reporter: 'Who Was the First Person You Came Out to as Cis?'

by Jamilah King
Tuesday, April 29 2014, 12:56 PM

http://colorlines.com/archives/2014/04/janet_mock_asks_reporter_who_was_the_first_person_you_came_out_as_cis_to.html
   
Janet Mock is winding down a national book tour on which she's probably fielded a lot of annoying questions. Chief among them is this, "Who was the first person you came out to as trans?" It may be an innocent question, one that she certainly tackles in her memoir "Redefining Realness," but it's also problematic. Why? Because it's one of the many ways that the media has focused overwhelmingly on genitalia and gender reassignment surgery when talking about trans communities.

In a recent segment with Fusion, Mock flips the script and asks television host Alicia Menendez when she began to identify as as cisgender woman — someone who self-identifies with the sex and gender assigned to them at birth.

[suzifrommd]

Everybody in America should see that video. It would open a lot of eyes.

Go get 'em, girl!

[kira21 ♡♡♡]

Sometimes I really like Janet Mock, others I really don't like her, but that was good :-)

[Ms Grace]

Yep, great video. Thanks, Shana!

[Vicky]

I agree with Suzi, that this should be Trans 101 stuff.  What I liked was that Alicia Menendez took a few moments to really think, and came back then as a real person herself with a degree of understanding she did not have before.  There was no smart aleck to it, and you could see Menendez actual discomfort at being on the flip side.  Both women though were thoughtfully smiling though, and Janet admitted that asking the questions was as strange as answering them.  Good Show..

[Adam (birkin)]

I think this is good. Honestly, this sort of stuff needs to be out there more.