Community Conversation => Transsexual talk => Female to male transsexual talk (FTM) => Topic started by: emoglassesenvy on August 26, 2010, 02:14:09 AM Return to Full Version
Title: Testosterone episode of This American Life
Post by: emoglassesenvy on August 26, 2010, 02:14:09 AM
Post by: emoglassesenvy on August 26, 2010, 02:14:09 AM
So a friend posted this on facebook today (it's from 2002, though) and I found it interesting.
It's an episode of This American Life about Testosterone and it's broken up into a few sections. There is an interview with a man who could produce no testosterone, an interview with a transman about the effects of T, a test of the radio show staff on who has the most testosterone and whether that fits into their stereotypes, and a piece about a mother trying to understand her teenage son.
I found the first and second sections the most interesting but it's all a good listen
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/220/Testosterone (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/220/Testosterone)
thoughts after listening:
Griffin (the transman of the second act) says that he noticed himself thinking more like a stereotypical misogynist pig in regards to women and sex after taking T. He also says other really stereotypical stuff and I think for people who are not familiar with transsexuality a kind of skewed view about ftms... like ftms want to be stereotypical beefheads and that is a benefit of taking T or something like that. Did anyone else get that impression?
The host of the show and Griffin do realize that themselves and the host says something like "you're putting us back 100 years." However I still think they should have explained other effects of T more... Though I can see that those kind of stereotypical anecdotes make for good radio programming.
I would also be interested in hearing more from men or women who for some reason do not have any testosterone at all and see if the first guy's experience was a typical one... or even the experience of someone who had spent any time (not on purpose of course) without testosterone or estrogen.. for example an ftm who had a hysto but wasn't getting hrt.
It's an episode of This American Life about Testosterone and it's broken up into a few sections. There is an interview with a man who could produce no testosterone, an interview with a transman about the effects of T, a test of the radio show staff on who has the most testosterone and whether that fits into their stereotypes, and a piece about a mother trying to understand her teenage son.
I found the first and second sections the most interesting but it's all a good listen
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/220/Testosterone (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/220/Testosterone)
thoughts after listening:
Griffin (the transman of the second act) says that he noticed himself thinking more like a stereotypical misogynist pig in regards to women and sex after taking T. He also says other really stereotypical stuff and I think for people who are not familiar with transsexuality a kind of skewed view about ftms... like ftms want to be stereotypical beefheads and that is a benefit of taking T or something like that. Did anyone else get that impression?
The host of the show and Griffin do realize that themselves and the host says something like "you're putting us back 100 years." However I still think they should have explained other effects of T more... Though I can see that those kind of stereotypical anecdotes make for good radio programming.
I would also be interested in hearing more from men or women who for some reason do not have any testosterone at all and see if the first guy's experience was a typical one... or even the experience of someone who had spent any time (not on purpose of course) without testosterone or estrogen.. for example an ftm who had a hysto but wasn't getting hrt.
Title: Re: Testosterone episode of This American Life
Post by: Squirrel698 on August 26, 2010, 10:29:34 AM
Post by: Squirrel698 on August 26, 2010, 10:29:34 AM
Hey thanks for the link! I heard it when it originally aired and it was one of the first things that got me thinking way back then.
It will be great to hear it again. I'll get back to you on your questions after I've listened to it and considered it from my new point of view.
It will be great to hear it again. I'll get back to you on your questions after I've listened to it and considered it from my new point of view.
Title: Re: Testosterone episode of This American Life
Post by: Alexmakenoise on August 26, 2010, 10:41:52 AM
Post by: Alexmakenoise on August 26, 2010, 10:41:52 AM
I also remembering hearing that on the radio when it first aired. I remember that Griffin expressed some regrets or second thoughts about transitioning (he didn't think he was as attractive as he was before, guys gave him a hard time because he was short, it was hard to explain his educational background because he went to an all-female university). He seemed to kind of miss the person he was before he transitioned.
This was probably the first time I had ever heard a transguy talk about his experience of being trans. It gave me a lot of second thoughts about the idea of transitioning, and these remain with me to this day to some extent. I wouldn't want to do something so permanent and then question my choices, as Griffin seemed to be doing.
This was probably the first time I had ever heard a transguy talk about his experience of being trans. It gave me a lot of second thoughts about the idea of transitioning, and these remain with me to this day to some extent. I wouldn't want to do something so permanent and then question my choices, as Griffin seemed to be doing.