Aired Mar 28, 2024

Experiencing Gender Euphoria This TDOV

Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is recognized on March 31st each year. Right now, it would be easy to give in to the fear caused by misinformation about what it means to be transgender and nonbinary, instead of celebrating trans visibility and the infinite ways people can experience gender and fully explore who they are. So this year, PFLAG National will celebrate TDOV with the release of a new film, “Pieces of Me,” in which New York-based artist and transgender activist Joslyn DeFreece and director/producer Nick Oceano explore how a kid growing up in a conservative midwestern family finds self-acceptance, purpose, and sisterhood.

Join us on Thursday, March 28 at 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT for our monthly episode of Something to Talk About Live! where we will discuss “Navigating the media minefield: supporting gender expansive youth with confidence,” by Tina Neal which appeared on Advocate.com. We are excited to welcome PIECES OF ME subject/Executive Producer Joslyn DeFreece and Co-Producer Jake McClain to the conversation!

Article: Navigating the media minefield: supporting gender expansive youth with confidence

Source: Advocate.com

Author:  Tina Neal

Questions for Discussion:

1. What can parents, families, and allies do to help youth in their lives explore gender in a way that is safe and allows them to experience gender euphoria?
2. The article mentions the use of retracted studies to champion anti-trans narratives. When considering research, what do you look for to determine if it is a trustworthy source of information?
3. The author of this piece is the director of a summer camp for trans and nonbinary young people. Were you aware that spaces like this existed prior to reading about Tertium Quid? What do you think is the benefit of spaces like this?

Bonus Resources: Check out “Why the largest transgender survey ever could be a powerful rebuke to myths, misinformation” from USA Today by Susan Miller and the preliminary data from the US Trans Survey and the newly founded Advocates for Trans Equality.

About Our Guests:

Joslyn DeFreece [she/her] (Executive Producer/Story) is a NYC-based writer, producer, actor, and activist. Joslyn starred in Carl(a), a feature film depicting one girl’s path of transition, and in The Enclave at Rattlestick Theatre. She also starred in a landmark national commercial for Sonnet—one of the first to ever feature a Trans protagonist. She has appeared on The Daily Show, Comedy Central, and CNN. Joslyn can be currently be seen in the comedy series Marque and Hector on Amazon Prime/Dekkoo and as a German trans woman who escaped the Nazis on the show Strange Angel, streaming on Paramount+. Joslyn’s screenplay Distant Sisters, co-written with Linus Ignatius, was a semi-finalist for the Sundance Development Lab in 2022.

Jake McClain [he/they] (Co-Producer/Story/Editor) is a 1st-year MFA student in the Showrunner Program at Dodge College of Chapman University, where they’re training their writing and producing abilities. They got into performing and creating stories from a young age during their years growing up in coastal South Carolina and then near Pittsburgh, PA. Jake went onto study Film & Creative Writing at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In Atlanta, Jake grew to embrace their queer and nonbinary identity, working as an assistant for a horror & queer documentary director and connecting with the Atlanta drag community. During the pandemic, Jake worked remotely as a Georgia Civil Rights Cold Case Researcher. They use their skills in research, performance, and writing to create stories that center on some form of queer passion, whether it’s love, pride, or rage.