What fascinates me about this detransition stuff is I'm quite open that I wouldn't have transitioned if circumstances had been different, and I did it for the wrong reasons. But since my story doesn't fit into the cis narrative of trans regret, cis folks don't clamor over it. Like, it's possible to regret a decision you made earlier in life and still be happy? It's possible to make choices in the past that you wouldn't make now and understand that you and the institutions around you were just doing their best at the time?

The issue isn't silencing detransitioners, the issue is pointing out that cis people enjoy detransition stories because they reinforce their underlying beliefs that it's a terrible thing to be trans. If we want detransition stories, let's have an equal number of stories of people who regret holding off on transition.

Those of us who come from dictatorships should collectively think about the allure of authoritarians. It's something I'm thinking about a lot as I look at election results. When I think about how much I adored Ferdinand Marcos as a kid, I remember how he made me feel safe because it seemed like he knew all the answers. I imagine that's a big factor. When your life is precarious it feels good to admire someone who looks confident, even if it's fake.

Whenever I get email asking what type of stuff @them publishes so a writer can know what to pitch, I somehow picture myself as a fish being asked what kind of bait I like. As a fish, I like all sorts of bait, different types of worms and colorful flies, and you can get a sense of what lures me and other editors from what we've already published, but the important thing is to send in that pitch and fish!