Two Trans Women on Gender, Identity, and the Rise in Transphobia

Author and English professor Jennifer Finney Boylan and activist and writer Raquel Willis talk about their trans identity and fighting rising transphobia.

Air Date: May 5, 2023 12:00 pm

A supporter for the transgender and non-binary community, wearing a transgender flag with handwritten names of black trans women who were killed in 2019 during the Gay Pride Festival's Transgender Rights March in Atlanta on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Robin Rayne)

Across the country in Republican-controlled states, anti-trans bills are being introduced and sometimes passed into law, criminalizing gender-affirming care, restricting participation in school sports programs, policing bathroom use, banning drag shows for children and instituting so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bills. And yet polls show a majority of Americans strongly oppose these efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights.

Today, two trans women activists join us to share their personal story, talk about living with transphobia and how to fight it. Jennifer Finney Boylan is a transgender activist, English professor and author of many books including her groundbreaking memoir, She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders, and Raquel Willis is the co-founder of Transgender Week of Visibility and Action and the board president of Solutions Not Punishments Collaborative.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.