LB Hannahs: What it's like to be a transgender dad
إل بي هاناز: أن تكون أبًا عابرًا جنسيًّا
LB Hannahs facilitates change by leaning into discomfort and centering authenticity. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
I went to the grocery store
can I help you with anything?"
أيمكنني مساعدتك؟"
and we went our separate ways.
and I left the grocery store.
of a local coffee shop.
الخاص بمقهى محلي.
the voice on the other end said,
both as a "sir" and as a "ma'am."
of these people are wrong,
is my almost-two-year-old Elliot.
على وشك بلوغ الثانية تدعى (إيليوت).
to rethink the world
that makes me a transparent.
ويجعلني ذلك "شفافًا".
this year's theme super literal.
as genderqueer.
to experience being genderqueer,
لأن تكون حيادي الجنس.
really identify as a man or a woman.
أنا لا أعتبر نفسي رجلًا أو امرأة.
outside of this gender binary.
خارج التعريفات الجنسية تلك.
"sired" and "ma'amed"
when I'm out doing everyday things
is where I'm most comfortable.
أكثر الأمور راحة لي.
both a sir and a ma'am
سيد وسيدة
and the most authentic.
interactions aren't uncomfortable.
from minor annoyance
removed me by the back of the neck
doesn't mean "comfortable."
the discomfort of everyday life,
مع الانزعاجات اليومية،
my experience as a trans person
مع كوني عابر الجنس
the depth of my vulnerabilities
from being my most authentic self.
what their child will call them
that they give much thought to
like "mama," "mommy," or "daddy," "papa."
is what this child,
and then a real-life adult,
with the reality that being called "mama"
فكرة مناداتي بلقب "أمي"
didn't feel like me at all.
or versions of "mom" I tried,
and deeply uncomfortable.
would be easier to digest for most people.
سيكون أسهل لأغلب الناس.
is not super novel,
with "daddy," it felt better.
that you really liked
a female-born person being called "daddy"
with a lot more uncomfortable moments.
وسأواجه العديد من اللحظات الحرجة.
into the world, like most babies do,
كما يفعل أغلب الأطفال،
and our new family faced the world.
that happens when people meet us
حين يقابلنا الناس
several ways the interaction can go,
هناك أكثر من طريقة للتعامل مع الموقف،
to help illustrate my options.
لتساعد في توضيح خياراتي.
to refer to me as "mom,"
my interaction with those people.
مع أولئك الأشخاص.
or "Elliot calls me 'daddy.'"
و"تناديني (إيليوت) بلقب "أبي".
of the following things happen.
and say something like, "Oh, OK."
or guilty or weird.
أو الذنب أو الغرابة.
is folks get really confused
and say something like,
the easier route.
the more authentic one.
involve a level of discomfort,
to navigate this complicated map
it's pretty far from it.
option one to take place
إلى الخيار الأول
is just too hard or too risky.
of anyone's reaction,
that folks have good intentions,
where someone's opinion of my existence
or physical safety.
comes before my own authenticity.
على أصالتي الشخصية.
her consciousness and language skills,
بأفكارها ومهاراتها اللغوية،
to be placed on her,
or make her question her own voice.
تشك في قوة رأيها.
authenticity and vulnerability,
والحساسية العاطفية،
uncomfortable moments of being "momed"
الحرجة حين أُدعى "أم"
"No, I'm a dad.
the dad jokes to prove it."
plenty of uncomfortable moments
in just two short years,
moments on my journey as a dad
the sex of the baby.
and slapped the words "It's a girl"
and sent us on our way.
with our families like everyone does
at our house with a bag filled --
overflowing with pink clothes and toys.
واللعب زهرية اللون.
confronted with a lot of pink things,
من اللون الزهري
about it in workshops and classrooms,
في ورش العمل والفصول،
on the social construction of gender
of the feminine
انحطاط الأشياء الأنثوية
both explicitly and implicitly.
to a bag full of pink stuff,
حقيبة مليئة بأغراض زهرية
of highly feminized things
I teach as problematic.
in gender neutrality in theory,
is not neutrality, it's masculinity.
بل ذكورة.
in greens and blues and grays,
الخضراء والزرقاء والرمادية،
"Oh, that's a cute gender-neutral baby."
طفلة حيادية الجنس لطيفة."
and my parenting world collided hard.
for my child to experience.
environment for her to explore
for our female-born child.
as a theoretical endeavor
to create gender neutrality,
masculinity over femininity.
or eliminating femininity in our lives,
to celebrate it.
not to associate any words with gender.
limited by gender roles.
بالأدوار الخاصة بالأنواع.
relationship with gender for our kid.
وقوية مع النوع لطفلتنا.
relationship with gender for Elliot
مع النوع لـ(إيليوت)
how I allowed sexism to manifest
في سماحي للتمييز الجنسي أن يتدخل
how I was rejecting femininity
that was not healthy
meant I had to reject option one.
اختياري للخيار الأول.
of my most uncomfortable parts
about the discomfort I have with my body.
ارتياحي مع جسدي.
to feel uncomfortable in their body,
بعدم الارتياح مع جسدهم،
from debilitating to annoying
منهكًا أو مزعجًا
to be comfortable in it as a trans person
ارتياحي معه كعابر جنسياً
with the parts of my body
sometimes easy decision
أحياناً والسهل أحياناً أخرى
or have any surgeries to change it
by society's standards.
all the feelings of dissatisfaction,
with that discomfort
and affirming place with my body,
and modeling body shaming.
الجنسي وأنشر العار الجسدي.
society deems feminine or female,
can see the possibilities of her body
with my body,
to choose option one:
about my body or to hide it from her.
عن جسدي وإخفائه عنها.
about what a dad's body can and should be.
عن جسد الأب وكيف ينبغي أن يظهر.
and be more comfortable in this body
that I feel comfortable with.
both agency and authenticity
على بناء قوة وأصالة
and in my gender.
that a dad can have hips,
يمكن أن يتحلى بالفخذين،
a perfectly flat chest
about my journey with my body.
towards authenticity
the messier parts.
with our kid's doctor.
while your doctor stays the same,
change in and out.
we took her to the pediatrician
we'll call her Sarah.
going to be called "dad"
that took it in stride,
went pretty smoothly.
Sarah switched shifts
with a new nurse -- we'll call her Becky.
of the dad conversations
until Sarah, our original nurse,
ممرضتنا الأساسية (سارة)
to Elliot and me and my wife
على (إيليوت) وزوجتي
said something like,
swing around in her chair
to our pediatrician,
continue, and it went something like this.
and mouthing the word "mom."
and mouthing the word "no, dad."
وقالت "كلا، أب".
in total silence a few more times
refer to me as mom.
back on me or not said anything at all.
أو كانت ستصمت وحسب.
and affirm my existence.
who looks and sounds like me
my authenticity and my family.
that refuses to acknowledge trans people
الاعتراف بالعابرين جنسيًا
of trans people in general.
with an opportunity
even when there's risk involved.
حتى إذا كان الأمر خطراً.
a genderqueer dad feels too much.
حيادي الجنس يسبب خطراً علي.
has been really hard.
to be the hardest,
experience of my life.
every day has felt 100 percent worth it.
كل يوم كان يستحق التعب.
to push beyond comfort
a more meaningful life.
and uncomfortable days ahead.
to a more rich, authentic life
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
LB Hannahs - EducatorLB Hannahs facilitates change by leaning into discomfort and centering authenticity.
Why you should listen
By reimagining gender and justice in parenting, LB Hannahs works to find more and better ways to develop socially conscious kids in the modern world. As a scholar-practitioner, Hannahs develops strategies to help organizations through change while working to make them more equitable and just. They are the Special Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs at the University Florida and is finishing a PhD in Higher Education Administration, researching the impact of diversity policies on higher education. Hannahs also serves as the Chair for Strategic Development Initiatives for the National Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals.
LB Hannahs | Speaker | TED.com