How to talk (and listen) to transgender people | Jackson Bird

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Grace Lai

Hi, I'm Jack,

嗨，我是傑克，

and I'm transgender.

我是變性人。

Let me take a guess at some of thoughts

讓我猜猜現在在座各位

that might be running through your head right now.

腦中可能會有什麼想法。

"Transgender?

「變性？

Wait, does that mean that they're actually a man or actually a woman?"

等等，那麼他們到底 是男人還是女人？」

"I wonder if he's had the surgery yet ...

「我很納悶他動手術了沒……

Oh, now I'm looking at his crotch.

喔，我正盯著他的胯下。

Look to the right, that's a safe place to look."

向右看，看那邊是安全的。」

"Yes, I knew it! No real man has hips like those."

「我就知道！真男人 不會有那種臀部的。」

"My friend's daughter is transgender --

「我朋友的女兒是變性人──

I wonder if they know each other."

不知道他們彼此是否認識。」

"Oh my gosh, he is so brave.

「喔，老天，他好勇敢。

I would totally support his right to use the men's bathroom.

我完全支持他使用男廁的權力。

Wait, but how does he use the bathroom?

等等，他要如何上廁所？

How does he have sex?"

他要如何做愛？」

OK, OK, let's stop those hypothetical questions

好了，好了，在我 開始感到不舒服之前

before we get too close for my comfort.

就停止這些假設性問題吧。

I mean, don't get me wrong,

別誤會我，

I did come here today to share my personal experiences being transgender,

我今天來到這裡分享我 身為變性人的個人經驗，

but I did not wake up this morning wanting to tell an entire audience

但我並不是今天起床 就想要告訴所有觀眾

about my sex life.

我的性生活。

Of course, that's the problem with being trans, right?

當然，那是身為變性人的問題，對吧？

People are pretty much always wondering how we have sex

人們幾乎都會好奇我們如何做愛，

and what kind of equipment we're working with below the belt.

以及在腰帶下我們用的是什麼器材。

Being trans is awkward.

身為變性人是很尷尬的。

And not just because the gender I was assigned at birth

並不只是因為我出生時分配到的性別

mismatches the one I really am.

和我真正的性別不匹配。

Being trans is awkward

身為變性人很尷尬，

because everyone else gets awkward when they're around me.

因為其他所有人 在我身邊時都會感到尷尬。

People who support me and all other trans people wholeheartedly

全心全意支持我以及其他變性人的人

are often so scared to say to wrong thing,

通常都非常害怕會說錯話，

so embarrassed to not know what they think they should,

窘於對於他們自認 應該知道的事一無所知，

that they never ask.

導致他們從來不問。

Part of what was so nerve-racking about coming out as transgender

以變性人身份出櫃的煩惱之一，

was knowing that people wouldn't know what I meant.

就是知道人們不懂我的意思。

And when someone comes out as gay,

當有人以同性戀身份出櫃時，

people know what that means,

人們知道那是什麼意思。

but when you come out as trans,

但當你以變性人身份出櫃，

you have to face the misconceptions

你得要面對錯誤觀念，

that will color other people's impressions of you

那些觀念會影響其他人對你的印象，

even after you've educated them ...

即使在你教育他們之後也一樣，

And you will have to educate them.

而你將會需要教育他們。

When I came out,

當我出櫃時，

I wrote at 10-page encyclopedic document

我寫了十頁的百科全書式文件，

with a zip-file attachment of music and videos

附上一個壓縮檔，內有音樂和影片，

that I sent to every single person I came out to.

我會寄給每個我出櫃的對象。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And I kept it in my email signature for months afterwards,

我之後還把它留在我的 郵件簽名檔中好幾個月，

because you also don't ever stop coming out.

因為你也永遠不會停止出櫃。

I came out to the accountant helping me with my taxes

我對一位幫我處理稅務的會計出櫃，

and the TSA agents who didn't know which one of them should pat me down,

也對運輸安全管理局職員出櫃，

因為他們不知道該派男人 或女人來替我搜身。

the man or the woman.

I mean, I just came out to everyone watching this.

我剛剛也對所有 看這場演說的人出櫃了。

When I came out to my dad,

當我向我爸爸出櫃時，

to my great relief, he was totally cool with me being trans,

我鬆了一口氣， 他完全能夠冷靜接受，

but as soon as I started talking about physically transitioning,

但當我開始談到身體上的轉變時，

he freaked.

他就失控了。

And I quickly realized it was because he, like so many other people,

我很快就了解到，原因是 他和許多其他人一樣，

think that physical transition means just one thing:

認為身體轉變就只意味著一件事：

the surgery.

手術。

Now, listen,

聽著，

if there were one magical surgery

如果有一種神奇手術

that could turn me into a tall, muscular,

可以一夜之間就把我變成

高大健壯有著完美社會形象的男人，

societally perfect image of a man overnight,

I'd sign up in a heartbeat.

我一定馬上報名去做。

Unfortunately, it isn't that simple.

不幸的是，沒那麼簡單。

There are dozens of different gender-affirming surgeries

有許多不同的性別確認手術，

from chest surgeries to bottom surgeries

從胸部的手術到下面的手術，

to facial feminization and man-sculpting.

到面部女性化以及男性雕塑。

Many trans people will only ever undergo one procedure in their lifetime, if that.

如果進行手術，許多變性人 一生只會進行一次手術，

Maybe because they don't personally feel the need

也許是他們個人不覺得有必要，

but also because they're expensive,

但也因為手術很貴，

and health insurance is only beginning to cover them.

健康保險才剛開始給付這些手術。

Instead, the first step for a trans person seeking physical transition

取而代之，變性人 尋求轉變身體的第一步

is usually hormone replacement therapy.

通常是荷爾蒙療法。

Hormones are why I have a deeper voice and some sparse whiskers on my neck

賀爾蒙造成我的聲音低沈、 脖子上有些許鬍鬚，

and a giant pimple on my chin.

以及下巴上有個大丘疹。

Basically, they put you through a second puberty ...

基本上，賀爾蒙會讓你 經過第二次青春期，

it's a blast.

很好玩。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Now, because our transitions are slower and steadier

因為比起過去人們誤解的錯誤觀念，

than historic misconceptions can lead people to believe,

我們的轉變較慢且較穩定，

there can be some confusion

可能會造成困惑，

about when to call someone by their new name and pronouns.

不知何時要叫變性人新的名字 或改掉性別代名詞。

There's no distinct point in physical transition

身體轉變並沒有明確的區別點，

at which a trans person becomes their true gender.

不是過了某個點就變成真正的性別。

As soon as they tell you their new name and pronouns,

當變性人把他們的新名字 和代名詞性別告訴你，

that's when you start using them.

那就是該改用的時候了。

It can be difficult to make the change.

要改變可能很困難。

You might slip up here and there;

你可能一不小心就會弄錯；

I've slipped up myself with other trans people.

我自己就把其他變性人弄錯過。

But I always think to myself,

但我自己常想，

if we can change from calling Puff Daddy to P. Diddy,

如果我們能把吹牛老爹 （Puff Daddy）改稱為 P. Diddy，

and if we apologize profusely when we've used the wrong gender pronoun

如果我們因為對某人的寵物小貓

再三用錯代名詞性別而道歉，

for someone's pet cat --

I mean, I think we can make the same effort

我們應該可以為 我們生命中的人做同樣的努力。

for the real humans in our lives.

Now, there is no topic that makes other people more awkward about trans people

對其他人來說，

面對變性人時最尷尬的話題，

than public bathrooms.

就是公共廁所了。

Ah, the bathrooms --

啊，廁所──

the latest political flash point for LGBT opponents.

LGBT 對手的最新的政治爆發點。

Here's a fun fact about bathrooms:

關於廁所，有個小趣聞：

more US congressmen have been convicted of assaulting someone in a public bathroom

因為在公共廁所裡攻擊別人 而被判有罪的美國國會議員人數

than trans people have been.

還比變性人的更多。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

The truth is we trans people are so much more scared of you than you are of us.

真相是，雖然你們怕我們變性人， 我們卻更怕你們。

It's a huge point of discussion in trans communities

在變性人社群中，一個很大的討論點

about which bathroom to start using and when,

就是開始用哪個廁所、何時開始，

so we don't attract attention that could lead to violence against us.

才不會引起注意， 造成對我們的暴力行為。

I personally started using the men's room

我自己開始使用男廁

when I started getting confused and frightened looks in the women's room,

是我開始在女廁遇到人們 對我出現困惑及害怕的神情時，

even though I was petrified to start going into the men's room.

即使我開始去男廁時也感到很害怕。

And often we opt to just not go to the bathroom at all.

通常我們會選擇完全不要上廁所。

A 2015 national survey of trans people

2015 年有一項關於變性人的調查，

found that eight percent of us had had a urinary tract infection

發現過去一年間，

8% 的變性人有尿道感染，

in the past year

as a result of avoiding restrooms.

這是避開廁所的結果。

These bathroom bills aren't protecting anyone.

這些廁所法案並沒有保護到人，

All they're doing

它們所做的，

is ensuring that when trans people are assaulted in bathrooms,

只是確保變性人在廁所會受到攻擊，

the law will no longer be on our side when we report it.

當我們告發時， 法律不會站在我們這一邊。

Being trans means a daily onslaught of these misconceptions.

身為變性人，意味著每天會 受到這些錯誤觀念的猛攻。

And I have it pretty easy.

我的狀況算輕微。

I am a white, able-bodied guy

我是體格健全的白人，

sitting nearly at the peak of privilege mountain.

坐在接近特權山山峰的位置。

For non-binary people,

對於非二元的人、 （註：是男性也是女性）

for trans women,

變性女性、

for trans people of color,

有色變性人而言，

it is so much harder.

就辛苦很多。

So I've given you a starter pack of trans knowledge

我今天給各位的， 是關於變性人的初學者知識，

that I hope will lead to more learning on your own.

希望能讓各位能自己去了解更多。

Talk to trans people.

和變性人說話。

Listen to us.

傾聽我們。

Amplify our voices.

將我們的聲音放大。

Take the heat off of us and educate those around you

拿掉我們所受的壓力， 教育你們身邊的人，

so we don't have to every time.

才不用由我們時時刻刻去做。

Maybe someday, when I say,

也許有一天，當我說：

"Hi, I'm Jack, and I'm transgender,"

「嗨，我是傑克，我是變性人。」

the only response I'll get is,

我會得到的唯一反應就是

"Hi, nice to meet you."

「嗨，很高興認識你。」

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）