From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlpCmgC-TDs [https://preservetube.com/watch?v=SlpCmgC-TDs]

Host: Hello chat, hello everyone, welcome to the stream. Today we have a very - uh - very special stream for everyone. As you can probably see on screen here, we're going to be talking about this lovely "tradwife" tweet that divided the community in half, or so some people say. I also have a really special guest with me today: we have Brian Wu with us.

Brian: Sorry, my hair is a mess. I'm actually at work right now, but I was going to take off a little bit early, and you reached out and asked me if I wanted to talk about Christian trans tradwives. And I'm like - how could I say no to a request like this? Who would *not* want to talk about trans Christian tradwives? So thank you so much.

Host: Yeah, of course. Thank you for being here - it's truly a pleasure. I think the Christian trans tradwife is a little underrepresented in our community. I think there aren't too many Christian tradwives who are also trans.

Brian: Well, you know, maybe they're not allowed to be on Twitter. Twitter does have a lot of unbiblical material on it.

Host: Yeah, I think being on Twitter is considered a sin by most of those people, so that's why we don't see them.

Brian: Oh my God, J.K. Rowling is literally engaged in Holocaust denial on the Twitter timeline as we're recording this. Kind of a little crazy.

Host: Wait, really? She's doing that right now?

Brian: Yeah. Have you missed this today?

Host: I guess I did.

Brian: Yep. She's claiming that trans people were not targeted by the Holocaust and that all the early research on trans people was not destroyed - which it was. So yeah. That's a choice. I guess when you have a billion dollars, you can say stuff like that.

Host: That's crazy. They were infamous for destroying a bunch of research - not just about trans people.

Brian: 100%. And it's like - I expect a random account with an anime avatar to be bad at political messaging, but if you have a billion dollars, you'd think you'd hire someone like Joe to run your tweets. Like, "Hey Joe, can you look at this? Just see if there's any problematic stuff in here". And he'd be like, "Oh Joanne, you're denying the Holocaust - this could be a little problematic".
If I had a billion dollars, I'd probably do that.

Host: Yeah. Miranda said something to me about it. But wow - that's crazy. Never a dull moment on trans Twitter. So let's talk about *my* blowup. Let's talk about my "sin", which I apparently deserve to be nailed to a cross for - which was, I believe, *liking a tweet*. Want to tell people a little about this?

Brian: Yeah. Someone made this tweet: "Trans women need to be traditional, worship Christ, submit themselves to their husbands, not be lesbian or sexual with anyone but their husband, disavow drag queens and non-binary freaks, keep their transness private. Only then will we assimilate and be accepted in society". And it was my reading that when you liked the tweet, you thought it was ridiculous and extreme, and you thought it was funny.

Host: Sure. When I saw that tweet, I thought it was funny and extreme and silly. Also, Cass is my good friend, so I liked it to basically say "haha I see this - this is great", and then I copied the tweet and we had a good laugh about it in a group chat. That's basically what happened. And then trans Twitter does what trans Twitter does - they take stuff and run with it and pour the worst possible meaning into every syllable.

Brian: Yeah, trans Twitter is pretty infamous for that - taking things, projecting a different meaning onto them, and riling everyone up.

Host: Yeah.

Brian: I think when I try to look at it compassionately, I take a breath and realize: everyone here is going through some of the worst stuff they've ever gone through. When you transition, you're not just dealing with gender dysphoria - you're also often dealing with unresolved childhood trauma, abuse, mental comorbidities. Every trans friend I have is dealing with something heavy. So I try to view it with compassion. But it's also not surprising why some people get radicalized against trans people after encountering trans Twitter.

Host: Yeah, it gets nasty sometimes. So there were a few things about that tweet - they always say there's a nugget of truth in stuff like this. This tweet is obviously extreme, but there's a reading of it that's more reasonable. Like, how do trans people appeal to "normie" people? Being trans is already hard for some to accept. But then you add genderqueer identities, xenopronouns, openly sexual polyamory, tons of labels - and it distances you further from the normie cis people you're trying to make understand you.

Brian: Sure.

Host: And those people often relate more easily to traditional roles - like the 30s/40s/50s idealized housewife. I'm *not* saying everyone should live that way. But it's an avenue some people might use to be more accepted.

Brian: I have a wider perspective because I'm in my 40s and old enough to have seen multiple iterations of the trans community. Twenty years ago, many people transitioning were in their 40s or 50s - ex-military, raising kids, etc. I'm glad people are discovering themselves younger now. But one downside is this: sometimes today, instead of addressing dysphoria by working on voice training, electrolysis, FFS, etc., there's a culture that prescribes *ideology* as the solution to personal distress. And I say that as a progressive who literally works in progressive politics. We *do* need better trans health care and policy. But I also think there's this belief that tearing down society will fix what's broken inside. At a certain point, you're transitioning to live your life - and you have to actually live it.

Host: Exactly. And I think there are conservative trans people, traditional trans people - that's all valid.

Brian: It's also forgotten how *conservative* the trans community was 20 years ago. Many trans women were told to go into the military to "make a man out of them". So there were tons of conservative trans women back then. Something I feel guilty about is how few spaces trans people have. Trans Twitter is often the only "community", but it encourages anonymous rage instead of mentorship. Twenty years ago, it was common to have mother-daughter mentorship dynamics. Older trans women guiding younger ones. Today, those voices are driven out. We have a trans community without elder wisdom. And that's sad.

Host: It is. I rarely see trans people older than me on trans Twitter. And trans Twitter is exclusionary - people are quick to kick you out. If you stand with someone unpopular, you're at risk too.

Brian: Right. It devours itself. And some of this is because larger institutions have failed trans people. Trans people have had to advocate for themselves, often alone.

Host: Yeah. And with Chappelle - trans jokes can be funny. But his aren't even good. They're tired. His own fans seem bored.

Brian: It's Reddit-tier material at this point. One more thing: if trans women started transitioning and becoming traditional Christian housewives - baking, cleaning, loyal to their husbands - I think *many* conservative men would actually like that. Because a lot of their anti-trans reaction is about confusion and a need for power. I think it would be surprisingly popular, even if the marriages might be unhealthy.

Host: Yeah, that's kind of my point - some would be more accepting of *that* type of trans person. Not everyone has to do it. But it's a bridge.

Brian: Something that concerns me: so many trans women end up either as software engineers or sex workers. I'm pro-sex work, but I don't love how many trans women are funneled into it because they're looking for gender affirmation in ways that might not be sustainable. I wish trans people had more career options - and didn't feel obligated to be activists 24/7.

Host: Someone asked: "Are you seriously suggesting reactionaries would tolerate trans people just for being conservative?" No. I'm suggesting that *some* reactionaries might soften if they met a trans person whose lifestyle aligned with their values. Not that it's required. Not that it's universal. My interviews have always been about sharing perspectives so more people understand that trans people are just normal people. Also - trans people can't "pump out kids". Adoption is a great avenue. I was adopted myself. And no - I'm not positioning this lifestyle as *the way* to win conservatives. Just *one way some might relate*. I'm going to head out. Thank you all for being here. This was a wonderful talk. I'll have this up on YouTube tomorrow morning. Thanks again, and I'll see you soon.