The Gender Rebels Podcast

  We review Netflix's Will & Harper . Overall we think it's really really good and can help educate people who might need it.   Faith says she can't get U.S. State Department Security Clearance because she's too weird.  We agreed Mike "I'm a weird guy" Warnke is also probably ineligible. But Weird Al is pretty wholesome ; I bet he could get it.    Could you get clearance?   Like us on   FaceBo...

We review Netflix's Will & Harper . Overall we think it's really really good and can help educate people who might need it.   Faith says she can't get U.S. State Department Security Clearance because she's too weird.  We agreed Mike "I'm a weird guy" Warnke is also probably ineligible. But Weird Al is pretty wholesome ; I bet he could get it.    Could you get clearance?   Like us on   FaceBook...

We're in the news again, yay. First, the stats: The US held 21.0% of the world's prisoners in 2015, even though the US represented only around 4.4 percent of the world's population in 2015. The Wikipedia site "Comparison of United States incarceration rate with other countries" has additional sobering stats. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_United_States_incarceration_rate_with_other_co...

Faith and Kath are surprised that they liked this movie so much.  Remember Amanda Bynes? She's so funny and we at TGR Headquarters wish her well. The movie is helped by surprisingly funny Channing Tatum in his first movie role and a bonkers story by Billy Shakespeare.  Apparently pretending to be the opposite sex is stressful and Bynes said she struggled with depression for months after seeing her...

Today we watched director Billy Wilder's 1959 hit Some Like It Hot, winner of 11 Academy Awards. Our feelings are... complicated. But for a movie with cross-dressing, produced in compliance with the Hays Code 's absurd limitations, it is actually pretty cool.      Marilyn Monroe's character gave off "Born Sexy Yesterday" vibes. Pop Culture Detective coined the phrase for characters like The Fifth...

Yesterday we went to I Saw The TV Glow followed by a Q&A with writer/ director Jane Schoenbrun.  Brigette Lundy-Paine and Justice Smith star in a coming-of-age story where two junior high outsiders find each other and bond over a creepy Buffy The Vampire Slayer-like TV show.  The show gets darker and the protagonists' ties to reality start to loosen.  We've loved Brigette Lundy-Paine ever sinc...

This week we saw a reddit post that asked "Would I be a bad leftist if I get SRS?" It started with "my ex told me that girls who get SRS are an obstacle for trans liberation." Wow. We knew Faith needed to weigh in.   Caution: we make pretend sex noises throughout this ep. Try to not get too turned on, thanks.   Gaslighting means "manipulating someone into questioning their own perception of realit...

Listener Claire asks a great question about how to move in a more feminine way. We can't all be ballerinas or elegant gliding angles on ice like the truck drivers of Manitoba, but we can all take some yoga or barre, work on our posture, get video to track our progress, and attempt to emulate the Playboy bunny walk. But ultimately, it all comes down to practice.   Barre class  and  how to pronounce...

  Facial feminization surgery (FFS) is not covered by some health plans. If your health insurance company says they won't pay for a surgery you need, you can appeal that decision. Listener Robin asks for tips from Faith, who succeeded with her appeal on her third try.   Our other FFS episodes: Faith F's her F Part I Faith F's her F Part II Faith vs Her Health Insurance   "Insemination style genita...

Ken Ham founded the  Creation Museum  and Faith got extra credit for going to see him speak on--what else?-- science.  This is a cool diagram of all the  metabolic processes . Kath remembers each and every detail of this diagram, even now, 20 long years since her graduate biochem class.   Amanda The Jedi reacting to "Pure Flix" , the Christian alternative to Netflix. Her other videos are really go...

  "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." We misattributed this quote to Lee Atwater. It was in fact Lyndon B. Johnson .  Don't feel bad for Atwater; he was no peach either.  Here's  audio  of him spelling out how Republicans should sign...

  In our final episode on transgender music, we discuss Jenny Lewis in Rilo Kiley One of The Guys , The Regrettes A Living Human Girl , Liz Phair Firewalker , Metric Too Little Too Late , R.E.M.  Hope , and Chvrches Death Stranding . We really hope you liked this series!   Buy  Faith's book ! It's the mid 1990s, and a high school guy in Georgia is grappling with his queerness, his faith, his frien...

  We're back with even more songs.  And this ain't all, there's still a part 3 in your future!   In this episode, we discuss: Fraulein Wunder Wenn Ich Ein Junge War  or "If I Were A Boy". Faith's judgment: a good song.  The Soviettes Middle of the Night   Hole My Beautiful Son and the link shows you a picture of Kurt Cobain looking pretty in a dress and lipstick and pearls at 0:52 Lords of Acid I...

You KNOW we have opinions on everything from "Lola" to "Walk On The Wild Side" to "Dude Looks Like A Lady". The good, the bad, and the strange.  And this is just part one!! Links galore: Jasper the Colossal Markers and Beer live version. It slaps.      Make famous friends by cultivating fandoms for less- famous people. Faith admires awesome YouTuber Lindsey Ellis -- and she reteweeted one of Faith...

Transition is expensive.  A listener writes in to ask, what's the harm with starting an OnlyFans account to help with the costs? Chasers are creepy, but money is money. She's got systems in place to ensure her anonymity and safety.  What do you think? Topics in this episode include: Usury laws Bible says don't charge interest when you lend money, but Christians still seem to like it for some reaso...

Krav Maga is a hand- to- hand combat technique originally developed by the Israeli armed forces.   And Faith and Kath took the field by storm a few months ago.  Hear how it's going in their women- only classes and their mixed classes.   Buy Faith's book ! It's the mid 1990s, and a high school guy in Georgia is grappling with his queerness, his faith, his friends, and his future in Disgusta by Fait...

  Listener and Rebel Erin wrote in to ask about mourning her lost girlhood, and also about her obligations to help other transfolx having a hard time with transition.  Thanks Erin!     Buy Faith's book ! It's the mid 1990s, and a high school guy in Georgia is grappling with his queerness, his faith, his friends, and his future in Disgusta by Faith DaBrooke. Sup port us on Patreon  to help us keep...

Listener Hayley actually wrote in with three excellent questions.  She asked the Rebels' thoughts on transgender representation in video games, transitioning in the public eye, and how transgender academics handle a lifetime of publications attributed to their deadname.   Buy Faith's book ! It's the mid 1990s, and a high school guy in Georgia is grappling with his queerness, his faith, his friends...

You know things are bad if the Gender Rebels do a political episode about sports.  But ignoring politics is a luxury for privileged people and we're just plain pissed.   Sup port us on Patreon  to help us keep making great content, and to get some cool rewards! Check out  our website  for our latest episodes!   Follow us on twitter for all our shower thoughts and other musings  @TheGenderRebels  ...

The book is here! The book is here!!  The second edition of Trans Bodies, Trans Selves is finally out, featuring 2 pieces by our very own Faith Da Brooke!! We can't contain our excitement even though this 649-page ENCYCLOPEDIA is going to put us out of business.  Written almost entirely by trans people, it is an exhaustive resource on healthcare, legal stuff, relationships, history, poetry, and mo...

What does it mean to want to transition, while also being aware gender is a construct? Does transition mean gender is not a construct? Taylor writes in with this excellent question and a few other great insights.   Faith brought up the monkeys who wash their sweet potatoes , which is an atypical behavior that nonetheless spread through the troop and was even handed down through generations.  They...

Listener Emma is early in her journey, and she writes in to ask for tips or reassurance.   Your first step on your trans* journey is always LEARNING as much as you can!  Emma is already right on track but there are great resources that can help. Check out My New Gender Workbook by the always amazing Kate Bornstein. Also, You and Your Gender Identity: A Guide to Discovery by Dara Hoffman Fox.    Ou...

"I don't understand," they say, and now you've got some work to do.  Listener Kai asks how to explain what nonbinary means to their boyfriend's religious parents. Luckily, Faith knows how to talk to religious people so you know The Gender Rebels have some thoughts.   Checkout our episodes with our nonbinary friend Avery: Everything In Between and Nonbinary Talk With Avery. A nonbinary person is no...

Memorial Day used to be Decoration Day because you're supposed to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers. Yes, housewives were told to put hot dogs in Jello .  We wouldn't make up something like that. NASA briefly considered sending women on the Mercury VII mission but ultimately made John Glenn the first American astronaut in orbit instead. NASA's official selection criteria for astronauts was Le...

Faith is a Star Trek fan, and this is Kath's first Star Trek episode ever. The New Generation's Season 5 Episode 17 "The Outcast" was a heavy-handed, clumsy, well-intentioned episode about gay things.  It was 1992 so we're giving them a break.   Why is the flight deck called "the bridge"?  There's only one way to find out . Be sure and check out Kath's other podcast  Lab In the Time of Coronavirus...