This is the illusionist, in which I, Helen Zoltzman, flipped the lights on and off to tell

language, it's time to call it a night.

Content note, this episode contains Frank language pertaining to sex and associated body parts

because it is a follow-up to episode 51 under the covers part 2, the one where we were

discussing the inadequacy of the lexicon for sex and genitals.

As being an example of a problematic word, as etymologically it pertains to procreation,

which is not what all of us are using those body parts for, and not everybody used them

for sex either, it's tricky territory.

Maybe tricky territory would serve as a sin in genitals?

Anyway, the episode received a particularly strong response from trans and gender non-binary

listeners.

You wrote to tell me about some of the ways in which you've contended with this vocabulary,

all dimensions of which I, as a cis woman, was utterly ignorant, so I'm very grateful

to you for illuminating me, and a few of you appear in this episode, which is all about

trans people's experiences of this particular linguistic matter.

Important to specify, it's the experiences of some trans people, it's not meant to imply

a universal trans experience.

Also the vocabulary is evolving and expanding rapidly, so this episode is just a reflection

of where it is at the moment in May 2017.

Lastly, I have to preface this by saying, I do not believe that gender identity is conferred

by body parts.

All right?

...