Trans man Petr: "We should not tease society with menstruating and pregnant men. We shouldn't have pregnant and menstruating women and women shouldn't have pregnant and menstruating women
Peter, let's start with the hard stuff. You're a trans man, are you menstruating?
Of course, like the vast majority of trans men, I don't menstruate. Even though I was on hormones, my cycle didn't completely stop and it was both frustrating and very painful. Sometimes it made me throw up, the pills didn't work. What helped me was a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus, ed.), which I went for after approval by a professional medical committee. After all, this operation is a condition for an official sex change. Like most trans men, I see menstruation as a feminine principle, something that is absolutely incompatible with my person. And I'd also like to say that the very topic of menstruation is primarily a very frustrating one for trans men, and a much more intimate issue than it is for women.
Okay, trans men - at least most of them - don't want to report menstruation, according to your words. But they are nonetheless offended by J.K. Rowling's tweet. Are you offended too? And is the claim that "only women menstruate" transphobic in your opinion?
Personally, I'm not affected, I don't care about Ms Rowling's views - to put it politely. But on the other hand, I can understand that it might have annoyed some people, it has a certain transphobic tinge to it. But as a trans man, I wouldn't have made such a big deal about it and literally shouted to the world that I can menstruate too...
But isn't drawing attention to a neglected topic a certain way to its "recognition", acceptance and maybe even the emancipation of various minorities?
Yes, but trans issues are still quite fragile in our country and informing society about transgender issues is a movement on thin ice. Gender dysphoria (the discrepancy between biological and perceived gender, ed.) is still regarded by many people as a psychological disorder. The fact that someone who was born a girl feels like a boy is as absurd to Czechs as someone proclaiming to the world that they need a helicopter. Personally, however, I equate gender dysphoria with a congenital disorder that is physical in nature. It's simply a maldeveloped body. Like someone born without limbs. Instead of being born a girl, you're born a boy. But gender dysphoria can be "cured" with today's medicine.
Quite a big controversy was caused by an interview on DVTV with Viktor Heumann from the Transparent organization, the content of which was also related to the whole J. K. Rowling case. You also expressed your disapproval of the interview on social media. Why?
I can't say that Viktor said anything completely wrong. I respect him and admire his diplomatic language. I was more concerned with the reaction the interview provoked. I think he cast trans people in a bad light. Quite simply - opening up topics concerning trans people to society through menstruating and pregnant men is really a bullshit overreach. I wondered for a moment if Transparent had definitely lost their minds. Several trans guys have written to me saying they feel bad about it too. They were outraged that they were being lumped in with the few who remain halfway through transition and retain their female reproductive organs. In fact, the vast majority of trans men complete the transition. And they have no need to publicly declare their menstruation, if they still have it, let alone demand that society accept menstruating men.
When you mention "diplomatic language" - one should of course take care not to offend anyone, but how do you yourself view the proper choice of trans terminology? Is there anything that specifically bothers you as a trans man, and conversely, what you don't address at all in terms of terminology?
I say things as they are, and I try to be precise with my words. Treat everyone with kid gloves? That would get us nowhere. As far as terminology goes, I'm glad the word transsexual is hardly used anymore. I have to strongly agree with Victor from Transparent on that. It's a rather misleading term, and it's more likely to evoke a sexual problem, which is nonsense. Otherwise, it seems to me to be a far-fetched term these days. One has to choose one's words very carefully, lest one be "picked on". In the public space, this is doubly true. As a trans kid, I have no problem talking about myself to anyone and answering any questions. I've got it all figured out. I don't have skeletons in my closet and I'm not ashamed of myself in any way. And then dates don't really matter.
What do you think would be the right steps in promoting some "ideal equality" and acknowledging difference so that it's not a disservice?
It mainly takes patience and understanding society. It is still a bit divided today about homosexuals. How can we ask her to start understanding trans people and all "other" people from one day to the next? We have to go a little bit opposite to the majority and inform "soberly". That means choosing the right topics. If I were Victor, I wouldn't accept an invitation to DVTV, just because of the subject matter. If the topic was surgery, for example, then I'd take that as a good start. Don't push the envelope. Don't put the company under pressure. But right now trans people seem like total degenerate lunatics who just keep demanding more and more rights. Even the right to menstruate.
Besides the famous menstruation, there have been stories of pregnant men in the media lately. And as you've already pointed out, they don't exactly inspire a lot of enthusiasm in the Czech Republic either. Do trans men really routinely want to get pregnant?
I just read this article from abroad where a transgender couple is expecting a baby and the man is pregnant. It's something I can't quite understand. But I'm trying. The truth is that adoption is difficult for a "normal" couple, let alone a trans couple. So if that's the only way to have a baby, then bless them, although it's weird to say the least. But there's probably a lot of self-sacrifice involved. But first of all, such a man must not have undergone sterilization, and he must also have undergone an extreme estrogen procedure. In my country I have not met a single trans man who wants to be pregnant. Most trans men are of the opinion that pregnancy is either a bad dream or a purely female prerogative, and that pregnancy is unacceptable to them. We want to be men, so logically we don't want to bear children. For example, my trans friends have started families through the artificial insemination of their partners and are happy fathers. And I must reiterate that opening up trans issues to society just by pregnant men is activist suicide and bizarre.
But if we say that trans men don't want to menstruate, and they don't even want to have children (laughs), isn't that instead a justification for sterilisation, which is legally required for gender reassignment in our country? Or, alternatively, an argument for promoting it - if it prevents trans men from getting pregnant...
An argument it certainly can be. As the saying goes, he who wants to beat the dog will always find a stick. Despite the vast majority of trans guys going for the surgery, though, I would abolish sterilization outright as a condition for official conversion. It makes it harder to adapt to society. During the time a person is waiting for this operation, he is already living in the "transition phase" according to Czech legislation. He must have a neutral name in his documents, which does not indicate his gender - for example, Jindra Pavlů. Visually, he already looks like the gender he is changing into. Neutral names are also complete patwars, which usually give away immediately that the person in question is undergoing a transformation. Another reason why compulsory sterilizations are wrong is that such an operation is to some extent an unnecessary intervention in the body. I think it's extremely unethical to force someone into surgery. I would recommend the surgery, for example, in view of the possible risks of cancerous growth that the effect of testosterone on the ovaries could cause. And the truth is that most guys go for the surgery because of the certainty that they will never get that particular menstrual period again...Still, it should be a free decision, not a condition.
So, to sum up, gender reassignment itself is not presented in an ideal way in our country, and many topics are brought up that harm rather than help, which ultimately leads to mutual misunderstanding between the majority society and the trans community. What to do about it?
We need to show that transition itself is simply a journey towards a happy and fulfilling life. Most of the misunderstanding stems from a lack of information. I even started a youtube channel for that. I started filming because when I started with transition I had only one friend, Lukáš. He was like my brother. So he was my pathfinder and I was on my way. But in general, there wasn't a lot of information about trans stuff. Then when Lukas died, I decided that as he helped me, I would help others. So I thought it would be nice to make it easier - for trans people, but also for their loved ones. So I started filming. Gradually, I did very intimate things, I made a video about my phalloplasty (penis surgery, ed.), and even parents of trans people started asking me for advice. Just recently I met with a mother who contacted me about her trans child. It ended up being a very nice conversation. And so I think everyone simply needs to show that there's nothing to be afraid of. And that's actually something that society as a whole needs to realize.
Petr Moris (28) - he started his transition at the age of 20, he has now completed all the necessary procedures and is officially a man. On his youtube channel, he describes the details of gender reassignment and, if interested, shares his own experiences with those who are struggling with identity issues, as well as their loved ones. In the future - after receiving adequate training - he would like to do counselling in this area on a professional level.
