This story was included in our November 2023 issue, devoted to some of the best writing The Walrus has published. You’ll find the rest of our selections here.
M. E. Rogan’s October 2016 cover story was our first feature ever on the struggle of trans and non-binary people. At the time, the community was under relentless attack in North America, with opponents framing trans people as sexual predators in order to bar them from using public bathrooms. It was hard to imagine the intolerance getting worse. But it did. In the United States, draconian new laws dedicated to eradicating “transgenderism” have made living as a trans person functionally impossible. In part, Rogan wanted to understand that hatred and the irrational fears that feed it. As someone who never fit into the binary gender model, Rogan examines the various arguments—scientific, cultural—that shape our understanding of dysphoria, and charts the lengths people will go to in order to feel at home in their bodies. The reporting ultimately became a journey of self-discovery for Rogan, with journalism becoming the tool by which they finally saw themselves. The story’s conclusion remains as devastating as ever.—Carmine Starnino, interim editor-in-chief, November 2023 issue
