Original Plumbing Needs Your Love, Support, Cold Hard Cash ASAP

Carmen’s Team Pick:

Original Plumbing, AKA the amazing brainchild of Amos Mac and Rocco Katastrophe Kayiatos, is a print magazine dedicated to “the sexuality and culture of FTM trans guys.” It was founded in 2009 and came screaming onto the Internet a year later, giving everyone on the planet even more of the amazing photos and writing that make OP great.

Right now Original Plumbing is having some growing pains related to the sustainability and usability of their website. (I feel like all of us here can relate to that pain, yes?) In further overlapping commonalities with our own website redesign, they’ve launched an IndieGoGo campaign to raise 20K and fix their site, and they have 11 days left to reach their goal.

If they don’t make it to 20K, they won’t receive any of the money they’ve raised thus far, which as I am typing is around 12,000 buckaroos. And that would be a damn shame.

If I were a high-powered rapper I’d probably just be selling my cars and funneling my cash to OP until they hit their goal and then I would send a bottle of Grey Goose over to Rocco and Amos as a finishing touch. I wouldn’t even need to write this team pick because it’d be all taken care of, la la la fantasy land everything is wonderful and nothing hurts! Unfortunately, the honest truth is that I’m only good at rapping when I’m completely drunk and Amos and Rocco probably need a lot more than one bottle of vodka to deal with the pressure of an all-or-nothing fundraising campaign.

So this is where you come in.

I know that we all have these things in common, without question: we know that finding a place where you feel understood and represented is important, and that only some people speak your language, and that when the website that gives you a voice and takes your breath away isn’t working you absolutely lose your shit about it.

Original Plumbing deserves a new website, and in the spirit of brotherhood and the revolution and Autostraddle redesign karmic juices, I’m urging you to make it happen.

Let’s make it rain for our bros.

TESTIMONY Exhibition Gets Born, Tells The Story Of Being Young And Queer

In April, Carmen told us about Testimony, an online exhibition that served as a “creative space to tell our stories in our voices, to document history, spark dialogue, remember those we’ve lost, educate each other and others, show off our badass selves and create change.” It was purely virtual at the time but promised to get born IRL come July 2012. Well kids, it’s July, and as we told you yesterday, the time has come. Be excited.

I attended the opening reception of “Testimony: A Living Exhibition of Queer Youth” at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art last night in Soho, New York. It was beautiful and fun and emotional and perfect. I even braved the freak hail storm that hit Manhattan, which is important to mention only because I hate rain even more than I hate season 7 of Buffy, but this exhibit was totally worth it.

I wandered around the room, taking in the artwork and the submissions that told stories I both wanted and needed to hear, even if — especially if — the story was not a direct representation of me and my experiences. Learning about our differences is just as powerful as reveling in our similarities, and the combination of both feelings as I walked through the exhibition hit me hard. My heart felt full and my eyes felt a little bit watery. I felt safe. I listened to the stories the artwork seemed to whisper and I heard the subtle but persistent message: There is a place for you in this world. There is a place for all of us.

Gabby Rivera reads from a binder of a submitted testimonies

Alexis Handwerker, head of Coalition for Queer Youth and curator of the show, told me that she has always thought of Testimony as a storytelling project, and that it evolved from a need to make queer stories and dialogues more visible both within and outside the community. She pointed to the homeless LGBT youth in Samantha Box’s portrait series “Invisible” and the trans women who were killed in hate crimes in Molly Steadman’s prints as examples of groups that are typically left out of the conversations we have. As a social worker, Alexis says she’s always examining the world to see which people need more help, support, and love.

Amos Mac’s intimate “Bedrooms” Portrait Series

The exhibition features honest, revealing work from prominent queer artists such as Box and Steadman, as well as Amos Mac, Brian Shumway, Bkyln Boihood, Gerard Gaskin, Michael Sharkey, Valerie Shaff, and Laurel Golio and Diana Scholl of We Are The Youth. It also includes submissions from individuals and organizations from around the world, and there is an area where visitors can hang out and create their own testimonies, nestled under a sign that reads, in sparkly purple letters, “Be Heard.”

Handwerker said her dream is to take the exhibition all over the world, connecting with local artists in different cities and working to represent queer experiences across the globe. She hopes that both young and old folk will recognize themselves and learn something new when looking at the testimonies, and she’d ultimately like the art to spur action and positive change where it’s needed.

Did you testify when Carmen first introduced this project? If not, what are you waiting for?

Samantha Box’s “Invisible” series focuses on homeless LGBT youth in NYC.

“Testimony: A Living Exhibition of Queer Youth” will show from July 18–July 28 at Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, 26 Wooster St., New York, NY as part of the 10th Annual Fresh Fruit Festival. On Wednesday, July 25 at 7pm the museum will host “The Evening of Testimony,” which features readings by authors Kate Bornstein and Emanuel Xavier.

dapperQ’s He Said/We Said Is Ready For New Threads

A few weeks ago, we introduced you to He Said/We Said, dapperQ’s designer-meets-dyke column that showcases real life queers with some serious style. Here’s creator Anita Dolce Vita on the project:

“The models fashion their very own looks – I give the inspiration, they give the interpretation. They come to the shoot camera ready: hair, make-up, their own clothes, accessories and props. I didn’t want the series to reflect how to recreate menswear from an individual stylist’s point of view. It’s always a wonderful surprise to see what each model came up with and all of the different translations of the same inspiration.”

This time around, we’ve got three outfits based on Dsquared²‘s fall 2011 collection. The style is all about layering–think lasagna in clothes form–and our folks pulled it off with their signature panache. With stunning photography from Leslie Van Stelten that captures the gritty/chic contrast of the look and shots of Miss July 2012, Avni, and our favorite Original Plumbing Editor-in-Chief, Amos Mac, you’re in for a surprise.

Name: Avni Jade
Age: Old enough to know better, young enough to still do it!
Occupation: Digital Photograph Media Processer

Talk a bit about your favorite moment(s) from the shoot.

The entire shoot was fun! One memory which comes to mind is where we were scoping out a location. When we got there, another shoot was already in progress, only with an APE! It was so random! Another moment was when we did a few group shots, we all agreed that we felt liked a boy band! lol

Why did you choose the outfit you wore?

The theme given was Autumn/Winter and to me that means layers, and lots of them! Soooo, I layered up! It reminded me of how we dress in Europe.

Whose wardrobe (celebrity or otherwise!) would you raid?

Hmmm, if I have to choose a celebrity, it would a cross between Bollywood actors; Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan.

BE the change you want to see in this World. OWN IT.
– Avni Jade

Name: Jack Elliot
Age: 39
Occupation: Writer/Producer

Tell me about what it meant for you on a personal level to be involved in a project like He Said/We Said.

It was a very important project for me on a personal level. I think the philosophy behind Dapper Q is relevant, and extremely important. The place where gender identity and fashion converge is topic they handle beautifully. They provide a forum for folks to learn, share, and explore fashion that exists outside the traditional binary box. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Juanita and Susan Herr and the work they do. And getting to work with Leslie Van Stelten was just the icing on the cake!

What accessory/article of clothing can you not live without? 

Definitely my glasses. Definitely.

I think if Johnny Depp and Elijah Wood had a fashion baby, that would be me.
– Jack Elliot

Name: Drea Breton
Age: Legal
Occupation: Musician and DJ

Tell me about what it meant for you on a personal level to be involved in a project like He Said/We Said.

I was thrilled to be a part of the HS/WS shoot. Style and fashion, I believe, are external manifestations of our internal identities. The HS/WS project strives to feature models who challenge traditional social norms through their own personal styles – Think outside the box. If you feel it, Rock it.

Why did you choose the outfit you wore?

Rock n’ Roll with a GQ flair. Word.

What accessory/article of clothing can you not live without? Why?

I think that would be Little Dre – my robot necklace. His arms and legs move just like a Lego man. He reminds me that no matter where life takes me, I’ll always be a kid at heart.

Take a look at this exclusive behind-the-scenes video from the shoot!

Oh look, here’s Amos Mac to take a picture of you.

For even more Dsquared²-inspired dappery dapps, check out their flickr page!

Out 100 Features Rachel Maddow, Others (Mostly Gay Guys).

It’s the question on every lesbian’s mind: which straight woman will earn the coveted honor in 2010 of appearing on the cover of the Out 100 People of the Year? Who, in the year two-thousand-and-ten, will follow in the prodigious footsteps of previous Straight Female Cover-Stars like Cyndi Lauper (2009), Katy Perry (2008), Jennifer Hudson (2007) and Mary Louise Parker (2007)?

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WAIT NO LONGER, CHILDREN, IT’S JULIANE MOORE:

For 2010, OUT really outdid itself by adding a real-live lesbo to the cover — and not just any lesbian, but the lesbian nearest & dearest to my heart — Rachel Maddow! (Also, HAY JOHNNY WEIR)

I was going to write the obligatory “bitching about how OUT’s list is 95% men” post, but you know what? I don’t care. OUT is a magazine for gay men. It’s a national monthly glossy magazine with award-winning authors, big name advertisers, occasional acts of investigative journalism and an evolving and impeccably maintained website. Why do they have this fancy list in this fancy magazine with big stars and professional photographers photographing dozens of men who appeal to the men who read their magazine? Because gay men are willing to pay for things and you, my sisters, are not. (Except for everybody who gives money to Autostraddle or buys a calendar. You’re the good kind of lesbian/straight person/banana.) Apparently gay men are interested in expensive watches. I subscribe to OUT. When was the last time you bought an expensive watch. You just use your phone, dontcha.  Also, GO! Mag makes a 100 Women We Love list every year and it features 100 women and one of them is me and another one of them is Julie Goldman and another is Miss April, so go read that.

So, the Out 100 has debuted, according to 17 emails I’ve received from various PR agencies today. Now let’s discuss some of our favorite persons on this year’s list!

[L to R, clockwise, starting at the top: Jasika Nicole, Amos Mac & Rocco Kayiatos, Mariah Hanson, Katie Miller, Meredith Baxter, Mary Glasspool, Chris Colfer]

Jasika Nicole, Actress:

You know how every year we get like 6 or 7 more hot young cute lesbians on our proverbial radar? That was Jasika Nicole this year. We’ve never seen Fringe, but we sure do like her face.

Amos Mac & Rocco Kayiatos, Editors:

Our BFF Amos Mac started Original Plumbing because he “didn’t see anything in the media representing transmen other than frenzied talk shows and porn.” A surprising success story, OP celebrated its first anniversary last month and was named Best Zine of 2010 in the San Francisco Bay Guardian.

[Read Amos Mac’s Autostraddle Interview]

Mariah Hanson, Dinah Shore Masterbrain

“Fancy hotels, skimpy bikinis, giant pool parties—Mariah Hanson’s the Dinah could easily be described as spring break for lesbians. But the producer behind the annual Palm Springs, Calif., gathering sees it as more than that. “I want it to be the most amazing, show-stopping, mind-boggling, blockbuster event that one can imagine,” she says of the bash, the largest of Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend. “I think lesbians deserve it.”

[Read Mariah Hanson’s Autostraddle Interview]

Mhm. We agree.

Katie Miller, Student/Activist

Jerry Maguire’s got nothing on Katie Miller’s resignation letter : “I am unwilling to suppress an entire portion of my identity any longer because it has taken a significant personal, mental, and social toll on me and detrimentally affected my professional development. I have experienced a relentless cognitive dissonance by attempting to adhere to §654 [colloquially known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”] and retain my integrity, and I am retrospectively convinced that I am unable to live up to the Army Values as long as the policy remains in place..”

Katie went to the VMAs with Lady Gaga and has also been a repeat guest on The Rachel Maddow Show and is studying political science at Yale University.

Chris Colfer, actor:

Sometimes when I watch Glee I feel like, I wish Kurt had gone to my high school, I feel like we could’ve been friends.

Meredith Baxter, actress:

Meredith Baxter came out in December of 2009 and the world was super happy to discover that Mama Keaton is a lesbian! Also, she’s a graduate of the boarding school where I had my first girl-on-girl experience so I think that’s important.

[Watch her Autonatic Interview]

Mary Glasspool, Bishop

This year Mary Glasspool became the first elected openly lesbian bishop in the Episcopal diocese and the second openly homosexual Episcopal Bishop. The first, Gene Robinson, recently announced his intent to retire early due to the emotional toll that being an Openly Gay Bishop has taken on him and his partner.

[L to R, starting in upper right corner: Fatima Robinson, Chely Wright, Kimberly Reed & Laverne Cox & Jincey Lumpkin, Heather Cassils, Rachel Maddow, Jennifer Knapp, Chris Pureka, Lisa Chodenko]

Heather Cassils, personal trainer/performance artist

Heather Cassils made out with Lady Gaga in the prisonyard in Telephone and also has a whole career and life that has nothing to do with Lady Gaga but something to do with bodybuilding, Movement Research, Greek mythology and Art. Cassils says things like “My body is a complete construction. When you can present people with an image of something that’s ‘other’ — something in between that doesn’t have binaries — it offers them more options.” We don’t know what she means by that but it sounds sexy. Like Judith Butler sexy.

Chely Wright, Musician

Chely Wright, The Woman Who Came Out on Cinco De Gayo, told Out, “I need to show folks how low I got — this was do or die for me.” I read her book, Like Me, and liked it Taylor read it too in a Barnes & Noble in Kentucky, all in one sitting, and then she went on to a bar to drink and cry for four hours. This all happened before 5pm. You should read it.

Lisa Cholodenko, Filmmaker:

She made The Kids Are All Right, which changed lesbian culture everywhere for everyone.

Jennifer Knapp, Christian Singer:

When Jennifer Knapp came out this year, we knew we had a good one on our team. She’d stopped recording or performing for 8 years while living in the closet and then decided to come back gay.

Chris Pureka, Musician:

Chris Pureka makes me cry real girl tears all the time, I can’t even talk about it.

Rachel Maddow, Superhuman:

Let’s not mince words: there’s nothing I can say about Rachel Maddow that you don’t already know. But right now I’m watching this video of her interviewing John Stewart uncut and it’s really good. That’s your Rachel Maddow news for the day.

Also, here’s some new names we noticed on this year’s list that we didn’t already know about, but should defo start knowing about:

+ Yoruba Richen: Filmmaker

+ Kimberly Reed, transgender lesbian filmmaker

+ Emma Donoghue, Author

+ Fatima Robinson, Choreographer

+ Laverne Cox, first African-American transgender woman to appear on an American reality show

+ Jincey Lumpkin, “chief sexy officer” of Juicy Pink Box

Okay, look at that photo of Rachel Maddow before you go to sleep and dream about 100 people standing in a circle eating cupcakes and singing “We Shall Overcome.” Okay good. Happy Friday night!

“Transmen in the City”: Mainstream Mag Does Trans Story Right (Mostly)

TRANS:

New York Magazine’s Transmen and the City talks about “gay guys who love ex-girls, and other Brooklyn permutations.” At first this looks like just another queer trend piece, and maybe it is, but we’re gonna focus on the fact that William Van Meter spent nearly an entire paragraph talking about how cute Amos Mac looked sipping his coffee on a recent trip to Brooklyn. Earlier today on the twitter machine, Amos noted that parts of the article weren’t entirely accurate.

For the record, Amos’s chest tattoo does not read IDENTITY, but rather LIFESTYLE, and has nothing to do with his trans identity at all. When we asked him to elaborate, he told us it was an inside joke. “An inside joke across my chest, yes, but whatever, it’s my body.” In case you couldn’t tell, it’s the little things like this that make us love him so.

The article posits that “many” transmen prefer to date women and goes on to describe a recent trend of trans guys dating / hooking up with queer male-born guys. This quote from just such a male-born guy sums up our thoughts pretty nicely:

“It’s juvenile to have a fear of biological woman parts and this idea that they make the gender of a person. People are attracted to other people. Part of being young and queer is you don’t need to put yourself into boxes.” – Ben Riskin

We actually do appreciate that a mainstream publication like New York Magazine would approach the topic of transmen and their culture with this sort of enthusiasm, even if it means that parts of the article weren’t perfect. But hey, it happens! Ten points for trying! Then again, we get yelled at for posting a Trans / Genderfuck / Stud gallery, so what do we know?

In case you missed it, read Laneia’s interview with Amos Mac for Autostraddle, in which he candidly discusses transitioning, feelings, and his kickass zine, Original Plumbing. San Francisco-area readers can attend the Original Plumbing Issue 3 Release Party at Eros on Wednesday (tomorrow) night, by the way. You’re welcome.

Related: This same issue of New York Magazine, which is generally one of our favorite magazines, includes a bar guide which features the best bar for younger gay men, the best bar for older gay men and the best gay crossover party but not a single lesbian bar. We went to the Nightlife Awards, we read GO, we know they exist!

AS FAT AS I WANNA BE:

You Are My Sisters: “Marginalized groups must work to resist the tendency to devalue or bristle over any member whose actions might be viewed as “making the rest of us look bad”. The work to end all forms of oppression does not involve policing group members to ensure they are “on message”. Ending oppression – be it fat or racial or gender or whathaveyou – requires an active commitment to resist any cultural messaging seeking to frame one member of a marginalized group as representative of all members – regardless of whether the framing presents the members in a negative or positive light.”

STEREOTYPES:

Maureen Dowd has a lovely little op-ed piece on SCOTUS nominee Elena Kagan that we think is supposed to be funny but is really just complete rubbish. (@nytimes)

BABIES:

Salon talks with the author of  She Looks Just Like You, a memoir about being a gay parent. – “Non-biological lesbian moms, like gay fathers who use surrogates, we’re in this weird zone between motherhood and fatherhood.” (@salon)

DEPORTED:

Iranian Lesbian Filmmaker Denied Asylum In The UK – “In Iran, the punishment for lesbianism involving mature consenting women consists of 100 lashes. This punishment can be applied up to three times. After a fourth violation of Iranian law, a woman convicted of “unrepentant homosexuality” is finally executed by hanging, often publicly, in front of a howling mob.” (@blogout)

RAPE CULTURE:

ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap spoke with several South African women soccer players who were beaten and raped because they are lesbians. This is known as “corrective rape” and, according to one advocacy group, there are 10 new cases of corrective rape weekly in Cape Town alone. The most publicized case took place in 2008, when Eudy Simelane, a 29-year old out lesbian soccer player, was beaten, raped and stabbed to death. When asked if he cares about the lesbians who are raped, a young African man had this to say (from ESPN’s Corrective Rape, video below):

“Why do I care maybe for a person who likes to be like me? ‘Cause I’m the man. God created me to be a man. I have everything to be a man.”

The website PeaceWomen.org put together a really informative report in 2009 that you should read, bookmark and share – Hate Crimes: The Rise of Corrective Rape in South Africa (pdf). To learn more about Eudy’s story, watch this short video: A Story of Corrective Rape. Impressive to see this sort of coverage coming from such an unlikely source as ESPN.

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PUNK ISLAM:

Taqwacore Culture at South by Southwest – “Sena Hussain, describes herself as an ‘openly queer drag king and lead singer of a Taqwacore band.’ The best word to describe Hussain is unrepentant: “I’m not going to hold back…or hide anything really. I don’t care what kind of trouble I get into for it.” “(@racialicious)

HARRY POTTER:

They totally named the project after Neville’s frog (@feministing)

Movie Trailers – Movies Blog

BEAUTY QUEENS:

Lebanese Woman Wins Miss USA – “Fakih shows young Muslim and Lebanese girls that they too can be considered beautiful. Yes, part of a fucked up system of beauty, but this is still a meaningful change.” (@feministing)

BRINGING UP GIRLS:

Is Dobson’s Book ‘Bringing Up Girls’ Anti-Feminist?

Trans Photographer Amos Mac: The Autostraddle Interview

photo by Austin Young

Last fall I needed images for a little (read: life-altering) interview I’d done with Sister Spit. A quick search revealed that every kickass photo of Michelle Tea and Rhiannon Argo that I wanted to use had been shot by the seriously talented Amos Mac. After spending the better part of an hour looking through his photos of people infinitely cooler than me (when I was probably supposed to be writing the intro for that interview), I emailed Amos to request image permissions. Did I think he’d be the most charming / awesome guy I’d never met? Um, no. I was totally unprepared for that.

Not only is he this ridiculously amazing photographer, Amos is also editor-in-chief of Original Plumbing, a magazine dedicated to the sexuality and broad culture of FTM trans guys. I flipped through a copy of OP while perusing the merch table at Sister Spit and it was like being punched in the face with hot, radical sex, and that’s just barely a hyperbole. Amos Mac and Rocco Kayiatos (associate editor of OP and all-around badass) are doing big big things in the world.

So, when you work for an online magazine, you can pretty much talk about whatever you want (I love this job), and I want to talk about Amos Mac! Despite his understandable aversion to being a walking guide to Trans 101, he let me ask some pretty feelingsy questions about what it’s like to be him. He met Margaret Cho, you guys! He’s got sweet hair and cool friends and probably listens to fun music, though I forgot to ask. He’s my Number One Friend Crush, this Amos Mac, and now I’m gonna share him with you.

photo by Heather Renee Russ

Laneia: I was wondering, is it weird to discuss personal things? Like, probably you just want to talk about Original Plumbing?

Amos: Personal stuff is fine with me. I get sick of answering the same questions about the magazine!

Laneia: Oh good! Especially since this is going to be read by a bunch of feelingsy girls and boys who’ll really want to know about your feeeeelings. Because that’s our #1 feeling (besides our feelings): your feelings.

Amos: Haha, ok! Really, people will care about my feelings?

Laneia: Yes! Like you don’t even know.

Ok, I wanted to ask about when you were a teenager. Seems like having sucky teen years is kind of universal. How did you deal with your body developing? Was it an issue?

I knew I was different from the other girls in my high school, but at that time, the thought of a gender transition never even crossed my mind.

Amos: I dealt with my changing body by wearing larger and larger clothes, until I was literally swimming in my jeans and over-sized t-shirts. Anything to hide the curves. But at that time I didn’t realize why I was dressing that way. I mean, I knew that it was how I felt comfortable and that I was different from the girls in my school, but at that time in my life the thought of a gender transition never even crossed my mind.

My teen years were kind of boring and almost asexual. At that point, I didn’t want to date. I didn’t do normal teen stuff. Like, I obsessed over working at this modern rock radio station in Philadelphia. I got a job there when I was 15 and worked a lot of super late night shifts, like 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. I loved working there.

Laneia: What did you love most about it?

Amos: I think I loved that I was hanging out with adults. And not hanging out with kids my age! The people I worked with treated me like a human being and I felt accepted, which was not how I felt in school. Also, I felt like I had a career.

Self Portrait circa 2006

Laneia: A career in radio! Was it hard to get hired?

Amos: Hilarious to think of now, but it’s all I wanted to do for years! It was weird how it happened, actually. I joined the Girl Scouts for like a month and they had this thing called “Take a Girl to Work Day,” which was basically the only reason why I joined Girl Scouts, so I could participate in this thing! So I signed up and said I wanted to be a radio DJ, and they sent me there for the day, and I hung out with this woman, Lucy St. James, who did all the on-air production for the radio station. We stayed in touch afterward and I called her a year later to ask if I could do anything. I started interning and then eventually I got paid. It was a great experience.

Laneia: This feels like a sort of pedestrian question, but when you think back on things, like being a teenager or a child, do you see that person as a separate person? Or have you always felt the same and the only difference is that now your body matches your mind / heart.

Amos: No, I see myself as the same person. I was just really young and not aware of myself. And not as in touch with myself in my teen years. I think I was more in touch with myself as a young child. But then suppressed it when I felt like it was wrong for me to be male. So the teen years were kind of like, the ‘lost years’ for me.

Laneia: Were you nervous about going on testosterone? Were the results what you’d expected?

Amos: Well I first started T because I just wanted my face to change. I didn’t want to tell anyone about it and I didn’t want my voice to change. I just wanted my body to basically … change. Like, my facial structure. And I didn’t want to have to explain to anyone what I was doing, I wished that it was something that was just happening to my body naturally and that I didn’t have to make some big “coming out” production. I just wanted to be male, a trans man, no questions asked, no need for explanations, you know? It was a very private time.

At first I was only going to take T for a minute and see what happened. Then I just decided to go with it. I can’t remember what made me feel okay with changing all these aspects of my body, but something just switched in my head and I realized that I needed to do this.

Laneia: Did you have a lot of support?

Amos: No. I went to a therapist at the LGBTQ Center in New York City. My friends all knew that I’d identified as male, but I hadn’t told them like, “I am now transitioning and you must now call me by male pronouns, etc.” until I’d already started T. I didn’t really know any transguys, so I went to a trans masculine group every week and met people. I was super separated from the community there because I’d just been in a long relationship with a straight girl.

"The Boys of Original Plumbing : Past, Present & Future" photo by Elisa Shea

Laneia: Wow. And now you’re doing this magazine. That’s f*cking crazy. Like, how far you’ve come in this relatively short amount of time. Can I ask how you chose your name?

Amos: I liked Amos because it was so weird and old… no one wants that name, it’s literally at an all-time low according to babynames.com! Ha! It means “the bearer of burdens” and a bunch of other random stuff depending on which baby book you pick up, but I didn’t choose Amos for the definition. Mac is short for my middle name, which is Macaulay.

Laneia: Does being called ‘trans’ get old? Would you rather just be referred to as a guy?

Amos: To me being called “trans” isn’t old… I don’t care if people call me trans, male, or a guy, whatever. Getting referred to as a “man” has taken some getting used to. I know that I look like one, but it bugs me. I think because I have a fear of getting older and I wish I could look like a teenage boy for the rest of my life. Or for at least another 20 years. I don’t feel like a man, but I definitely don’t feel like a woman either.

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NEXT:

“We call Margaret Cho our “TranMa” (a play on the term Grandma) and she calls us her TranSons.”