What makes a body trans

Thomas Page McBee
2 min readApr 1, 2021

Not doctors. Not hormones. Not the government. Not you.

I changed my gender markers and my name, legally, nine years ago, though that is not when my transition “began.”

I received my first shot of testosterone 10 years ago this June, though that is not when my transition “began.”

I named myself Thomas, a family name which also means twin, when I came out 11 years ago…

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Thomas Page McBee

Writer exploring the relationship between gender, culture, and history. Most recent book: Amateur (Scribner). Essays/reporting: NYT, The Atlantic, GQ, more.