Revisiting Episode 8: Transgenerational Wisdom
A conversation with Buck Angel, first released on January 29th, 2021
Buck Angel transitioned in 1994 and continues to live openly as a transsexual man. In this conversation, Buck reflects on the intense experience of gender dysphoria and explains the decision to become a medical pioneer during the early days of transition. Buck also discusses the importance of embracing sexuality within a transsexual body and offers a critical perspective on the current direction of the transgender movement.
Buck’s transition began in the 1990s, but the roots of gender confusion trace back to much earlier. Despite this trauma, Buck had a successful modelling career pre-transition, though life took a darker turn with addiction to drugs and alcohol, eventually resulting in prostitution. In time, work in the adult film industry became not only a turning point but a source of personal pride for Buck.
Questions about sexuality and attraction are explored openly in this episode, including the controversial topic of why some people are specifically attracted to trans people. Buck explains why disclosure is a moral responsibility for people who have medically transitioned.
Living as trans appears to be a full-time job for Buck. The rise in detransitioners prompts deeper reflection about what’s missing from the broader conversation about transitioning? Buck, a controversial figure in trans circles, doesn’t shy away from addressing the criticism and lays out the principles behind a perspective shaped by lived experience and hard-won insight.
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– Stella & Sasha
I regularly listen to Buck’s YouTube channel. Buck clearly has a good spirit, a healthy dose of humility, devotion to personal growth and to being a positive person and parent, as well as being an advocate of doing away with childhood gender transition. FYI Buck now states that transition occurred at age 30, 33 years ago (i.e. 1992). Buck’s presentation strikes me as quintessential “ADHD man-boy” — endearing while at the same time being chaotic and “all over the place.” (I’m sure Sasha is enjoying my use of metaphor, although energy body speak would state that this energy diffusion is literal!) Buck’s recounting of finally being taken seriously by a psychotherapist as feeling that he WAS male is poignant. We all want to be truly seen and to taken seriously. One is left with the concern, however, that this lesbian therapist had her own trauma history of not feeling seen that readily gravitated toward the belief that Gender Identity Disorder could be “cured” through transsexual medical treatment, and that she would partner with Buck in making that happen. Life lost to substance abuse was life that felt hopeless. Could a healthy life have occurred in recovery as a butch lesbian without the testosterone pathway? We don’t know, as that is not the path that Buck (or his therapist) chose.