Nov 24, 2022
Nina Paley is an illustrator, filmmaker, and self-described TERF
(trans exclusionary radical feminist). Corinna Cohn is a transwoman
who happens to be Nina’s good friend. According to the culture war
playback, the two should be mortal enemies. Instead, they have a
podcast together; Heterodorx, which focuses on their daily lives
and the current state of the gender wars. In this conversation,
Nina and Corinna talk with Meghan about what drew them together as
friends, how the podcast emerged, and, above all, how their
individual experiences around sex roles, stereotypes and power
differentials led to their “gender critical” stance. They also get
candid about their relationships to their own sexuality. Nina
recalls her adventures in sex positivity in the San Francisco
counter culture in her younger years, including putting makeup on
her crossdressing boyfriends. Corinna speaks candidly about the
physical, psychological and sexual effects of her transition, at
age 19, and why she urges caution in kids now seeking medicalized
transition. Finally, Nina explains why she uses he/him pronouns for
Corinna and Corinna explains why this doesn’t bother her since she
has better things to do.