Spectacle
No one cares about the
Trans male birthing experience—
They just care about
The spectacle
Of a pregnant man, and
The question they have
About “whether or not testosterone will hurt the baby”
Nobody cares about
What it’s like to be a trans mom—
They just wanna know
If you can breast feed
And what kind of hormones they took
To get to that position.
Nobody cares about
The consequences of trans surgeries
Or the fact that most of them are considered
Elective, or that
Statistically the odds of regretting
Are less than the odds of dying on the table—
They will warn you
About your regrets
Before they warn you
Of the consequences.
When the actual consequences happen —
They will be called
“Side effects”
And you will be told
That you were warned this could happen.
To someone
Who isn’t trans—
All of the various risks
Are as obvious as
The spectacle in the room,
The elephant of the fine print
The elephant of denial
Hanging over each trans patient
Who has some “side effects”
The spectacle of
“You asked for this, now—
Quit your crying
And be grateful”