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”