It's Time to Say "No"

These girls and women were not transgender. They were smart.

Despite having my gender identity issues mostly resolved by the time I was in eighth grade, I was still hopelessly gender non-conforming. Not only did I look different from the other girls but I had very different interests, one of which was reading science fiction.

One of my favorite books was Robert Heinlein’s Tunnel in the Sky.

I think back one of the exchanges between two characters who were stranded along with other classmates on an unexplored planet as their final exam for Advanced Survival--an elective course designed for seniors interested in interplanetary exploration or settlement. The course was elective because it wasn’t unusual for students to die during the final exam.

Rod, the main character, had just been told by his friend Jimmy, “Jack is a girl.”

The three had partnered up after it became clear that something had gone terribly wrong with what was supposed to be a 48-hour survival test when the retrieval alarm was never sounded.

Rod responded to Jimmy, who has been recovering from a serious illness, “Jimmy, you’re still out of your head.”

When Jack returned to the cave where the two boys had been talking, Rod confronted Jack.

“What is your name?”

A confused Jack responded “Huh? Jack Daudet. I told you that.”

Rod pushed “No, no! What’s your full name, your legal name?”

Jack responded “My full name is Jacqueline Marie Daudet. If it’s any business of yours.”