Euphoria star Hunter Schafer liking ‘transmedicalist’ post sparks tense debate
Hunter Schafer attends the HBO Max FYC event for “Euphoria” at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on 20 April, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty)
Hunter Schafer has been accused of supporting a “transmedicalist” Instagram post, prompting much discussion within the trans community.
The Euphoria actor commented on an Instagram post which claimed non-binary people don’t understand that “binary trans women and men don’t have the luxury of playing around with what it means to be trans the same way [they] do”.
“The red states are beginning to agree with you,” the post said, referring to Florida’s excluding of gender-affirming healthcare, including hormone medications and surgery, from Medicaid.
Schafer’s commented with a set of exclamation points. This led to a hefty amount of backlash from parts of the LGBTQ+ community, and suggestions the comment was an endorsement of “transmedicalism”.
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Transmedicalists are binary trans people who believe being transgender is inherently tied to gender dysphoria and, as a result, treat it as a kind of medical disorder that needs gender-affirming healthcare to help fix.
People who identify with transmedicalism sometimes claim that non-binary labels are merely the result of “transtrenders” who pretend to be trans for clout in the LGBTQ+ community.
While a transmedicalist may not outright deny non-binary identities exist, it stems from the idea that binary transness is in some way more valid or applicable.
“I hope all of the people (enbies) [a shorthand term for non-binary people] who fought to have trans identities no longer considered a medical condition that requires dysphoria are happy because you’ve won,” the post reads.
“The red states are beginning to agree with you. Y’all just couldn’t stand to let binary trans people be the voice of this community. You had to dismantle all of the guidelines around being trans to fit your narrative so you could feel valid and then you demonised trans people who challenged your ideals.”
The user who posted the statement then followed up on it a day later, saying that those who “are not medically transitioning” need to “take a god damn break from spewing gender abolition rhetoric”.
Commenting on the original post, one user said “blaming our own community is going to tear us apart like the Republicans are doing to us right now”, while another said: “As a trans woman – this isn’t it.”
While Schafer has not remarked beyond a set of exclamation points, her comment prompted discussion on how transmedicalism can put an unnecessary wedge between binary and non-binary trans people.
On Twitter, users such as popular trans content creator Erin Reed said addressing the issues of transmedicalism “is far more important than cancelling a young trans woman”, in a thread explaining what it is.
I don't have much to say about Hunter Schafer herself – but I want to react to the post she reacted to.
Let's have a talk about transmedicalism, and why transmedicalism – not non-binary people – have a bigger impact on why anti-trans legislation is flourishing today. pic.twitter.com/b3Yymkd3KS— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) August 23, 2022
“I want to be very clear – transmedicalism does not save us. In fact, it’s the transmedicalist leaders that are pushing the hardest right now for anti-trans laws,” Reed continued.
Others said outright calling Schafer a transmedicalist “is a wild and unhelpful take” because “gender abolition can be an intimidating phrase for someone who has fought hard to have her gender recognised”.
Others disagreed, saying the post she liked was “demonising non-binary people and was putting the blame on them for making it harder for trans women to exist”.
Others, unfortunately, took it as a chance to express their contempt for non-binary people who choose not to medically transition, saying they were not trans at all, which caused a tense debate as to who is valid when it comes to being trans. A debate which many believe to be unhelpful and only there to fracture the community.
“Non-binary people aren’t the reason politicians are stripping trans rights,” one user said. “Non-binary people medically transition too. Anti-trans laws that ban social transition for children harm non-binary people too. Transphobic cis people are the enemy, not our non-binary siblings.”
PinkNews has contacted representatives of Hunter Schafer for comment.
