As a Trans, I believe in Ariel Pink's gender dysphoria. This song technically came out right at the end of 2023. I heard it while on a run early in the morning in Setagaya City, Tokyo. In the track, Pink sings, "When I was born, something went wrong. They told me I was lucky-- I came this close to being a girl. But IĀ wantĀ to be a girl." I absolutely believe his dysphoric yearnings, and detect no sign of post-woke edgelordism. I think it's probably very common, yet hardly documented, when men feel like they want to be a girl, ultimately deciding to remain with their birth gender. In fact, I think this sentiment is rather trans-affirming. As one male friend of mine said of his COVID-era gender experience: "I couldn't decide if IĀ wantedĀ 'Her', or wanted toĀ be 'Her.'" It's a brave stance to portray in a song, one that edges on Macklemore's "When I was in the 3rd grade, I thought that I was gay", but with all the heart and none of the corny virtue signaling. AndĀ it's wayyyy too catchy.Ā
