divinely queer

Lindsey Jaymes Spero made headlines with a well-timed shot of testosterone

Lindsey Spero
Lindsey Jaymes Spero (Photo: Supplied)

One hopes that one’s medical treatment is a private issue between one’s self and one’s doctor. However, we know that’s not always the case. Whether it’s access to PrEP, abortion, or other medical procedures, some lawmakers want to make things as hard as possible.

One section of the community painfully aware of this are trans people. And nowhere more so than in Florida, which has been passing bill after bill that impacts LGBTQ+ people.

One person who decided they’d had enough and needed to do something is Lindsey Jaymes Spero.

Non-binary activist Spero made headlines in February when they appeared in front of Florida’s Board of Osteopathic Medicine. Spero, 25, drove four hours from St. Petersburg to Tallahassee to attend the meeting. They wanted to speak out on the importance of gender-affirming care.

Spero waited for three hours, listening to other trans people, before being allowed their allotted two and a half minutes. They explained their own struggle to live their true self.

“I could stand here and tell you about the times that I tried to end my life because I didn’t have access to gender-affirming care, but I know you don’t care,” Spero said during their testimony. “I see you sneering at us while we come here and talk to you. Instead, I’m going to take the rest of my time to demonstrate the sacred and weekly ritual of my shot in front of you in this body.”

Lindsey Spero prepares their testosterone shot
Lindsey Jaymes Spero prepares their testosterone shot (Photo: Supplied)

“Trans liberation today, tomorrow, forever”

What they did next grabbed everyone’s attention. Demystifying what gender-affirming care looks like, Spero then demonstrated how they take their weekly shot of testosterone. Spero pulled out a syringe and injected themself in the stomach.

With the injection completed, Spero raised their fist in the air and said, “Trans liberation today, tomorrow, forever.” Many in attendance cheered and stood in solidarity.

@openlynews

Here’s the unedited full testimony of Lindsey Spero (they/he), a 25-year-old non-binary person and transgender activist who used their allotted time before the Florida Board of Medicine to inject his HRT. Spero was one of the speakers who addressed the board at a public hearing on Friday – before the physicians refused to scrap new rules banning doctors from providing trans minors with gender-affirming healthcare. Florida governor Ron DeSantis has said these treatments endanger children, while trans advocates say they can be life-saving. #transrights #transawareness #hrt #florida

? original sound – Openly | LGBTQ+ news

Raised in an evangelical household

Spero was raised in a​​ strict evangelical household in Pennsylvania. They were subjected to conversion therapy, before being kicked out at the age of 18 for being trans.

After their appearance before the board, Spero later told Buzzfeed they’d been inspired by the Stonewall uprising and disruptive protests like those initiated by ACT-UP.

“I recognize that Stonewall and our freedom wasn’t won with passiveness and words and public forums,” Spero said. “It was won with bricks and blood.”

Reflecting on the moment when they took the stand, Spero said, “I felt anger and this kind of holy rage that comes from knowing that you have no choice but to fight and that your fight is justified.

“My hands stopped shaking and my voice became steady. I was able to slow down and look into each of their eyes. I could see the fear in their eyes and I could see in that moment how unsure they were of themselves.”

Predictably, Spero’s protest fell on deaf ears. The Board of Osteopathic Medicine wrapped up the meeting early by voting to bar transgender youth from receiving hormone therapy and puberty blockers. The state’s ​​Board of Medicine agreed to a similar policy.

This was followed in April by Florida passing one of the most extreme anti-trans laws in the country. It advanced Senate Bill 254. The legislation bans gender-affirming care for those under 18. It also punishes anyone providing such care and strips rights from the parents of trans kids.

According to HRC, “It would also forbid public funds, including those of a public university, public hospital, city, or county, and Medicare, from being used to provide benefits that include gender-affirming care — for transgender people of all ages. And — uniquely — it allows the state to remove trans children from their parents if they are receiving transition care.”

“Our authenticity cannot be legislated out of existence”

“This state is a battleground right now, but it’s filled with some of the kindest and bravest people I’ve ever met,” Spero told Queerty in a statement.

Lindsey Spero
Lindsey Jaymes Spero (Photo: Supplied)

“The Florida GOP is not an accurate reflection of the state as a whole and although they are insistent on creating a fascist regime, it is impossible for them to eradicate queer and trans people. My chosen family is facing these challenges head-on, with our chins up and chests out, because the pride and love we have in each other and in our authenticity and resilience cannot be legislated out of existence.

“Personally, I spent 18 years in a home, family, and church that tried at every turn to change me into someone I wasn’t, so the idea of the state trying to do the same isn’t a new fear, and I’m surrounded by some of the best people this world has to offer.”

They continued, “It’s very important to me that I continue to protect and speak against the violence and genocide that is being perpetuated against our community.

“Queerness is divine, and it’s never been a question to me that our community is right where we should be, honoring the trancestors who gave up so much for us to be here.”

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