Dr. Amethysta Herrick (she/her) is an exquisitely smart and funny transgender woman from Colorado. Ami has been a geneticist, chemist, and software engineer but now dedicates her time to challenging the notion that identity and gender are exclusive to the LGBTQ+ community.
Through the lens of her transgender experience, she uses analogies and storytelling to break down complex ideas about sex, identity, gender theory, and feminism, promoting the essential equality of all humans. Amethysta’s mission is: to make expressing authentic identity safe and accessible for everyone, creating a world where these deeply human experiences are understood and embraced by all.
Ami also generally shares with us about how differently she is received post-transition, as she is now typically read as a cis woman, versus living 52 years as a man. We discuss how vital her perspective is in discussing the unconscious bias that people are often guided by in their daily interactions.
Ami also shares about her powerful experience of receiving gender affirming surgery in Thailand this year, and how incredibly safe, supported, and cared for she felt throughout her experience. This was particularly transformative in the context of how poorly people are cared for in the United States.
Please be advised that Ami and I do discuss serious mental health challenges, including the topic of suicide, though please know, this story has a very joyous ending.
I can’t wait for you to meet Amethysta in this episode. It’s a special one. Enjoy!
https://genderidentityweekly.transistor.fm
My music is written and recorded by the Kingston High All Stars in Wellington, New Zealand.
My graphics, website, and illustrations are done by MaggsyMayCo in Waterloo Ontario.
