Confessions of a Trans Libertarian
It's frustrating to be misunderstood and pushed around all the time
Tara: So Jen, you identify as a trans libertarian. How does that feel in the current political context?
Jen: Not good at all, to be honest. Both the trans community and the libertarian movement are in deep trouble right now, and the future of both are uncertain at the moment. Plus, trans libertarians like myself are politically homeless.
Tara: First, let's get this right. By libertarian, you mean 100% classical NAP libertarian, right? Like you wouldn't consider me to be a libertarian, right?
Jen: No, sorry. I am libertarian in the strict sense of the word. And you're not. I can understand and respect that. But there's definitely a difference here. Even though I can respect that you care about freedom, unlike most people out there nowadays. But you're not a libertarian, by my definition.
Tara: So as a strict libertarian, how do you feel about the drama surrounding the Mises Caucus takeover of the US Libertarian Party in recent years? I certainly don't think it's right myself, but I want your take.
Jen: The Mises Caucus is not libertarian, period. They are authoritarians. Remember, libertarians supported gay marriage well before most liberals, so we are not meant to be reactionary. Personally, I blame Trump and the pandemic for making all this happen. Trump, because he upset everything about right-of-center politics, and the chaos allowed irrational things to happen. And the pandemic, because all sorts of irrational things happened back then. The pandemic also made the kind of people who really agree with Ron DeSantis think they are libertarians, when they are the opposite of libertarian. This was what ruined libertarianism.
Tara: Do you think there is still a way to rescue libertarianism?
Jen: I hope so, but I seriously don't know for sure. Anything can happen from here. The Libertarian Party resoundingly rejected Trump at their convention, so we know that libertarianism isn't dead yet. But I really don't know what happens from here. I mean, just in the past ten years, I have seen the takeover of trans politics by the far-left, and then the attempted takeover of libertarianism by the far-right, neoreaction-adjacent types. In both cases it has forced me out of communities I long thought I belonged in.
Tara: I think we can both agree that there have been changes in both the LGBT community and the libertarian movement that we both would rather not have happened. Do you see any similarities or parallels there?
Jen: The biggest commonality here is that, seriously, everything in my cultural and political life is scrambled right now. I kind of wish the same would happen to the rest of society, so you all can experience this kind of nonsense for yourself. Like if the Democrats finally nominated RFK Jr. in 2028 and the Republicans nominate, I don't know, Taylor Swift, you would all feel what I am feeling now. I mean, nothing makes sense for me, anymore.
Tara: From what I see, both are examples of a hostile takeover by outside forces. Would you agree?
Jen: I think I can agree here. Most trans people never asked for the far-left to represent us in the mainstream media, and most libertarians never asked for paleos, Hoppeans, NatCons, neoreactionaries and MAGA-adjacent people to represent us. But we couldn't stop them either.
Tara: I would have thought that being trans, or indeed any social minority, would fit nicely with libertarianism. And indeed, in the early days of my involvement with the community, about twenty years ago now, I came across a significant number of trans libertarians. These days they seem to be much rarer. What do you think is the reason for this?
Jen: I think it's both that the trans conversation has been unfairly dominated by far-left activists, and that libertarianism itself has an image problem among young people right now. I mean, paleos, neoreactionaries and MAGA types don't represent libertarianism, but many young people, particularly those in the trans community, don't seem to understand this.
Tara: I have heard some people in the trans community say that libertarians don't accept gender non-conforming trans people, or non-binary people, and want to oppress them. This doesn't make sense to me, given my understanding that libertarians are for freedom. So where does this view come from?
Jen: I guess some people think that libertarian equals right-wing equals anti-LGBT. The radical cultural right wanting to claim a piece of libertarianism all the time doesn't help either. But as I said before, no matter what they say, they don't represent libertarianism. Libertarians are live and let live, period. We don't have a problem with anything at all, as long as we respect each others individual freedom. You do you. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.
Tara: So what's your view on gender identity? Do you agree or disagree with 'gender is a social construct'? What's your view on 'there are only two genders'?
Jen: I think people should be free to think what they think, believe what they believe, and say what they say. Right now, both the left and the right don't want us to be free in this way. Many on the left view you with suspicion if you don't believe that gender is a social construct, and many on the right view you with suspicion if you think there are more than two genders. This issue really exposes the fact that both the left and the right want to control how you think. Controlling your view on gender is just a part of making you believe in their overall worldview.
Tara: And what worldview do you think that would be?
Jen: For the left, that everything is a social construct, and everything is about power relations. For the right, that religion has the answer to everything, and everything that contradicts their religion, including LGBT identities, are invalid and harmful to society. I reject both these worldviews, by the way.
Tara: And what do you think is the libertarian worldview?
Jen: There is none, except for freedom for everyone. There's no libertarian line on gender, or anything really. For me personally, I don't have a problem with however you identify yourself, or how you see the nature of gender more broadly speaking. I respect that you have a choice in these matters, unlike both the left and the right. What I can never respect is anyone trying to shove their beliefs down other people's throats. That's it.
TaraElla is a singer-songwriter and author, who is the author of the Moral Libertarian Manifesto and the Moral Libertarian book series, which argue that liberalism is still the most moral and effective value system for the West.
She is also the author of The Trans Case Against Queer Theory and The TaraElla Story (her autobiography).