"Gender is a negotiation" whether you realize it or not.

By Brittany Luse,

Liam McBain, Neena Pathak, Barton Girdwood

Published March 12, 2025 at 10:22 AM EDT

What does it even mean to be trans? That's the first question Torrey Peters asks readers in her new book, Stag Dance, and it's the question that Brittany and Torrey everyone should be asking themselves right now.

Stag Dance is a collection of four novellas that poke into the dark corners of gender, delving into taboo topics and investigating the line between trans and cis. Brittany sits down with Torrey to discuss Stag Dance, what makes a transition, and the raised stakes for trans people in the current political climate.

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Brittany Luse

Brittany Luse is an award-winning journalist, on-air host, and cultural critic. She is the host of It's Been a Minute and For Colored Nerds. Previously Luse hosted The Nod and Sampler podcasts, and co-hosted and executive produced The Nod with Brittany and Eric, a daily streaming show. She's written for Vulture and Harper's Bazaar, among others, and edited for the podcasts Planet Money and Not Past It. Luse and her work have been profiled by publications like The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vulture, and Teen Vogue.

Liam McBain

Liam McBain (he/him) is an assistant producer on It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders. He's interested in stories at the margins of culture.

Neena Pathak

Barton Girdwood