Family Acceptance and Feeling "Done" with Your Transition with Jamie and Shaaba

Listen to "Family Acceptance and Feeling "Done" with Your Transition with Jamie and Shaaba" on Spreaker.

In this episode, Hannah is joined by Jamie Raines and Shaaba Lotun, who are YouTubers who make videos about their relationship, Jamie’s trans journey, and LGBTQ+ issues. Jamie and Shaaba discuss Jamie’s reaction to receiving his Gender Recognition Certificate and how Jamie feels that his transition has “finished”. Jamie, Shaaba, and Hannah talk about Shaaba coming out as bi and the online response she received. Finally, Hannah, Jamie, and Shaaba discuss Jamie and Shaaba’s relationship, and the potential new scientific developments that might allow couples with a trans partner to have biological children together.

Read the episode transcript here!

SHOW NOTES

What we chat about…

Was the choice to share their lives online a conscious one? Was it motivated by knowing that the content would help people?
Jamie and Shaaba’s changing boundaries around sharing their lives online
Did Shaaba’s family ever see the videos Jamie and Shaaba made?
Shaaba’s mum kicking her out when she and Jamie got together
Shaaba’s family’s reaction to Jamie and Shaaba’s relationship and how it changed over the years
The importance of reputation in the Asian community
The evolution of Jamie and Shaaba’s YouTube channel
When Shaaba started appearing on the YouTube channel
Shaaba’s worries that their relationship was a response to her family’s reaction rather than something that would stand on its own
How going through hardships as a couple can affect the relationship
How seeing your partner’s responses during difficult situations can show you who they are as a person
Jamie and Shaaba having to discuss early on whether the relationship was worth the difficulties they would face
Whether the strength of a relationship is based on time or milestones passed
What does Jamie being “done” with his transition mean to him? How long was that process?
What does a Gender Recognition Certificate do? Which documents can you change before having a GRC in the UK?
Jamie’s reaction to receiving his Gender Recognition Certificate
How much money has Jamie’s transition cost? What is the financial cost of transitioning in the UK?
The medical timeline of Jamie’s transition
What Jamie thinks are the strengths and weaknesses of the medical transition process available in the UK
What made Shaaba realise she was bisexual?
People online thinking Shaaba and Jamie’s relationship was only authentic because Shaaba was bi
Shaaba not wanting to talk about her identity online for a while in case it made Jamie feel like his identity was being invalidated
How straight privilege impacts Jamie and Shaaba negatively and positively in different spaces
The potential options for Jamie and Shaaba to have a biological child together
The current status of IVG (in vitro gametogenesis)
How Jamie and Shaaba started True to Me
Which charities True to Me supports
The availability of different pride flags
Emoji pride flags

USEFUL LINKS

Mentioned in the episode:

Jamie and Shaaba’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHSIA2JRC5PWvUX4Sl8OrcA
Jamie’s video wrapping up his transition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWngA08D9LU
Gender Recognition Certificate: https://www.gov.uk/apply-gender-recognition-certificate
Jamie’s video about the financial cost of his transition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1zzNrNMsxM
Calum McSwiggan: https://www.youtube.com/user/eatgaylove
Melanie Murphy: https://www.youtube.com/user/MelaNiieVideos
Melanie’s video about realising she was bi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTAhPw5pnoQ
Shaaba’s video about realising she was bi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFM5ZMq_dV8
Jamie and Shaaba’s video with Jessica and Claudia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bmhb9XVV0Y
Jamie and Shaaba’s video about their available options for having children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1v3BIIox0Q
IVG: https://www.freethink.com/videos/ivg-in-vitro-gametogenesis
True to Me: https://www.truetome.co.uk/
Mermaids: https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/

MORE ABOUT JAMIE RAInES AND SHAABA LOTUN

Jaime Raines and Shaaba Lotun are YouTubers who make videos about their relationship, Jamie’s trans journey, and LGBTQ+ issues. Find out more about them on: