Writer Gaby Dunn has publicly spoken about “gender feelings” that they “don’t feel ready to explain”, on their Just Between Us podcast with Allison Raskin.
In the episode released Thursday (16 December), Dunn talks about worrying about their gender identity. They said: “I get overwhelmed. Still, I’m not at a place where I have solid answers.”
The revelation came in response to an email sent to the Just Between Us podcast by a listener.
Gaby Dunn talks about the support they have received from trans friends
Dunn said: “Friends of mine who are trans are like, ‘You know cis people don’t think about this, right? The fact that you’re bending over backwards… and crying during this conversation, cis people just aren’t doing this.’”
They said they had some concern because their partner, singer-songwriter Mal Glum, is non-binary and they felt like they were “copying” or “influenced by what they’re doing”.
Mal reassured them: “It’s not that you’re copying, it’s that you recognise something in me that made you feel seen.”
Dunn said: “I get a little nervous about that because I don’t want Mal to think that my attraction to them is based on my whatever. But attraction is complicated.”
They still specify their pronouns as she/they across their social media accounts. They discuss their feelings on pronouns in the episode.
“Someone said, ‘When someone uses “she” for you, how do you feel?’ And I was like, I feel fine.
“They were like, ‘OK, but if someone uses they for you how do you feel?’ And I was like, it was pretty exciting the first time it happened.”
After this realisation, their friend said: “So you could have a life where you’re fine, or you could have a life where you’re like, ‘Oh this is exciting.’”
Followers have already started praising Dunn’s revelation on Twitter. One user said: “I can’t stress enough how much I love them and their content. Thank you for sharing. Just sharing your journey and your feelings helps a lot.”
Gaby Dunn rose to fame as a video producer for BuzzFeed. They are now a journalist, comedian and a podcaster.
Dunn faced a backlash earlier this year after criticising Love, Simon author, Becky Albertalli, for writing queer stories while closeted.