Summary

Stephenie Magister, a transgender woman, editor, and pop culture critic, has been nominated for her university's 40 Under 40 award, marking a significant moment for transgender representation within the institution.

Abstract

Stephenie Magister, a transgender woman with a rich background in editing and pop culture criticism, has been recognized as a nominee for her university's prestigious 40 Under 40 award. This nomination holds particular significance as she is only the second transgender nominee, following Raquel Willis's nomination and win in 2021. Magister's life story is one of resilience, having survived a cult upbringing in Mississippi during the 80s, trans conversion therapy in the 90s, and personal violations by her identical twin brother, who has a history of violence and uses various fake identities to spread his message. Despite these challenges, she has emerged as a voice for transgender and gender non-conforming representation in media, contributing to research on identical twins and supporting sexual assault victims through charity work. Her professional achievements include editing for best-selling and award-winning writers, and engaging in cultural debates with notable figures in the storytelling industries.

Opinions

Magister acknowledges the historical significance of her nomination but remains aware that winning is not guaranteed, drawing a parallel to the experience of the first out transgender Oscar nominee who was not invited to perform.
She expresses pride in her contributions to media representation and research on identical twins, particularly in the context of being a transgender identical twin.
Magister reflects on her transition from a cult upbringing and conversion therapy to becoming an influential figure in storytelling and activism.
She views her participation in roundtable interviews and debates with renowned industry professionals as a testament to her impact on pop culture and storytelling.
Despite the accolades, she humorously identifies as a "****ing nerd," emphasizing her passion for topics like Stephen King's work and the composition of 90s theme songs.
Magister appreciates the support of her friends, who jokingly threaten to "burn the university to the ground" if she does not win the 40 Under 40 award.
She invites readers to support her work by buying her a cup of coffee or subscribing to her newsletter, "Translating Everything."

MFW I Am A 40 Under 40 Nominee

Hoooooooooly shi — !

Graphic by Stephenie, elements from selfie and Game of Thrones (HBO)

Welcome to TRANSlating Everything, a newsletter covering pop culture, news, politics, and the science of storytelling through the lens of a cool trans mom. You can support my work by leaving a tip or choosing a paid subscription to Translating Everything on Medium or Substack.

I’ve been nominated for my university’s 40 Under 40

I am the university’s second transgender nominee. The first nominee (and winner) was Raquel Willis in 2021. I would be their second transgender winner.

Note: a previous version mistakenly referred to myself as the first nominee for University of Georgia, but I am delighted to learn of Raquel Willis and all they have done

Despite the whole thing being historically unprecedented for the university, it’s far from a guarantee I’ll win.

Remember when the first out transgender Oscar nominee from 2016 wasn’t invited to perform with the other nominees? They invited Dave Grohl instead. And I love Dave Grohl, but he wasn’t even nominated LOL.

That joke will never stop being funny to me…

I am just a disabled white girl, but I am also trans and neurodivergent. My memoir collection First I Was A Girl gets into the details, but basically, I was raised in a cult in Mississippi in the 80s, put through trans conversion therapy in the 90s, and then saw my identical twin brother turn into a kind of evangelist for cisgender male horn-dog grievances. He utilizes a variety of fake identities (eg Daryl Wakeham, James the Argumentative Penguin, Alison the Celtic Chameleon, etc etc) to spread his message. I’m unfortunately one of the many women he has violated over the years.

If nothing else, his long history of violence toward me and other women motivated me to volunteer every year for the annual Writers For Hope charity in support of sexual assault victims.

Admitting to the world that I am not just an identical twin but a transgender identical twin means there is now a sudden interest from researchers specializing in studies on identical twins. To say me and my sibling went different directions would be an understatement. Simply telling my story has made a meaningful contribution to research on identical twins and all gender non-conforming people.

Selfies, but that bearded picture on the left is actually me! Honestly, a beard and a bald head makes everyone look like each other LOL

I later became an editor for best-selling and award-winning writers, a pop culture critic bringing attention to trans and gender non-conforming representation in media throughout history, and most recently returned to activism by writing memoir and activist pieces for outlets like Xtra Magazine, Translating Everything, and An Injustice.

But wait, there’s more

Thanks to people like acclaimed pop culture critic and writer for Entertainment Weekly Michael Lee Simpson, I’ve participated in roundtable interviews with “holy shit that person is amazing” people throughout a bunch of storytelling industries.

I don’t know if I’ll ever make a movie again — once you’ve made Highlander: the Transgender Series (starring me as Connie MacLeod), there’s no mountain left to climb — but I once got to gush over the virtues of Stephen King with Jeffry Reddick (creator of Final Destination) and Diana Ossana (screenwriter for the film adaptation of Brokeback Mountain).

Graphic by Stephenie, elements from the two versions of Pennywise from It and It (Warner Bros), and Roland Deschain from The Dark Tower (Sony Pictures)

Another time, Michael helped me go full Rocky against other filmmakers like David Seth Cohen, (founder of Legitimate Rascal Films) and Ricardo Cordero (writer, actor, and director for The Escape, Pretend, and the Suicide TV series) to debate whether the new Lord of the Rings series was going to suck.

And y’all, I fear I’ll forever be known as a ****ing nerd instead of a 40 Under 40 Nominee, but one of my favorite accomplishments was I did an article for Script Magazine in which I interviewed Ron Wasserman, who is the composer for the themes to Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, X-Men: the Animated Series (recently rebooted into X-Men ‘97), and pretty much every other 90s theme song you can’t stop singing.

STORYTELLING HACKS: The Music Method and The Christopher Nolan Method

In music, numbers rule everything. They articulate the mechanics behind hit songs written by people who can't read a…

scriptmag.com

I mean the article ALSO interviewed Colin Aguiar, the Oscar-winning Indian-Canadian composer for Life of Pi. But, like, I can’t help it. I’m a ****ing nerd.

Here I Am

I spent most of my life feeling lesser than. Unworthy. Hopeless.

Until recently, I didn’t know how to respond when the most kindness I’d ever received was someone telling me sure I’m smart, but obviously I can do better.

I don’t know if I will win the 40 Under 40, but at the end of the day, that stupid “I’m already a winner” platitude says it all.

How many people really care whether you’re an Academy Award Nominee vs Academy Award Winner?

Yep. That’s right.

Now and forever, I am a 40 Under 40 Nominee.

PS. Aaaaaaaaaaand this is my face when my friends tell me if I don’t win, they will burn the university to the ground LOLOLOLOLOL

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