Episode 36
A conversation with Yas Necati
NON-BINARY
32 min. Recorded on 24 February 2021.
Yas’s pronouns are they/them, and they identify as non-binary. Find out what that means to Yas in this episode.
We also talk about detaching activities from gender, pre-colonial gender identities, the importance of writing a will and letter of wishes, why it is essential for public health policy to accurately record trans and non-binary gender identities on death certificates (which is currently not possible), and what we can do to respect and honour a person’s gender identity after they have passed away.
CW: death, suicide
“I definitely prefer that I was assigned female at birth, because I think I associate more with womanhood than manhood, but more with masculinity than femininity.”
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TRANSCRIPT [expand to read] – COMING SOON
About Yas
Yas Necati is a journalist and writer based in London. They explore themes of queer and trans identity, migrant identity, mental health, recovery, community and resistance in their writing. They also campaign on gender-based and queer based-rights, run workshops on self care, and occasionally perform as their drag act alter-ego, Turkish pop star Tarkan.
You can find Yas on their website yasnecati.co.uk and on Twitter @yasnecati.
What we discussed & useful links
- Indigenous gender identities: Two-Spirit in North America, Hijra in India (and Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal), Gender Diversity in Classical Jewish Texts (PDF) and a useful article called 10 Societies That Recognize More Than Two Genders
- Yas Necati’s Huffington Post article “Even In Death Non-Binary People Are Being Robbed Of Their Identity” (27 February 2021)
- London Queer Writers – find them on Facebook @LondonQueerWriters and Instagram @londonqueerwriters
- The Queer Funeral Guide by Ash Hayhurst, and an article written by Ash called ‘Why I wrote a guide to funeral planning for Queer people’
- Gendered Intelligence, a registered charity that exists to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve trans people’s quality of life
- “Ensure your gender is respected and your wishes carried out after your death” guide by Morgan Potts in collaboration with Gendered Intelligence and The Corpse Project
- Free Wills Month (March 2021) brings together a group of well-respected charities to offer members of the public aged 55 and over the opportunity to have their simple Wills written or updated free of charge by using participating solicitors in locations across England, Scotland and Wales
- National Free Wills Network – a paid-for Wills programme whereby charities pay for the Wills to be written
- Transfesto: Gendered Intelligence and The Corpse Project explore what happens to the body after death, and specifically how the trans or gender variant body is treated
- Cassian – episode 34