In early 2023, Creve Coeur-based clinical psychologist Jamie Linsin noticed the level of fear rising among his transgender clients.
Day after day, they were being subjected to the steady drumbeat of official policies and statements targeting their health care, legal recognition, even access to bathrooms.
It was clear to him that these were not problems that could be solved by therapy.
“I was struck by how understandably afraid they were, and concerned about how this might affect their lives,” he said. “That was what prompted me to try to do something supportive.”
What emerged is now a documentary-style play, “Just Human: Transgender Lives in the 2020s,” which opens Thursday at Greenfinch Theater. For the production, Linsin spent a year interviewing dozens of transgender people and their families.
Linsin adapted the interview transcripts into a script and then worked with director Darrious Varner — who also works as a production assistant on St. Louis on the Air — to shape the material for the stage. On Wednesday’s show, Linsin discussed the play along with performer Jordan Braxton.
The play’s lines are read by actors, not the interview subjects. The exception is Braxton, an experienced drag performer and longtime LGBTQ activist. (“When I auditioned,” Braxton said, “I was like, ‘Well, no one can play me but me.’”)
“Just Human” is a mixture of drama and documentary. Along with scenes of spoken dialogue, there are recorded clips from a real Missouri legislative debate in 2023 over trans healthcare and school sports participation.
For Braxton, it was a difficult scene to relive. She has made repeated trips to Jefferson City to testify against similar legislation. After the initial rehearsal, “I had to ask for a moment, I had to have a break, because I lived that experience,” she said.
“I do advocacy work,” she continued, “and I believe in narrative advocacy. Sometimes, legislators won't listen or just totally dismiss scientific facts. But if you have someone there with lived experience telling you, this is what this policy does for them, how it's life saving… hopefully, you'll tug on some heartstring that will see it's not just a dollar figure on a balance sheet, or a law, it is an actual human being that you are affecting.”
Linsin noted that while the play’s inspiration came from recognizing his clients’ fears, he received a critical piece of feedback in the writing process. He realized: For the story to be real, it needs joy.
“The emphasis on joy was not really where I started out. I started out in kind of an angry place,” he said. “It was fairly early on in the process a transgender man, Ben Green, who is a major consultant and one of the folks I interviewed… one of the things he emphasized was you need to focus on joy, that's especially important.”
The play’s framing on the transgender experience of the 2020s — a decade only half over — reflects the uncertainty of the moment. In that timespan, Missouri has become a trendsetter for anti-trans legislation and one of the key battlegrounds in the political fight over the future of gender affirming care.
For the “Just Human” cast, the show is an opportunity to cut through the fear.
“The thing that comes out of all these stories is that we're human beings,” Braxton said. “Trans people are human beings. We want the same thing out of life that everyone else has, and we should be granted those things. We're all still protected under the Constitution of the United States. And sometimes when I speak, I have to remind people of that…. you realize, ‘Oh, trans people are just like me.’ We're not unicorns. We're not demons. We're not out here to indoctrinate your kids. We're just out here living as people.”
Related event:
What: Just Human: Transgender Lives in the 2020s
When: Nov. 20 - 23
Where: Greenfinch Theater & Dive (2525 S Jefferson Ave St. Louis, MO 63104)
To hear the full conversation about “Just Human” with Jamie Linsin and Jordan Braxton, listen to “St. Louis on the Air” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The production intern is Darrious Varner. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
