Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Mormon 'Star Trek' Fan Explains How Spock Helped Him Accept That He Was A Transgender Man

Mormon 'Star Trek' Fan Explains How Spock Helped Him Accept That He Was A Transgender Man
CBS Television Distribution

Transgender people face a humongous task on the way to accepting themselves.

Religious faiths, family dynamics and social concepts about sex at birth and gender are all powerful reasons to quiet their inner truth.


For many, a support system is a major factor in self acceptance. One Star Trek fan shared that supportive communities arise in unexpected places.

Andy Winder was a sophomore at Brigham Young University, a Mormon-run institution, when he began to transition to male with hormone replacement therapy.

He was one of the first transgender men to do that in the college's history.

That fact alone paints the picture of a trailblazing young man willing to push boundaries. And while that is true, a blog post of Winder's offers a more honest account of a long road to self-acceptance.

The post appears on the Star Trek fanwebsite, which may seem an unlikely place for Winder's personal journey.

But the essay, "Spock Taught Me to Accept Myself as a Transgender Man", is right where it needs to be.

Winder begins by discussing his first exposure to Star Trek at age 15, in a high school creative writing class.

The class watched an episode in which Spock struggles to navigate his emotions after an illness wipes out his personal boundaries.

"I was enamored with this scene and especially with Spock. Something about the way he tried so hard to repress an inherent, but shameful part of himself spoke to me."

Winder sheds light on the timing of that experience.

"Around that time I'd realized that though I'd grown up Mormon, a religion that preaches compassion for LGBTQ people but views same-sex relationships and transitioning as sinful, I was transgender."

Feeling alienated from church, family and community, Winder found solace in Star Trek.

"I struggled to trust others at my new school, where around 84% of my classmates were also Mormon."
"Star Trek gave me characters that helped me feel less alone."
"I was in love with the idea of a future where people sought to understand the unknown instead of fear it, where a sense of hope and awe seemed to illuminate the universe."

Giphy

Holding an acceptance of his queer identity alongside his enthusiasm for the Mormon faith was a peculiar position for Winder.

Later in the essay, Winder elaborates even more on the parallels he saw between Spock's journey and his own.

"Spock viewed any actions that reflected his half-human heritage as repulsive. But while he continues to deeply favor his Vulcan identity, he begins to let his human half in as well."

As Winder grew and moved on to college, he enrolled in counseling and found other Mormons who shared his struggles.

"For a long time, I couldn't see how something that alienated me from my Mormon community could benefit my life in any way."
"But I had met my best friends through the queer community, including many other trans Mormons who taught me that I was not alone."

In the middle of his sophomore year he had enough self-acceptance to act on his need for change.

"Thanks to a trans-affirming clinic, I received a testosterone prescription and became one of the first transgender men on hormone replacement therapy at the church-run college Brigham Young University."

Winder closes the piece with one last salute to Spock.

"Through Spock, I've learned that growing older means taking what you've learned and discovering for yourself what is right or wrong."
"Though the Mormon church views LGBTQ identities and relationships as a sin, I've learned more about unconditional love and courage through my queer friends than I ever had sitting in church."
"Like Spock's respect for Vulcan philosophy, I still value the lessons Mormonism taught me. I grew up in a community that believes every person is deserving of love and that joy is the true purpose of life. For that, I will always be grateful."

Giphy

Winder's story shows that transitioning is not as simple as shedding the old and adopting the new. It's about carrying both at the same time, an even more complicated feat than replacing the past with the present.

The Adam Nimoy documentary For the Love of Spock - Special Director's Edition is available here.

More from News/lgbtq

Donald Trump; Barack Obama
Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Resurfaced Trump Tweet Criticizing Obama Over Iran Comes Back To Bite Him

Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."

Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.

Keep ReadingShow less
​​Elon Musk
Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

Anti-Elon Banner at Stanford

Stanford University graduates were given creative advice from above as an airplane flew over the graduation ceremony with a banner reading, “CONGRATS! DON’T WORK FOR ELON.”

The moment was captured last Sunday during the university’s 134th Commencement ceremony, where the Class of 2025 received their degrees at Stanford Stadium.

Keep ReadingShow less
Simone Ashley; Brad Pitt in 'F1'
Arnold Jerocki/L'Oreal/Getty Images

'F1' Director Speaks Out After Fan Outrage Over 'Bridgerton' Star's Scenes Getting Cut From Film

Once the F1 Grand Prix bug bites you, it's hard to let the passion and drive for the sport go, and most fans are eager to consume any additional content, from interviews to documentaries to full-length films.

Coming later this month is F1, starring Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, who missed his shot at stardom in a near-fatal accident in the 1990s. Thirty years later, his former team is struggling to succeed and convince him to come back to the track, but this time, he has to learn that it's not something he can do alone.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sabrina Carpenter attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style."
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Sabrina Carpenter claps back

Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album has caused quite a stir in people's espresso after she revealed the cover art in a post on X.

On June 11th, the American singer posted the image of herself on her hands and knees, wearing a black bodycon dress with a ribbon and black heels. Carpenter’s hand touches the knee of a mystery man wearing a black suit who is seen gripping a lock of the bombshell blonde’s hair.

Keep ReadingShow less
Aubrey Anderson-Emmons
Christopher Polk/Penske Media/Getty Images

'Modern Family' Star Comes Out As Bisexual Using Iconic Clip From The Show

When your breakout role was on something as iconic and nostalgic as Modern Family, of course you'd have to use a moment from the show when you have big news to share.

A favorite moment in the show took place when Mitch and Cam (Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet) were having dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant with their adopted daughter, Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons), and their sister, Gloria (Sofía Vergara). In the scene, Vergara encourages Lily to try the Pho to connect with her family roots because "she's Vietnamese."

Keep ReadingShow less