Embracing Transgender Liberation

TTO embraces transgender liberation, and supports transgender individuals as well as those who don’t subscribe to the gender binary at all.

Since our inception, we have been holding TTO events in which we celebrate women and girls’ strength and courage. At these events, we love hearing stories of boldness and courage from audience members who identify as women, girls and with female gender — in the past, present or future. Those who identify as men and boys are welcome to brag about the women and girls in their lives.

With a name like “That Takes Ovaries” it makes sense some would ask if we are or are not trans-inclusive. The answer is a resounding Yes, we are! TTO embraces the trans liberation movement, and we want to participate in trans liberation, as well as affirm transgender individuals and those who don’t adhere to the gender binary.

The phrase “that takes ovaries” is not about anatomy but about attitude. We started using this phrase many years ago as a response to the male-oriented phrase “that takes balls.” We wanted this new phrase, “that takes ovaries,” to celebrate female strength and courage, too. But it should not be taken that the phrase is about having literal ovaries (the body part); it is about those who identify as women, girls and female gender possessing an attitude of bold, gutsy, brazen, outrageous, audacious or courageous. In our book, play and at our events, we celebrate this attitude — and we do so in a playful way, by giving out Golden Ovary Awards (chocolate eggs) to all who share their stories of courage. But obviously there is no test, no checking, to first see who does or does not have literal ovaries.

Again, at our events all who identify with female gender — or who have in the past, or will in the future — are invited to participate by sharing their true stories of boldness and courage, and then be celebrated for sharing that story. So we at TTO welcome transwomen and transmen’s stories of courage — and we have for the last 13 years we’ve been leading events all across the USA and globe.

In fact, the stories shared at our events are all about rejecting sexist and gender stereotypes and all about people defining for themselves who they are. Including where they choose to place themselves on the gender identity spectrum.