MadameNoire
Source: Julio Aguilar / Getty
Layshia Clarendon recently shared that they underwent top surgery. Clarendon a player for the WNBA’s New York Liberty, shared today that after the surgery they’re “feeling a sense of gender euphoria as opposed to gender dysphoria.”
They continued, “On Jan 13th at 10am I hugged my wife in front of my surgery building, walked in and took a deep breath…The day was finally here. The day I got to have Top Surgery!!!!!!! It’s hard to put into words the feeling of seeing my chest for the first time free of breasts, seeing my chest the way I’ve always seen it… Sighhhh…freedom… freedom at last.”
While Clarendon was ecstatic about the change, they were reluctant about sharing the news via social media, sure that the post would be met with ignorance and hate.
“I’m usually not scared to share news publicly but the amount of hate, myths & ignorance surrounding Trans and Non Binary people’s existence actually had me debating sharing this joy. I want Trans people to know and see that we’ve always existed & no one can erase us! I want people to remember that my freedom is your freedom because none of us are free until we are all free!!!”
In 2015, Clarendon wrote an article for Players’ Tribune which read, “I identify as black, gay, female, non-cisgender and Christian.”
In the years since that declaration, Clarendon has said they’ve evolved in the way they see gender. This past December, reflecting on the article, they wrote:
“When I wrote those words I knew my gender did not align with the sex I was assigned at birth, but I didn’t know exactly where I fit or how to describe the feelings I was having. I just knew what I was not…cis lol. And I knew I wasn’t a trans guy. The images of Trans folx I saw and the mainstream narrative we still largely see (but is changing!) exists in the binary of male or female.”
Clarendon thanked her friend Myranda Warden for showing them “that you can be trans and non binary, genderqueer and so much more. That the more you embrace all of your gender the more free you become.”
Clarendon says their gender will continue to evolve.
“…we change and grow and shape shift and expand. I know that as Andrea Gibson says, my pronouns haven’t even been invented yet. I know that we all have masculinity and femininity inside of us and mine show up equally and wholly and fully.”
