This week’s show, “Journeys Through Gender,” had its own internal journey – a musical one.
It doesn’t take long, when you are searching for transgender music, to come across “This is Home” (a song many call “Cut My Hair”). The original version is by Cavetown. It has become something of an unexpected anthem for trans youth and their allies.
Note it only has around 7 million views. I say this because someone also posted the song with a simple image and lyrics. It has nearly 70 million views.
Not bad for a song that started on Bandcamp (“This is Home” is now on Spotify. The original (and Cavetown’s own internal cover) has over 250 million listens. There are numerous covers. One has almost 70 million listens).
As the song grew teens started making their own versions.
They remixed it. This version has some 20 million views.
They did ukulele instrumental versions.
A non-scientific count of some 25 versions brought me to more than 400 million views. There were so many more. Countless views to a song that touched teens (and beyond I am sure). But it was this one that touched me the most. Just kids singing along to a song. Together. At a concert. A song that they claim as their own.
I have no idea what it is like to be a trans teen. Likely part of it is feeling like you’re in a world that doesn’t get it. But I can imagine the joy too. Knowing who you are. Celebrating who you are. And having your own song.
–Charles