EJ Johnson: Assumptions about transition

[IdaBWells]

For anyone unfamiliar with EJ he is the son of the American basketball star Magic Johnson. Magic went on to become a well known businessman who was very supportive of the African American community and also was one of the first famous people to openly talk about his HIV and AIDS status.

So Magic is a hugely popular and respected man and it was quite the news story when his son EJ came out as gay. EJ is a very tall, big guy with a very flamboyant and extrovert personality. EJ received full support from his parents regarding his sexuality and went on to be a cast member of "Rich kids of LA" while a uni student in New York. EJ went on to have a gastric band fitted, lost a ton of weight and started to enjoy his new body and new sexual confidence by being a serious glamour-zon. He is known for wearing a lot of make-up, false eyelashes and very expensive designer clothes, shoes and handbags. He will often wear femme clothes but wears his hair short and doesn't wear wigs.

So basically there have been a lot of assumptions in our current climate that EJ would transition because he is a man who is gender nonconforming and revels in many stereotypically female fashions and behaviours. However, in this interview with one of his best friends he talk about how he has no interest in transitioning as he loves his body and enjoys all the flexibility he has to wear and present as however he wants.

I find this very interesting and wish that people like EJ were invited into the discussion of gender and conforming/nonconforming. He seems mentally very healthy and seeing his parents interviewed they have always been very loving and supportive and strong personalities themselves so he felt comfortable defying stereotypes. Also of course, why would a gay man want to transition?

Here's the interview:

I got this message when I tried to play the video. I'm in the UK.

The uploader has not made this video available in your country.

That sounds exactly what 8 think about gender presentation. Anyone should be able to present how they want. Transition is all about stereotypes.

So basically there have been a lot of assumptions in our current climate that EJ would transition because he is a man who is gender nonconforming and revels in many stereotypically female fashions and behaviours. However, in this interview with one of his best friends he talk about how he has no interest in transitioning as he loves his body and enjoys all the flexibility he has to wear and present as however he wants.

This is great and we need more voices like this in the media.

I was hoping that Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye would do this (flamboyant, hugely camp, wears heels and sometimes “women’s” clothing but otherwise looks very masculine). Nope, “came out” as non-binary.

We need people to widen the definition of “man” (or indeed “woman”). We need gender non-conforming people to maintain that their sex is fixed and cannot change.

Marilyn (Peter Robinson I think his real name is) is quite vocal on Twitter regarding being a man.

For younger MNers he is an 80's singer, gay, dressed however he liked very flamboyant and often presented as a really stunning woman. He will not let anyone tell him he is anything other than a gay man.

I don't know if having a very good relationshrelationship with his mum has helped and maybe that strong family bond helped EJ too.

I am in the US so didn't realise you couldn't access everything on YouTube. Here's some of the transcript of the interview: www.yahoo.com/entertainment/magic-johnson-apos-son-ej-133054023.html

I don't know if these links will open but I'll try to give you some examples of his fun fashion sense.

It is just so insane anyone would think that what you WEAR could be evidence and a reason to medically alter your body!

Good on him being a gender non-conforming man out and proud.

His dad's opinion:

See also Billy Porter, another gay, gender non conforming black man. And properly fabulous.

“If you're a woman wearing pants, you're inside of the standard, and that's cool. But if a man decides to put on female clothes, it's disgusting. So what are we saying? Once again, male is better and female is disgusting. And I'm not having any of that anymore. I'm done!” he says. By now, I have discovered that the phrase "I’m done" is nitrous for Porter. It means the opposite. It’s a war cry.

“My masculinity is in question because masculinity is better? Fuck that, it ain't.”

www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a27817829/billy-porter-pose-interview-2019/

Aw that proud Dad interview with Magic Johnson is so great.

And ^ that’s a great quote

A little bit more of the same, although they try and spin this as if he thought about transitioning. But it sounds like again, it was more the case that others were expecting him to transition so he had to ask himself "do I want this?" but realized he "was happy in my own skin".