An Evening with Trans Activist Ryan Sallans
Written By: Chloe Kessler (Events and Outreach Manager)
The minute Ryan Sallans walks into our shop, it’s clear why he has had such a profound impact in his 20+ years as a speaker and activist. He exudes an inimitable warmth that makes you feel as if you’ve known him for far longer than the two minutes it takes to exchange introductions. As he sets up for his book reading and talk, he shares college hiking anecdotes with Indigo staff members and casually chats with audience members as they file in. He has racked up an impressive list of accomplishments in his career, but even as the guest of honor, he presents himself as a friend and an equal: above all else, as a human being with a unique story and an appreciation for the unique stories of every other human being in the room.
Ryan Sallans is a transgender author, speaker, and activist from Aurora, NE. He has devoted his life to sharing his experiences as a trans man as well as his recovery from an eating disorder. He has written two nonfiction books–Second Son and Transforming Manhood–that detail his experiences as a trans man, and he has shared his empowering story through multiple platforms, including an appearance in the documentary Gender Rebel as well as on Larry King Live. From 2018 to 2020, Sallans served as the vice president of the Jim Collins Foundation–a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing surgical grants to those who lack the financial resources to pay for gender-affirming surgeries. He holds Master of Arts degrees in both creative writing and educational psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and he employs both his storytelling abilities and his understanding of human psychology to connect with his audience, empower the LGBTQ+ community, and inspire others to be more open-minded, inclusive, and compassionate.
Sallans kindly agreed to come to our shop for our March 4 First Friday to read an excerpt from his latest book, Transforming Manhood, and answer questions about writing, speaking, and living as a trans man in Nebraska. His talk coincided with a period of time during which trans issues are at the forefront of the national dialogue. Recent legislation and events across the country have brought up concerns about trans rights and ignited protests nationwide: Texas’ governor’s anti-trans directive, bills in Idaho and Alabama that would make it a felony to provide gender-affirming surgeries to minors, and closer to home, a suicide in Lincoln’s transgender community following the fight to pass a City Council ordinance to expand protections for the LGBTQ+ community.
Sallans is well aware of the toll that hate and intolerance take on the trans community. During his talk, he was open about his struggles with depression, his experiences with hateful comments on social media, and a scary period in his life when he was the victim of stalking. In spite of the heavy nature of many of the topics that Sallans discussed, the spirit of positively moving forward and choosing love, compassion, and hope over fear, anger, and hopelessness radiated through every word.
The talk–although touching on large and pressing issues–was not without lightheartedness and humor. When asked about the first moments in a long journey of recognizing and accepting his trans identity, he shared an anecdote from early childhood; as a young girl in Aurora, NE, Sallans modified his Superwoman costume to make it a Superman costume, joking that before he knew he wanted to be a man, he wanted to be Superman, or maybe Indiana Jones. He also shared an uplifting story about his father, who struggled for a long time to accept his trans identity and even stopped speaking to him altogether for a while after he transitioned; Sallans’ parents gradually came to accept and embrace their son over time, and Sallans smiled as he told the audience about his dad recently exclaiming: “Trans people are people too!”
Sallans is a voice for trans people, but the wisdom he shares in his books and talks transcends any identity labels. In his book Transforming Manhood, he expresses that the older he gets, the less his identity as a “trans man” matters, and the more his identity as a “man” matters. We can get lost in labels and details, but at the end of the day, we all want the same things: love, acceptance, safety, and comfort in our own skin. Sallans strives to correct harmful misconceptions about the trans community and urge others to see the people around them as human beings with feelings, hopes, and complicated backstories who are all trying to navigate an unpredictable–sometimes scary, sometimes beautiful–world. Our evening with Sallans highlighted the power of connecting with and understanding each other through storytelling, the importance of treating others with love and compassion, and the need to stay hopeful and positive even in the face of extreme hate and intolerance.
If you would like to learn more about Sallans’ life and journey as a trans man, you can find copies of his books Second Son and Transforming Manhood in our shop. Sallans also recently started his own publishing company (Scout Publishing LLC) that focuses on books written by members of the LGBTQ+ community. We carry books published by Scout Publishing in our shop, including the comic What’s Normal Anyway? by Morgan Boecher and the memoir Outsider by Ruth Marimo. We highly recommend these publications for fans of fresh, brave, and original voices.
You can check out Sallans’ publications and his company at https://www.scoutpublishingllc.com/.
