Jeb Brown speaks with Robecca Leyden.
Jeb Maihi Brown (center) winning Mr. Perth.
You've done quite a lot in the last few years! Can you tell us about winning Mr. Bear and what it is exactly?
For sure! Mr Bear is a competition/pageant held by Bears around the world, the Bears being a social group for queer men and male identifying people to get together and socialise and connect in a safe space.
It's interesting that usually a 'bear' is a term used for burly gay men - so I thought. What does it mean to you/in this context?
Oh totally, traditionally a Bear has been viewed as the big burly types and that's still the case now for the most part, but in Perth we're removing those barriers for guys of any shape and size to still feel welcome at our Den nights. For me personally, I've been a bear from birth! And it feels wonderful to be confident in my size and skin!
What made you come out as trans after living as a lesbian? What does being Trans mean to you?
I think I've known I was more than just a tomboy since I was a kid, but growing up in 90's Auckland there weren't a lot of trans people out in mainstream media or society to look up to, and being that different was still very subversive. I never let myself think about it too much or too often as I never thought transitioning would be a reality. I did have the confidence to be queer though and came out when I was 15. I think the move to Perth which is such an underrated and progressive city, I found the Perth Rams all inclusive Rugby Club and they along with many from the queer community in Boorloo helped me realise that I could be who I knew I was. Being Trans allows me to be the realest and most authentic version of me, which has been challenging at times but completely worth it! It's the feeling that finally everyone else sees me as I have always seen myself.
What do you have to say to people arguing that identifying as trans is a mental illness? Why is it so important to let others explore/ identity as what they feel is their authentic self?
I think the people arguing that point have it confused and it's all in the word TRANSITION. Transitioning is changing from one state to another and the act of transitioning can be an extremely stressful and a very lonely experience because of the way society continues to misunderstand and mistreat people who are inherently different to themselves proving that genuine engagement and education is still very much required. Allowing someone to safely explore and discover who they are and in their own time has given me a contentness and happiness in my own skin that I've not experienced before and it's allowed myself, my friends and my whanau to grow together in such a valuable way.
Jeb preforming left and on the field right.
In saying that, what are your pronouns and why?
My preferred pronouns are He/They, but She is still ok too (as are Bro, Sis or Cuz!) depending on who you are and our relationship.
I understand the importance of being able to assert your identity and help others understand who you are, but for me it's all about the tone in how I'm being addressed as your tone lets me know what your current feelings are towards queer people and how to treat you in return. Basically tone tells me who's being a dick! haha
As someone who loves sports, what are your views on trans athletes and the debate around it?
I can hand on heart say literally NO ONE is transitioning just to play sports!! The trans journey can be a rocky one and especially challenging depending on your access to support and community. It can be so hard that even an olympic gold medal wouldn't be enough for the greatest sports fan to go through with transitioning based on a sports competition. As an avid fan of all sports, while I hear people complaining about disadvantages of trans people competing, it makes me mad for all the women in sports today who continue to dominate in their chosen fields who are continuously overlooked in the media as if they are not still dominating in their chosen codes. The other side of the argument that gets overlooked is the fact that Brown and Black women are still being targeted, disqualified and excluded from competing due to their natural born genetics and physical talent. You cannot logically have it both ways in this argument, or you're talking about excluding the best and most deserving athletes from competing causing all sports to be Decidedly Average.
You have a very cool story about coming up with your male name. Can you tell us?
haha I had an idea of what I wanted my name to be, and I called my mum to tell her about it. When I told her she made a face at me that more or less said 'Ew.' I very defensively asked her what she would have named me then, and she immediately said Jeb. I thought it was a bit churchy for a non-religious family, but she said 'No, it's for Jessica Elizabeth Brown' my given name at birth. My old name is not a dead name, and the person I used to be was great! It just wasn't fully me, and now that I can be that person it feels extra cool that my Mum was able to name me twice.
How do you personally feel when you're dead named? What is your relationship with your dead name?
I was lucky enough to have a lot of support and encouragement around me when I started socially transitioning, so lucky that if anyone had anything negative to say about it, it never made it to my ears. If people call me Jess I'm pretty understanding as I knew a lot of people who I might not have seen in a long time as Jess, along with the best whanau who have had to relearn my name after 30+ years which isn't always an easy feat, but they've been great at it. Much like with my feelings around my pronouns, I feel the same with my old name and tone is everything. I'm just much more me as Jeb, and calling me Jeb means you're part of my now and my future rather than just the past.
What is your goal with being public about your transition journey?
The saying 'You can't be what you can't see' has really resonated with me the last few years after reflecting on my own journey and how long it took me to get where I am today. I'm so lucky to have found acceptance and celebration of who I am, I think it's important to represent myself and my journey as honestly and authentically as possible so that others that felt the same way I did, they can see we can do it and we can connect and educate and support each other. Just because the road has been a lonely one, it doesn't mean it has to stay that way.
Are there any organizations you would like us to link to for more information?
Bears NZ for any queer men looking for a social scene! They are currently represented by Tia Walters ,winner of Mr Bear Nz and MR Bear Australasia 2024, an excellent ambassador for our community! Rainbow Youth who continue to have a wealth of resources and support networks to share with the community and Rainbow Community House for anyone in Boorloo/Perth looking for support and mental health services. Other than that, I just encourage you to get involved with your local community, continue to build your own support networks and never be afraid to reach out and ask for help.
