“Zinnia Jones” / Lauren McNamara and transgender people

“Zinnia Jones” is a stage name of Lauren McNamara, an American video essayist, pornographer, and transgender rights activist. McNamara is an important figure in documenting anti-trans activism in the 2010s and 2020s.

Background

Lauren McNamara was born on April 22, 1989 in Chicago. Following a divorce, McNamara’s birth parent remarried, and McNamara grew up with a step-sibling. McNamara was raised Catholic and attended Catholic and Lutheran churches. McNamara became an atheist in 2010. McNamara dropped out of high school after struggling to fit in.

McNamara identified as gay before coming out as trans in 2011. McNamara married Heather (Soersdal) McNamara (born 1981) and became stepparent to two children. McNamara was in a polyamorous relationship with Heather and another trans person named Penny.

McNamara has used a number of handles and online names, including:

“Zinnia Jones”
Zjemptv
“Satana Kennedy”
“Queen of Atheism”
“Secular Trans Feminist”

Because of McNamara’s eccentricity and frequently strident tone, McNamara is a fixation of several toxic anti-trans online communities.

Trans activism

In 2008, McNamara joined YouTube and began posting frequently about atheism. McNamara documented making a gender transition during that time. Starting around 2014, McNamara began focusing primarily on trans issues.

In 2013, McNamara testified as a witness for Private Chelsea Manning in the trial for leaking classified information while serving in the military as an intelligence analyst. McNamara had been contacted by Manning in 2009. During the trial, McNamara appeared on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper, Democracy Now and America Now to discuss the case.

McNamara was a key figure in the dispute between drag queens and transbians that came to a head in 2014. McNamara published an open letter criticizing Andrea James (author of the site and profile) and Calpernia Addams for taking issue with Parker Molloy’s ongoing attacks on trans and gender diverse artists and entertainers. McNamara also published an essay on “how modern-day drag hurts trans women and achieves little or nothing of value.”

McNamara was a key figure in covering the disputed diagnosis “rapid-onset gender dysphoria” (“ROGD”). “ROGD” was workshopped and developed on web forums for unaccepting parents of gender diverse children, and Jones traced its origins. McNamara also extensively covered the 2022 Florida AHCA report, created as a pretext for restricting and banning trans healthcare in that state.

McNamara has also written about the link between depersonalization and gender identity.

References

Staff report (July 4, 2017). The Five Best Female LGBTQ+ Vloggers On YouTube. Curve https://www.curvemag.com/blog/film-collection/the-five-best-female-lgbtq-vloggers-on-youtube/

Beresford, Meka (July 17, 2017). Former LGBT-friendly YouTuber Laci Green attacks trans activist. PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2017/07/17/former-lgbt-friendly-youtuber-laci-green-attacked-a-trans-activist/

McNamara, Heather (May 10, 2016). What “Trans Panic” Means for My Family and Me. Ms. https://msmagazine.com/2016/05/10/what-trans-panic-means-for-my-family-and-me/

Anti-trans coverage

Colton, Emma (December 14, 2020). Transgender activist makes argument for all children to be put on puberty blockers until they can determine identity. Washington Examiner https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/1672921/transgender-activist-makes-argument-for-all-children-to-be-put-on-puberty-blockers-until-they-can-determine-identity/

Selected writing by McNamara

“Jones, Zinnia” (November 21, 2024). I Am Transgender, I Want to Live. Assigned Media https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/i-am-transgender-i-want-to-live

“Jones, Zinnia” (January 1, 2020). My Trans Decade. Gender Analysis https://genderanalysis.net/2020/01/my-trans-decade/

“Jones, Zinnia” (November 30, 2017, republished April 28, 2021). I Tried Detransition and Didn’t Like It. Medium https://zinniajones.medium.com/i-tried-detransition-and-didnt-like-it-2e1c921fe219

“Jones, Zinnia” (June 29, 2017). Depersonalization in gender dysphoria: The Transgender Depersonalization Project. Gender Analysis https://genderanalysis.net/depersonalization/

“Jones, Zinnia” (September 1, 2017). In our own words: Transgender experiences of depersonalization. Gender Analysis https://genderanalysis.net/2017/09/in-our-own-words-transgender-experiences-of-depersonalization/

“Jones, Zinnia” (April 1, 2016). Alice Dreger, Autogynephilia, and the Misrepresentation of Trans Sexualities. Gender Analysis https://genderanalysis.net/2016/04/alice-dreger-autogynephilia-and-the-misrepresentation-of-trans-sexualities-book-review-galileos-middle-finger/

“Jones, Zinnia” (September 1, 2015). Paul McHugh Is Wrong: Transitioning Is Effective. Gender Analysis https://www.academia.edu/29737088/Paul_McHugh_Is_Wrong_Transitioning_Is_Effective

“Jones, Zinnia” (April 26, 2014). The worst assimilation of all: How modern-day drag hurts trans women and achieves little or nothing of value. https://the-orbit.net/zinniajones/2014/04/the-worst-assimilation-of-all-how-modern-day-drag-hurts-trans-women-and-achieves-little-or-nothing-of-value/

“Jones, Zinnia” (April 14, 2014). 100-Plus Trans Women Stand Against Calpernia Addams and Andrea James: An Open Letter. HuffPost https://www.huffpost.com/entry/calpernia-addams-andrea-james_b_5146415