#tfgba

Every instance I found of trans themes in the first glass beach album:

classic j dies and goes to hell part 1

I'm making friends who don't know who I am

This is something I felt a lot when I wasn't out--I knew I was trans for a very long time before I was out, so I had to introduce myself as my deadname a lot. This line describes that feeling really well.

bedroom community The first few verses describes a common trans experience, though it's not explicit, this is also very queer in general.

In a room upstairs Kate's singing songs from her notebook that she keeps in a box with a summer dress

It turns out this was cut from the final version (you can hear it in the demos that j released), but here the girl is named, which I suspect could be evidence of j experimenting with different names, because bedroom community is very clearly drawn from her own experiences, but that's entirely speculation, and I don't know her, obviously.

The bigger thing to note with this line is that the girl is writing songs in a place she keeps hidden, along with a dress, which could be seen as a trans girl experimenting with clothing, keeping it hidden from her parents.

And as she gets up to shut the bedroom door behind her He stands right beside her, she's trying to get her head on straight

This reads to me as the girl being caught wearing womens clothes by her father.

Like it's not a murder, it's an inevitable tragedy

This could be written off as a generic queer theme, but I think it's more specifically referring to the murders of trans women being downplayed by the media.

neon glow This is probably a bit of an out there interpretation, but I've come to read the depiction of aliens/apocalypse with trans people being seen as a threat, when we're just trying to live our lives and the damage is self-inflicted by cis people overreacting.

glass beach

You told me you're their daughter And they treat you this way just to keep you safe

My parents are very weird about projecting insecurities onto me--like, I'm not out to them, but they're already concerned about how I paint my nails and have long hair because they think I'm getting bullied for them, which is an absurd concern, but it's a justification that can be used against trans women. Because, yes, it is dangerous being a trans woman--they just don't understand that it's not a choice.

No one who loves you should make you feel so unsafe No, no one who loves you should make you feel alone

Pretty self-explanatory imo, though it can be read in a generic queer way as well.

Until we can take back The years they've stolen from us We'll always live like we're hopeless kids

"The years they've stolen from us" hits so hard, like "they" can be interpreted in a lot of ways here, but overall this line is referring to trans people being left behind in many ways, like being discouraged to figure out their identity, prevented/discouraged from getting HRT, discouraged from expressing themselves, etc.

Tonight, when they close their eyes Look up to the sky and climb up the moonlight It's ours, the moon and the stars They'll forget who we were and we'll be together again

These are probably the single most impactful words I have ever heard--I could go into a lot of detail about why they were and are so important to me, but I'll try to keep it short. First, "the moon and the stars" are clearly metaphorical for safety/happiness/joy. The whole verse is about breaking free from your parents/their expectations, and "they'll forget who we were" can be interpreted more broadly to living your life as you are, free of given identity, embracing true/chosen identity.

dallas

I will give you love Don't write, don't bite, stay motionless

Trans women can have a hard time accepting love/compliments.

soft!!!!!!

Time goes by And nothing's changing

j says herself in her drunk commentary that this is about her not being on HRT despite wanting to.

I'm out of my mind

This is partly about how dissociation can be seen as good thing by trans people early in transition, because like, being in your body sucks, so being out of it is kind of better in a way.

'Cause when you say that you think I'm perfect I really just can't see it

This is something I've experienced in large part because of Charlie--it was really hard at first to believe that they loved what I look like and thought I was attractive, because I hated and still do hate my body in a lot of ways, but it got easier over time, and now I can see myself in the mirror and be happy with my body.

How could I get so soft?

This is mostly referring to emotional softness--it's seen as a bad thing for men, but a good thing for women, so this line and a lot of this song is about seeing parts of yourself differently as you transition, even parts of yourself that haven't changed.

yoshi's island

This is the most explicitly trans song on the album, it also features a lot of quick perspective shifts, so some people think it's transphobic lol

Yeah, everybody thinks that you just need to grow up

Transness is often seen as a phase by some people, something to grow out of, when it obviously isn't.

With spiro and estro from Vanatu

Mostly self-explanatory, but Vanatu is a where a lot of DIY HRT comes from

What the hell do you think that'll do to you I won't say, "She" even though I know you want me to I know that it's hard, but I swear I still love you

Obviously a transphobic perspective from a parent. I wouldn't be surprised if the third line was taken word-for-word from j's or one of the other band member's parents--it's a very hollow statement, as I'm sure the parent in this story has not shown their trans daughter much love.

Does it hurt to say you love her like a son?

Pretty self-explanatory, obvious rhetorical question towards a parent.

The rest of the song also pretty clearly fits a trans context, but could technically be interpreted as generically queer.

orchids

From up above the moon She's bathed in burning neon lights

Continuing on my interpretation of neon glow, I believe "burning neon lights" here are describing a trans woman truly achieving what she wants, believing herself to be pretty, desired, and confident in herself.

There's no tears no celebration

I interpret this line as the trans woman's goals being met with little to no fanfare, especially from parents. Transition is a slow process, and there's not a single end point or very many big easily-definable milestones. It's like a "one day we'll get there" kind of thing, and it can happen slowly without you realizing it.

the first glass beach album 40x40 pixel art rendition by me