“I heard from so many individuals who mentioned that I used to be the primary trans individual that they’d ever seen on tv,” mentioned Schneider from her sunny house in Oakland, Calif., the place she lives along with her spouse and two cats. “I began to turn out to be extra conscious of the duty I had as an inadvertent consultant of the trans neighborhood.”
After successful greater than $1.6 million in prize cash, Schneider determined to stop her job as a software program engineer (“a straightforward choice,” she laughed) and embrace her new position as a public determine. This month, she is going to add “writer” to her résumé with the discharge of her memoir, “In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life.”
Whereas her time on “Jeopardy!” elements into the e book in quite a lot of methods, the sport present by no means dominates the proceedings. In reality, Schneider spends the majority of the e book exploring her gender transition, her upbringing in Ohio and even her musings on popular culture.
“I like trivia, nevertheless it’s not the factor I’m most interested by or obsessed with,” Schneider defined. “It’s simply the factor I bought well-known for.”
The Washington Put up sat down with Schneider to debate her writing course of, what she hopes readers take away from her story and the way forward for “Jeopardy!”
This interview has been edited for size and readability:
Q: The act of writing is a subject that comes up often in your e book — you each beloved and hated it rising up based mostly on completely different academics you had. Now that you simply’ve written this memoir, how would you describe your relationship with writing?
A: One factor I’ve discovered: It’s exhausting! Once I’ve performed it for my very own amusement, it was enjoyable. If I bought slowed down on one thing, I might simply cease engaged on it. However while you even have to complete issues, it’s a distinct stress and problem.
That being mentioned: Once I was pitching this e book, I mentioned my objective was hopefully in, like, 5 years, I can describe myself as a author and never really feel embarrassed about it, and that would actually be what I do. And that continues to be the case — much more so. I discovered it very rewarding, and regardless of the actual fact I can see all the issues in my e book and issues I’m upset with, I’m happy with it and I really feel like I confirmed I do have some ability and issues to say.
Q: You chronicle the circuitous route it took you to finally understand that you’re a girl. What do you hope readers take away out of your story of transitioning?
A: One factor I needed to speak is simply the truth that we’re full human beings which have a variety of experiences, together with some that aren’t as societally accepted. Not each trans particular person, clearly, however a disproportionate quantity have experimented with intercourse and medicines and issues like that, and I needed to point out that it’s okay and never incompatible with success — to inform a trans particular person’s story because it actually is, and never simply the kind of simplified model that I confirmed on TV.
And for the opposite viewers: What would I’ve needed to find out about trans folks and the expertise earlier in my life? Particularly the truth that you may undergo this era of uncertainty and have doubts.
Some trans folks, earlier than they’ll even communicate, are clear about their gender identification — however not all of us are, and I wasn’t. That doesn’t imply it wasn’t true, it’s only a completely different expertise. That’s one thing I might have beloved to have recognized before I did.
Q: You point out that you simply’ve turn out to be an inadvertent consultant of trans folks. Is it tough to have that weight in your shoulders, or extra so thrilling?
A: Sure features of each. I’m feeling extra the tough aspect of it nowadays. And, particularly, what I’m feeling is guilt, that I’m not doing higher at it. That I’m not being extra energetic and vocal and talking out extra about what’s happening with our neighborhood. It’s a factor that’s scary to do — and I’ve been kind of permitting that concern to rule me a bit, greater than I want I had been.
On the identical time, essentially the most gratifying a part of all of this has been figuring out that I’ve made some sort of distinction — in elements of the nation that, truthfully, I’m afraid to go to.
Q: Within the introduction, you say that you simply hope in the future to disagree with and even disavow among the statements in your e book. Is preserving an open thoughts one thing you need readers to remove from this?
A: Within the authentic conception of this e book, that was an excellent larger a part of it. It’s one of the necessary classes: If extra folks had been keen to be flawed about issues, we’d be a more healthy society, and it’s one thing that I do know personally from simply having been flawed about so many issues.
To an extent, additionally, the introduction was a approach of letting myself say what I actually thought with out panicking about it being taken the flawed approach. Like, I say these things about drug use and normalizing it. In 10 years, or if I’ve children sometime, am I nonetheless going to really feel like that was the correct angle? In the mean time, I feel so, however I might actually think about believing in any other case. So I needed to be up entrance about saying this represents the place I’m proper now.
Q: Not too long ago, you mentioned that you simply’d be boycotting showing on “Jeopardy!” throughout the WGA strike. Have you ever additionally boycotted watching it?
A: I’m not boycotting watching it, I simply … don’t have a tendency to observe it a lot anymore! Partly as a result of I’m not coaching to be on the present in the identical approach. And in addition, I lived “Jeopardy!” nonstop for about six months and bought burned out on it.
Q: The present has actually modified in recent times, partly due to you ushering in an period of tremendous champions. How would you describe the present’s evolution, and what do you hope to see in its future?
A: One big element of that evolution was James Holzhauer’s run. I had been, for years, sitting on my sofa questioning, “Why is everybody betting so conservatively?” Then, after I was on the present, I noticed why: as a result of it’s scary! However James bought folks serious about optimum gameplay. Over time, sufficient folks began getting on the “Jeopardy!” subreddit and soaking in gameplay theories.
In order that’s been a part of the evolution, folks taking it extra severely — which I do know not everyone loves, precisely. There are undoubtedly individuals who appreciated it extra when it was simply folks exhibiting up on slightly trip from their day job and giving it their finest shot. However I actually suppose it’s nice. It labored out for me, but in addition, as a fan, I wish to see folks competing on the highest degree.
So far as the way forward for the sport, I might actually like to see not simply the contestant pool, however champion pool proceed to diversify and look extra like America.
Q: From what you say in your e book, it appears you may’t actually pal round with Ken Jennings, provided that he’s the host of the present.
A: The legal guidelines they handed after the previous quiz present scandals are fairly severe. So, yeah, there’s a good quantity of limitations on what sort of contact Ken can have with any potential future contestants. However I actually felt like we hit it off as finest we might in these circumstances, and I sort of hope to retire from “Jeopardy!” in some unspecified time in the future so we are able to hang around.
Q: Perhaps even play some bar trivia with him?
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