Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Kit Heyam

23 reviews

rachbake's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Colonisation

sydapel's review against another edition

challenging informative medium-paced

5.0

Incredibly thoughtful, detailed and informative examination of what gender has meant to different cultures and groups over history. Really made me consider how much of a social and political construct gender can be, and how it's possible to discuss it in a respectful and intriguing way. Kit does such a good job of bringing the figures they're writing about into a broader context, pushing the readers conceptions of gender and identity. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Slavery, and Colonisation

the_reading_wren's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Fascinating, challenging and most of all comforting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Colonisation

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, War, and Classism

Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

noomzoom's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

lindsdavis's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Violence

ashstrausser's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, Medical trauma, and Cultural appropriation

lbelow's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

5.0

This is the kind of book that for years I have been looking for. It looks at the past with an openness that reflects the breadth of the trans experience. Rather than pointing to a list of people who meet certain criteria, the author expounds on the trends and situations of the past and the multi-layered reasons for acting in gender-nonconforming ways—from the economic and social/political in Western/European history to reasons intrinsically tied with sexuality, (non-white) culture, and spirituality. I may not have finished this book with a laundry list of definitely trans figures, but I'm left with a buoying feeling that people like me have always existed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Minor: Ableism, Genocide, Homophobia, Racism, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, and Dysphoria

lettuce_read's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

Moderate: Ableism and Hate crime

leweylibrary's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I DEVOURED this in one sitting so 🙌 As a history major in college, I appreciate this book and how it approaches trans history so much. Obviously the language we have now was not always around, but that doesn't mean trans people were not. I appreciate how the author explains so many of the flaws in how we study history--needing hard proof of someone's queerness and considering them cis by default unless proven otherwise and how hard that is to do. I appreciate that this book really is an exploration of gender nonconformity across many cultures, races, etc. Not only was the research and everything else about the content fantastic, but I loved how it was structured (issue-based more than chronological). This book has me thinking a lot about a recent book I read about women rulers of the past bending gender and their reasons for doing so, and I love it when I can make connections like that. I feel quite strongly that everyone should read this book and hopefully have a better understanding not just of trans people and their history but also of how we have looked at gender in the past, present, and future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Colonisation, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Outing

Minor: Biphobia, Deadnaming, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Lesbophobia

bookmark3brodi's review against another edition

informative reflective sad fast-paced

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, and Classism