scrow1022's review against another edition
5.0
Completely changing my thinking re. ideas of social/medical transition, passing, notion of "transgender" to begin with, gender as relational vs. solely essential, and so on... Heavily underlined, will be referencing going forward.
sprossa's review against another edition
5.0
I felt way too stupid for this book at many points but it was so necessary and really shifted my understanding of trans/gender as a white non-binary person
mosssboy's review against another edition
5.0
This should be required reading for all white trans/queer folks especially. Made me realize how much trans 101 shit is written from colonial, white transmasc perspective. I appreciate this book immensely and am unpacking a lot of what I thought I knew around gender as well as my own identity. How much deeper my privileges lay as a white transmasc human and the discourse around transness within only a colonial framework. Will be unpacking this all for the foreseeable future, thanks!
spoop's review against another edition
4.75
this was so accessible and fun to read in a way that nonfiction generally isn’t. i will say that i lack the context / understanding rn to fully grasp some of the narratives/ progressions the author took us through. and also i do wish that the author had discussed their conception of trans masc privilege a bit more; while i got the point that trans men often take up spaces meant for trans women and don’t face the struggles trans women do, i also do think a little more discussion or explanation of some of the claims (and of trans masc poc) would’ve been good. but that’s not the author’s responsibility or their lived experience and that’s fine
enniesways's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
seahorsemojinow's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed reading this a lot. Especially reading it for myself and not my thesis, but in the wake of my thesis, the style and composition was open and refreshing. It felt very accessible to me personally and made me think about a lot of things in new ways - like I'm having new thoughts around the word 'passing' and how I use it. I super recommend it to anyone, but especially white trans people!
howard's review against another edition
4.0
I learned so fucking much from this book. About trans discourse. About myself.
This book confronted me in a way I haven’t often been confronted. It made me angry. The author consistently repeats how BIPoC trans feminine people are the most affected by transphobia/transmisogyny. That white trans men in particular benefit from cissexism and white privilege in ways that BIPoC trans feminine people can’t. This insistence alienated me (a white trans man) and made me feel like my own struggles/oppression weren’t “real”. I had to push myself through my discomfort to really see the point the author was trying to make. I argued with this book, out loud, in the margins, trying to justify my “place” in the discussion. And ultimately, I realized the author is right. I have never had to confront my whiteness or my white privilege the way i have reading and really absorbing this book. It would have been so easy to just write this off as the author centering herself and her experiences- but that was exactly what I was doing! I continue to feel that there was a missed opportunity to talk about BIPoC trans masculine people (which the author generally ignored). But making clear specifically the privileges white trans masculine people access is important. And I it’s okay and even good for me to be upset by this and to reckon with it. I see the world and my place/location in it differently than i did before I finished this book. This has been a reckoning.
I have never loved annotating a book more. So many incredible passages to highlight. So much to interact with. I LOVED that there were two other “authors” leaving footnotes throughout the text of what they thought of the work. Definitely added to the discussion this book is begging to start. Highly recommend treating the book not as a “text” but as a discussion. Talk to the book. Write in it. Talk about it. Out loud. To yourself. To others. I also loved the colloquial/internet style of the text with “incorrect” grammar, punctuation and capitalization for emphasis, abbreviations, and straight up spelling mistakes. This made it feel a lot more accessible than an “official” style book, which the author stated was her intention.
Not even to mention all the incredible knowledge I’ve gained from this book. I was floored in almost every chapter. I not only highlighted but also shared so many passages, and gaining access to/sharing these ideas led to conversations i couldn’t have accessed on my own (or wouldn’t have come to myself for many more years)
Like I mentioned I do wish the book spent a bit more time talking about trans masculine people, especially those who aren’t white, and how they find a place within “gender”. Although as the author is trans feminine I understand that she is writing from her experience.
I didn’t realize that this book was a direct response to another book (which gets quoted throughout the text). I don’t feel like i missed anything from never having heard of the other book but it did make me feel like I was coming into conversation that was happening without me (which is okay!!! i’m learning to live in the discomfort and meet people/ideas where they’re at)
I HIGHLY recommend this book to other white trans people. Push through the discomfort. De-center yourself. Engage in conversation with a text (you can’t commit micro aggressions against a text - it’s paper and ink! This makes it the perfect medium to work these more complicated topics on your own time.) Really engage with the text. Get angry with it! Learn. Learn. Learn.
It’s not a perfect book. The author says so herself in the introduction. But it’s really damn useful.
This book confronted me in a way I haven’t often been confronted. It made me angry. The author consistently repeats how BIPoC trans feminine people are the most affected by transphobia/transmisogyny. That white trans men in particular benefit from cissexism and white privilege in ways that BIPoC trans feminine people can’t. This insistence alienated me (a white trans man) and made me feel like my own struggles/oppression weren’t “real”. I had to push myself through my discomfort to really see the point the author was trying to make. I argued with this book, out loud, in the margins, trying to justify my “place” in the discussion. And ultimately, I realized the author is right. I have never had to confront my whiteness or my white privilege the way i have reading and really absorbing this book. It would have been so easy to just write this off as the author centering herself and her experiences- but that was exactly what I was doing! I continue to feel that there was a missed opportunity to talk about BIPoC trans masculine people (which the author generally ignored). But making clear specifically the privileges white trans masculine people access is important. And I it’s okay and even good for me to be upset by this and to reckon with it. I see the world and my place/location in it differently than i did before I finished this book. This has been a reckoning.
I have never loved annotating a book more. So many incredible passages to highlight. So much to interact with. I LOVED that there were two other “authors” leaving footnotes throughout the text of what they thought of the work. Definitely added to the discussion this book is begging to start. Highly recommend treating the book not as a “text” but as a discussion. Talk to the book. Write in it. Talk about it. Out loud. To yourself. To others. I also loved the colloquial/internet style of the text with “incorrect” grammar, punctuation and capitalization for emphasis, abbreviations, and straight up spelling mistakes. This made it feel a lot more accessible than an “official” style book, which the author stated was her intention.
Not even to mention all the incredible knowledge I’ve gained from this book. I was floored in almost every chapter. I not only highlighted but also shared so many passages, and gaining access to/sharing these ideas led to conversations i couldn’t have accessed on my own (or wouldn’t have come to myself for many more years)
Like I mentioned I do wish the book spent a bit more time talking about trans masculine people, especially those who aren’t white, and how they find a place within “gender”. Although as the author is trans feminine I understand that she is writing from her experience.
I didn’t realize that this book was a direct response to another book (which gets quoted throughout the text). I don’t feel like i missed anything from never having heard of the other book but it did make me feel like I was coming into conversation that was happening without me (which is okay!!! i’m learning to live in the discomfort and meet people/ideas where they’re at)
I HIGHLY recommend this book to other white trans people. Push through the discomfort. De-center yourself. Engage in conversation with a text (you can’t commit micro aggressions against a text - it’s paper and ink! This makes it the perfect medium to work these more complicated topics on your own time.) Really engage with the text. Get angry with it! Learn. Learn. Learn.
It’s not a perfect book. The author says so herself in the introduction. But it’s really damn useful.
noahsingh's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Colonisation, Transphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Hate crime, and Religious bigotry