What do you think?
Rate this book
Mirrors: Portrait of a Lesbian Transsexual
The alternately heartbreaking and empowering story of one woman's long road to full selfhood. Born a male, Geri Nettick knew something just didn't fit. And even after coming to terms with her own gender dysphoria, and taking steps to correct it, she still fought to be accepted by the lesbian feminist community to which she felt she belonged. A fascinating, true tale of struggle and discovery.
Paperback
First published July 1, 1996
1 person is currently reading
135 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 5, 2014
Invaluable history of West Coast lesbian scene of the early 1970s and the place trans women had in it. Kind of a lot of judgey stuff about GRS/op status/who belongs where and has warrant to call herself what that I don't agree with/find REALLY REALLY problematic, and the metafictional hi-jinx when the character named Beth Elliot shows up are kind of cringe-inducing (wooga wooga), and there's a mean-spirited by-name callout of my fave former fiction teacher, which pretty definitively soured me on things. And I wish the title weren't the most generic imaginable thing.
All that said tho: it's a pretty great resource if you're interested in this era of trans & lesbian US history, shows some wrinkles and complexity regarding the history of acceptance of trans women within so-called "women-born-women" spaces, and generally to the Thousand-Year-War between radical feminists and trans women, plus a neat appendix essay regarding Robin Morgan and the power play at the West Coast Lesbian Conference in the context of the general space lesbians have occupied within "the discourse." It suited my specific research purposes and the first part is a pretty good instance of its genre. I just kind of wish I'd quit reading before the callouts and judgments started to get really, really fast and furious all around (though I get why many of the specific callouts here are being made, in response to, you know, EXTREME SOCIAL OSTRACISM AND DEATH THREATS.)
All that said tho: it's a pretty great resource if you're interested in this era of trans & lesbian US history, shows some wrinkles and complexity regarding the history of acceptance of trans women within so-called "women-born-women" spaces, and generally to the Thousand-Year-War between radical feminists and trans women, plus a neat appendix essay regarding Robin Morgan and the power play at the West Coast Lesbian Conference in the context of the general space lesbians have occupied within "the discourse." It suited my specific research purposes and the first part is a pretty good instance of its genre. I just kind of wish I'd quit reading before the callouts and judgments started to get really, really fast and furious all around (though I get why many of the specific callouts here are being made, in response to, you know, EXTREME SOCIAL OSTRACISM AND DEATH THREATS.)
February 25, 2018
I can't read this.
January 9, 2024
interesting read but gets a little boring + she presents a couple questionable ideas imo
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews