Perverts

by Kay Gabriel

Perverts traverses the psychic landscapes of Kay Gabriel and her community of friends, writers and organizers, piecing together a collective dream that both mirrors and transforms waking life.


Against the backdrop of the anti-trans panic, Perverts explores desire as a political problem. It asks two questions at the same whose desire is understood as dangerously excessive? And—a classic organizer’s question—how do we turn what we have into what we need to get what we want? Synthesizing her own dreams with those of her friends, Kay Gabriel’s Perverts is an exercise in turning private experience into shared consciousness and illicit desire into common cause..

Genres: Poetry, Transgender

105 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2025

Reviews

[Moe Alghawi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An anti-epic fever dream questioning what we do with our desires in a world that is hostile towards them. Fun, silly little collection of poems riddled with inside jokes, pop-culture, dream like syntax, & queer/trans social life. The second half takes on a satirical ode to Kramer and the social politics of the 70s but with a contemporary twist. Short read, takes like an hour if that xoxo

[Katie Pruden]

It feels strange to log slim poetry books because I just sat here for an hour and read this. But, still, I read it and I’d like to read it again. I need to write my dreams and trust them because I am also scared of them

[Lis · Rating 5 out of 5]

two long poems both of which are quite special. "Perverts" is a variation on a theme of the best piece in Kissing Other People which i found to produce a wonderful effect and "TRANNIES, by Larry Kramer" is very funny and has, with time, kind of become more of the kind of writerly voyeurism that it seems interested in? really great last line too. anyway I loved it. has been inspiring me to write more poetry myself.

[Avery Marley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perverts is a striking exploration of desire, community, and political consciousness. Kay Gabriel weaves together her own dreams with those of friends, writers, and organizers to create a collective psychic landscape that challenges normative ideas of “excessive” desire. Poetic, incisive, and socially engaged, this book turns private experience into shared reflection, illuminating how desire can be both deeply personal and a force for collective action.

[Micaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was on my list prior to seeing that it was a local book club pick, so perfect timing. My notes are as follows: dreams, nightmares, body horror, mistreatment of the body proper, movies old and new, actresses. If I were to fill in the blank section of page 6, I’d write: M. who accidentally took sleeping pills with wine last night.

[Kamal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two distinct long-form poems. The first, the collective dreams of these “perverts”, was perfect fodder for bedtime and early morning reads. It read like a transcription of that liminal space between waking and sleep, many ways whimsical yet frustrating, confounding and sometimes just plain weird.

[Aaron Jesse O'Hare-Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the two poems, “Perverts” and “Trannies, by Larry Kramer,” I found the latter really tight and sharp and engaging, and learned some new things about being queer or trans, and laughed a bit at Kramer’s expense.

[Zhiliang Zhao · Rating 4 out of 5]

A window into a world

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to rate this four stars until I realized that was just bitter boots me wishing I were running around Brooklyn and Queens and Artemas, PA with this crew

[Ira Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poetry here is romantic, hilarious, and sharp. And the film references! Feels like a night out in Brooklyn in this current moment.

[flesher goreman · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It's 2009 and the world spirit got bangs"