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Trans/Portraits: Voices from Transgender Communities
A fascinating collective memoir of the lives and experiences of transgender people, in their own voices.
Although transgender people are increasingly represented in academic studies and popular culture, they rarely have the opportunity to add their own voices to the conversation. In this remarkable book, Jackson Shultz records the stories of more than thirty Americans who identify as transgender. They range in age from 15 to 72; come from twenty-five different states and a wide array of racial, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds; and identify across a vast spectrum of genders and sexualities.
Giving voice to a diverse group of individuals, the book raises questions about gender, acceptance, and unconditional love. From historical descriptions of activism to personal stories of discrimination, love, and community, these touching accounts of gender transition shed light on the uncharted territories that lie beyond the gender binary. Despite encounters with familial rejection, drug addiction, and medical malpractice, each account is imbued with optimism and humor, providing a thoughtful look at the daily joys and struggles of transgender life.
Although transgender people are increasingly represented in academic studies and popular culture, they rarely have the opportunity to add their own voices to the conversation. In this remarkable book, Jackson Shultz records the stories of more than thirty Americans who identify as transgender. They range in age from 15 to 72; come from twenty-five different states and a wide array of racial, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds; and identify across a vast spectrum of genders and sexualities.
Giving voice to a diverse group of individuals, the book raises questions about gender, acceptance, and unconditional love. From historical descriptions of activism to personal stories of discrimination, love, and community, these touching accounts of gender transition shed light on the uncharted territories that lie beyond the gender binary. Despite encounters with familial rejection, drug addiction, and medical malpractice, each account is imbued with optimism and humor, providing a thoughtful look at the daily joys and struggles of transgender life.
218 pages, Paperback
First published September 22, 2015
25 people are currently reading
543 people want to read
About the author
Jackson Wright Shultz
1 book11 followersJackson Wright Shultz is an author, educator, and activist. As the Education Director for the Trans Education, Activism, Community & Health (TEACH) Alliance, he has spoken throughout the country on contemporary issues in transgender communities. When not working with the TEACH Alliance, Jackson teaches composition and creative writing courses at New England College. He is an alumnus of both Washington State University and Dartmouth College, and is a current doctoral student at New England College. Jackson is also a prolific writer and serves as a guest blogger for the academic blog, Conditionally Accepted, and as a prose editor for the literature blog, Extract(s). He lives in New Hampshire with his husband and their obnoxiously large Newfoundland dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 22, 2019
This book is fantastic. It gave space to trans people from different communities, age groups, ethnicity and socio-economic background to talk about the different aspects of being trans. It covers way more than solely the narrative of transitioning. There is so much to dissect and it gives room for more questions and discussions. I'm already contemplating a future re-read. I want to quickly note how this book also offers a great glossary for general and medical terms as well as a lot of resources.
June 24, 2016
This book is just fantastic and very thorough. It's closer to five stars--my only gripe is that the format distracted me and felt disjointed. You begin by reading brief biographies of each person featured in the book, then begin to read their stories based on subject, and so of course it skips around. I would find myself reading a story and then stopping to flip back and say, "Oh, ok--that's the lady who's the physician and from India" or "Oh yeah! They are nonbinary and live in Portland." And then I would stop to think about the story, and perhaps put the book down and not return to it until the next day. I think I would have preferred to just read each person's story and all of their answers to the questions of coming out, activism, transitioning, intersectionality, etc. all at once, then move on to the next person. Organizing it by person rather than subject makes more sense to me, but I might have taken just as long to read it either way.
There are so many different stories and experiences that it was a lot (not too much) to digest, and easily the most inclusive book about being trans or genderqueer that I've read up until this point. If you're cisgender, it has a way of forcing you to ponder everything you don't have to worry about in your own daily life. And if you find yourself lost reading unfamiliar terms and phrases, there are footnotes throughout and a more fleshed out glossary in the back.
I checked this out from my library but I might just go ahead and buy my own copy--there are stories worth reading again and again and sharing with others.
There are so many different stories and experiences that it was a lot (not too much) to digest, and easily the most inclusive book about being trans or genderqueer that I've read up until this point. If you're cisgender, it has a way of forcing you to ponder everything you don't have to worry about in your own daily life. And if you find yourself lost reading unfamiliar terms and phrases, there are footnotes throughout and a more fleshed out glossary in the back.
I checked this out from my library but I might just go ahead and buy my own copy--there are stories worth reading again and again and sharing with others.
January 20, 2016
Nothing educates like stories; apparently human beings are wired for the narrative. Jackson Wright Shultz, scholar, activist, teacher, and writer knows this. His book, Trans/Portraits: Voices from the Transgender Communities, just published by Dartmouth College Press, contains the words of thirty-four transgender people. They talk, in real-people rather than academic style, about their transition experiences in small towns and big cities, the need for not “going it alone,” and how race and class may make a difference. In the final chapter, called Accidental Activists, they recount the many ways they try to advocate, including protests, mentoring a young person, or insisting on rights and respect in their workplaces.
. . .
It is the stories, however, that will stick. They are poignant and powerful . . .They come from transgender men, women, people who have declined to call themselves either, . . .gardeners, soldiers, nurses, police officers and ministers. . .Shultz’s dedication page reads: “For Those Whose Truths Haven’t Yet Been Told.” With this book, at least some of those truths have been.
This is an excerpt from my review for ArtfulEdge. You can read more at https://www.dailyuv.com/news/823309
. . .
It is the stories, however, that will stick. They are poignant and powerful . . .They come from transgender men, women, people who have declined to call themselves either, . . .gardeners, soldiers, nurses, police officers and ministers. . .Shultz’s dedication page reads: “For Those Whose Truths Haven’t Yet Been Told.” With this book, at least some of those truths have been.
This is an excerpt from my review for ArtfulEdge. You can read more at https://www.dailyuv.com/news/823309
June 20, 2017
I was surprised how much I liked this book, especially given my past negative impressions of collections of interviews with various trans people. The editor did a very good job of selecting a wide variety of trans people from different backgrounds and with different identities (including several disabled ones, a Native American, and a transfeminine non-binary person).
It was certainly depressing to be reminded of how much things still suck for a large part of the trans community, and just how much privilege I have. But it was definitely worth reading.
It was certainly depressing to be reminded of how much things still suck for a large part of the trans community, and just how much privilege I have. But it was definitely worth reading.
February 15, 2018
Excellent read that provides insight into the lives of multiple transgender people. Many topics in this book are things I would not have considered being a cisgender person. This book was eye opening and made me really feel for these members of society whose voices typically are not heard or sought out.
November 5, 2016
When I first began this book, I had a general knowledge of the transgender community. I was taught the basics of what is to be transgender in college and I knew few transgender people in college. Now that I am teaching, I am having more and more experiences with transgender people all around, including some I'm very close with so I knew I needed to become more informed.
This helped teach me so much -- the glossary of terms alone did more than any of my college courses taught me when it comes to the transgender community. This book helped humanize the struggles of transgender people to me in a way I simply had not been exposed to before. I always had an idea that there was discrimination and hardship but hearing it from the voices of people who have lived it truly made it real for me.
The most shocking revelation in the book to me came from where a lot of this hardship tends to come from. I had assumed that most of it comes from bigots, sexists and overall bad people. The "typical" person you would assume would be the one who would commit violence against an transgender person. And while there is plenty of that, I found that there is another source: from within the LGBT community itself. The book made it abundantly clear that while to the general public the "LGBT community" is under one flag, when one looks closer, there are fragments. Specifically, that the "T" section of this community tends to be marginalized and hated upon from within the community itself. It's quite unbelievable to me that in a world where it is a struggle for fellow humans to just live their lives in communities that are already quite discriminated against, that there is still room for yet more hatred and discrimination. And not only that, it doesn't end there...
Regardless, the book's overall message is that while there is so much negativity and struggle, there is hope for all transgender people. The book chronicles people who transitioned many years ago and those who are still transitioning and are young today, and that plays into the overall narrative of the book, from the early years to today. While there are still protests, fights to wage, minds to change and people to help, each year and decade we are getting closer to a time when being transgender will no longer be seen as something that is harmful or unusual -- just something that is.
This helped teach me so much -- the glossary of terms alone did more than any of my college courses taught me when it comes to the transgender community. This book helped humanize the struggles of transgender people to me in a way I simply had not been exposed to before. I always had an idea that there was discrimination and hardship but hearing it from the voices of people who have lived it truly made it real for me.
The most shocking revelation in the book to me came from where a lot of this hardship tends to come from. I had assumed that most of it comes from bigots, sexists and overall bad people. The "typical" person you would assume would be the one who would commit violence against an transgender person. And while there is plenty of that, I found that there is another source: from within the LGBT community itself. The book made it abundantly clear that while to the general public the "LGBT community" is under one flag, when one looks closer, there are fragments. Specifically, that the "T" section of this community tends to be marginalized and hated upon from within the community itself. It's quite unbelievable to me that in a world where it is a struggle for fellow humans to just live their lives in communities that are already quite discriminated against, that there is still room for yet more hatred and discrimination. And not only that, it doesn't end there...
Regardless, the book's overall message is that while there is so much negativity and struggle, there is hope for all transgender people. The book chronicles people who transitioned many years ago and those who are still transitioning and are young today, and that plays into the overall narrative of the book, from the early years to today. While there are still protests, fights to wage, minds to change and people to help, each year and decade we are getting closer to a time when being transgender will no longer be seen as something that is harmful or unusual -- just something that is.
April 29, 2017
This was a very moving book. It's a collection of essays by 30-something transgender individuals, only their experiences are broken up based on various themes. I thought this worked better than offering big, long essays one after another. You get to see how different people's experiences vary, and you hear about them in their own words.
It's a must-read for anyone who wants to be a good ally, as well as those who might be going through the process themselves. It was very eye-opening to follow so many individuals through their own unique processes. I like that it spoke to intersectionality of other issues like race, class, disabilities, even the Deaf and kink communities.
Some of the stories are sad and hard to read, especially with regards to abuse or other victimization, but I'm grateful to those who spoke their truth. It's given me a lot to think about, and it will definitely help me be more mindful and, I hope, a better support to my friends and family who are transgender. I wish everyone would read this book and realize first-hand what so many trans people go through. We might see a lot less hate, or at least a lot more understanding, in the world if they did. It's easily accessible, being written in a conversational tone, but it's also very educational. I'd honestly recommend this for everyone.
It's a must-read for anyone who wants to be a good ally, as well as those who might be going through the process themselves. It was very eye-opening to follow so many individuals through their own unique processes. I like that it spoke to intersectionality of other issues like race, class, disabilities, even the Deaf and kink communities.
Some of the stories are sad and hard to read, especially with regards to abuse or other victimization, but I'm grateful to those who spoke their truth. It's given me a lot to think about, and it will definitely help me be more mindful and, I hope, a better support to my friends and family who are transgender. I wish everyone would read this book and realize first-hand what so many trans people go through. We might see a lot less hate, or at least a lot more understanding, in the world if they did. It's easily accessible, being written in a conversational tone, but it's also very educational. I'd honestly recommend this for everyone.
April 18, 2016
Also seduced me from the new non-fiction section of the library.
I'd been reading some radical feminism critiques of transgender issues online lately that were pissing me off, but also made me realize how little of my gender and orientation reading was about trans-identities, compared to LGB, or especially I. I'd applied a lot of what I'd learned reading about intersex conditions/identities to transgender issues, but how well did that really fit?
Enter Schultz's timely oral history collection. The diversity of voices collected here is really admirable, and was exactly what I was looking for. There are a lot of celebrity transfolk (especially MTW) biographies grabbing press today, but that reality is just such a small fragment of the spectrum of experience.
I especially appreciated and got woke by the sections on intersectionality, on how trans-identity is affected by race, gender, disability, medical issues, culture, class, etc.
I wanted to find all of these people and hug them.
A very useful and important book. Very difficult to put down.
I'd been reading some radical feminism critiques of transgender issues online lately that were pissing me off, but also made me realize how little of my gender and orientation reading was about trans-identities, compared to LGB, or especially I. I'd applied a lot of what I'd learned reading about intersex conditions/identities to transgender issues, but how well did that really fit?
Enter Schultz's timely oral history collection. The diversity of voices collected here is really admirable, and was exactly what I was looking for. There are a lot of celebrity transfolk (especially MTW) biographies grabbing press today, but that reality is just such a small fragment of the spectrum of experience.
I especially appreciated and got woke by the sections on intersectionality, on how trans-identity is affected by race, gender, disability, medical issues, culture, class, etc.
I wanted to find all of these people and hug them.
A very useful and important book. Very difficult to put down.
November 15, 2015
Trans/Portraits is very accessible to anyone wanting a clearer understanding of what it means to be transgendered, and why a better understanding should matter to the rest of us. The author hasn’t answered all of my questions (how could he, condensing responses from 34 unique individuals to 194 pages of text,) but he’s made me aware of the fact that, often, the professionals that these folks turn to can often be as uneducated and discriminatory as the general public, that not all of us are lucky enough to be born into the right body, that gender and sexuality are not the same, that you can be trans without ever having surgery, that the partner you have prior to your transition may still be your partner after, and much more.
The book will increase your vocabulary and empathy while confirming your own uniqueness. I may still ask an inappropriate question the next time I meet a transgendered person, but I hope that I give it some thought first.
The book will increase your vocabulary and empathy while confirming your own uniqueness. I may still ask an inappropriate question the next time I meet a transgendered person, but I hope that I give it some thought first.
March 1, 2016
A very good primer on a variety of trans issues. As academic as it can be given that it's a collection of interviews with non academic people. Provides a diverse group of individuals space to tell their unique stories. These people come from a wide range of racial, class and religious backgrounds with identifications across the spectrum of gender and sexualities. A very good introduction, would make a great textbook for an intro to gender studies but may not dive deep enough for those looking for something more academic and probing. Still very valuable in the collection of life experiences and views of society from the margins
January 19, 2017
This book is an amazing resource. All libraries should have it. The narratives capture so many perspectives from the trans community and present them in ways that are informative, but enjoyable to read.
I would recommend it to anyone with questions about the transgender community, whether it's their community or not.
Overall, worth the time. I bought my own copy to keep for reference. I'm not a big book buyer these days, so that should say something.
I would recommend it to anyone with questions about the transgender community, whether it's their community or not.
Overall, worth the time. I bought my own copy to keep for reference. I'm not a big book buyer these days, so that should say something.
April 11, 2017
A terrific book with diverse stories. I appreciated the glossary and index of evolving terminology too - it made the book accessible and let the stories flow naturally. Each chapter opened discussion around a unique topic - some serious, others more light-hearted, and showed different non binary, transgender and genderqueer people's stories. Calm, enjoyable, educational, even fun. Thanks to all those who contributed to the book!
July 5, 2016
This book represents the nuanced nature of gender identity and intersectionality, and how there is no "correct" way to be trans. The author did a wonderful job of speaking to many different people of varying gender identities, sexualities, (dis)abilities, education levels, race, ethnicity, and class, and how these identities are all intersecting.
February 18, 2016
Excellent overview of issues trans folks face, details of the sociology and somatics, thoughts and stories from trans lives. Nothing groundbreaking, but excellently collected and organized.
January 30, 2023
As a cis man with a wife and kids, the recent increase in exposure of trans and nonbinary identities and themes in the media—Pose, Euphoria, Sort Of, The Matrix Resurrections, to name a few high-profile examples—has opened my eyes to the world of various groups that still face discrimination, hate, violence, and state domination in both their most primitive and insidiously bureaucratic forms. I think I’ve always been curious about people who identify in these ways and about their struggles, but I haven’t actively engaged in understanding them. I haven’t been present to their reality and as a result I’ve become ignorant to the horrible injustices they face. Lately I have been trying to educate myself on these issues, on where the front lines of the battle are. But it’s one thing to read news stories or Wiki articles about issues or about individual activists; it’s another to hear these people in their own words, from all their many walks of life.
What this book aims to do in giving trans people the stage and the mic is essential. I have learned so much so quickly! It’s much more visceral to learn in this way; having all these concrete illustrations really helps them stick. So why drop a star?
Because while the book is important in terms of subject matter, some things about its execution made it less accessible for me. For instance, while the structure makes sense in theory—present a topic for a chapter, have a paragraph or three from each interviewee on that specific topic, rinse, repeat—it really fucked with my attention span as my brain was constantly reorienting from story to story. It felt frustratingly scattered, which prevented me from feeling as connected as I could have to the reality of certain individuals or to specific stories. I didn’t get to sit with them. This editing format would be much better suited to a documentary, imo.
I was also bumping up against not knowing how these people look or sound, which presented obstacles to my understanding of some issues as my perspective kept shifting. There’s a short section at the front of the book that lists everyone and their identities, but I could only handle flipping back and forth several times per page for a couple of chapters before I had to give it up and try to use context clues. The one exception was the chapter on intersectionality, which was inherently focused on pointing out each person’s multiple identities. But see, here again, if it were a documentary, we’d be able to see if someone was trans male, trans female, a POC, disabled, etc at a glance (most of the time). But this is text. The medium should’ve been considered here.
Personally I’d have kept each interview together in its entirety, introducing each person at the top of the interview. I would get to hear somebody’s whole story, to really invest in each person for an extended period. I think that would’ve served the book’s goals even more fully.
In any case, there is so little out there like this, at least that I’m aware of, that I still think it’s incredibly valuable (if you’re ignorant like me) for educating yourself. If anybody has recommendations on further reading, I’d love to take them. I’m also going to be looking into trans authors and fictional stories about trans characters…I think this’ll give me more of the sustained focus on one person’s experience that I’m seeking. I’ll take recommendations on that front too!
What this book aims to do in giving trans people the stage and the mic is essential. I have learned so much so quickly! It’s much more visceral to learn in this way; having all these concrete illustrations really helps them stick. So why drop a star?
Because while the book is important in terms of subject matter, some things about its execution made it less accessible for me. For instance, while the structure makes sense in theory—present a topic for a chapter, have a paragraph or three from each interviewee on that specific topic, rinse, repeat—it really fucked with my attention span as my brain was constantly reorienting from story to story. It felt frustratingly scattered, which prevented me from feeling as connected as I could have to the reality of certain individuals or to specific stories. I didn’t get to sit with them. This editing format would be much better suited to a documentary, imo.
I was also bumping up against not knowing how these people look or sound, which presented obstacles to my understanding of some issues as my perspective kept shifting. There’s a short section at the front of the book that lists everyone and their identities, but I could only handle flipping back and forth several times per page for a couple of chapters before I had to give it up and try to use context clues. The one exception was the chapter on intersectionality, which was inherently focused on pointing out each person’s multiple identities. But see, here again, if it were a documentary, we’d be able to see if someone was trans male, trans female, a POC, disabled, etc at a glance (most of the time). But this is text. The medium should’ve been considered here.
Personally I’d have kept each interview together in its entirety, introducing each person at the top of the interview. I would get to hear somebody’s whole story, to really invest in each person for an extended period. I think that would’ve served the book’s goals even more fully.
In any case, there is so little out there like this, at least that I’m aware of, that I still think it’s incredibly valuable (if you’re ignorant like me) for educating yourself. If anybody has recommendations on further reading, I’d love to take them. I’m also going to be looking into trans authors and fictional stories about trans characters…I think this’ll give me more of the sustained focus on one person’s experience that I’m seeking. I’ll take recommendations on that front too!
January 2, 2017
Oh dear. This book had the absolutely opposite effect on me that I am sure it was intended to. I began it with a typical liberal 'it's all good' view of this issue. By the time I finished it I was calling shenanigans on the whole thing. A big part of it was the complete self absorption of the writers. Now I know they are suffering - that is real and genuine and came across in the writing. I know I can't imagine their struggle and I know that #thestruggleisreal. And yet. I have read books by many people who have suffered - through death, disease, mental illness, paralysis, birth defects, sin, rape, captivity, slavery - and the complete and total 'me me me how I feel' is, I am sorry to say, unique to this group, at least in the category of 'see how I struggle' memoirs. The last straw for me was the 'gender fluid' guy. Now I can really believe that there are tragic cases in which for some physical genetic/hormonal reason someone can be to all outward appearances and on their birth certificate one gender while the brain inside is the other gender. I absolutely do not believe that your gender identity shifts from day to day and one day you are a woman and the next a man. I say hogwash.
May 14, 2019
This collection of perspectives was very eye-opening. I feel like I learned a lot, and it also helped me realize that I still have more to learn. Good opportunity for self-reflection. The inclusion of a wide variety of voices with different experiences and observations was very powerful.
While the book spent more time on some issues and glossed over others, I was very impressed by the amount of focus given to intersectionality.
It took me a while to get used to some of the terminology. Some terms used were words I had elsewhere been taught to consider inappropriate, but were treated as acceptable in context by the author and interviewees (i.e. FTM/MTF, transexual). I would love to learn more about whether these discrepancies are due to evolving terminology, regional differences, or something else entirely.
Other reviews here have criticized the format of the book — grouping content by topic instead of by interviewee — and this was tricky for me to follow at first, but about half way through the book it seemed to flow better.
While the book spent more time on some issues and glossed over others, I was very impressed by the amount of focus given to intersectionality.
It took me a while to get used to some of the terminology. Some terms used were words I had elsewhere been taught to consider inappropriate, but were treated as acceptable in context by the author and interviewees (i.e. FTM/MTF, transexual). I would love to learn more about whether these discrepancies are due to evolving terminology, regional differences, or something else entirely.
Other reviews here have criticized the format of the book — grouping content by topic instead of by interviewee — and this was tricky for me to follow at first, but about half way through the book it seemed to flow better.
June 29, 2022
Overall, I thought this book was a great combination of various trans voices about different topics, and I found the insights interesting. However, the author kept using the acronym LGBTQI which bothered me, especially as an aroace person, and Shultz also had a couple of terms that were defined incorrectly. The book also contained a lot of sweeping generalizations that don't apply to all of the community.
July 18, 2023
This book is an earlier and more academic version of the project Rhea Ewing undertook in FINE. I am very glad that I read it, because it tackles trans and nonbinary issues from a number of angles, including intersectionality which I found really helpful. I did want just a smidge more organization for reference purposes; I read it front to back but I would find it difficult to go back and locate passages that I might want to revisit.
April 17, 2019
This is basically an oral history of trans people in the US, and what's nice is that the author interviewed a whole bunch of people with a whole bunch of different identities (like trans men, trans women, all kinds of different nonbinary folks) from a whole bunch of backgrounds (various ages, races, class backgrounds, education levels).
January 7, 2023
It's so valuable to have accessible, non-academic voices speak on trans issues—from unrestrainedly diverse perspectives. I only wish the book dived deeper into each individual's story. I was especially hoping for more insight into the intersectionality between race (+ cultural expectations) and transgender communities.
April 30, 2025
the terminology was a little outdated as is to be expected, but it provided a lot of diverse primary research. however, the organization was a bit confusing as i had to keep constantly flipping to the front for people’s stories, and some sections in each chapter didn’t really seem relevant to the greater chapter theme. i am surprised this book is not a bigger deal in trans studies
January 1, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. It gave me lots of insight into a world I knew nothing of and needed to having a transgender grandchild. It has a great many facts about all facets of the transgender experience and a great deal of vocabulary.
November 3, 2017
The different voices of transgenderism really come through in this semi-biographical book of interviews. The book helps to identify common themes of transgendered individuals as well as create a platform to tell their stories.
April 4, 2019
Real stories real experiences told by real people
If you're having doubts about yourself or your transition I suggest you read this
Or if you're cis I suggest you read this so you have an idea of the hellscape being trans can be
If you're having doubts about yourself or your transition I suggest you read this
Or if you're cis I suggest you read this so you have an idea of the hellscape being trans can be
Want to read
December 1, 2021Recommended in Transgender Role Models and Pioneers
March 24, 2022
Good book with different perspectives of trans people from their own mouths and experiences. It was sad to hear of the many ignorant people they have to deal with but it gives me hope for my children that things can be overcome and they can be themselves.
June 26, 2018
Essential reading.
April 26, 2020
Wide variety of perspectives. Lots of helpful viewpoints and information. Heartfelt and touching.
December 5, 2021
[3.5/5] Good. Despite the awkward format for me (splitting up interview snippets by subject instead of by interviewee), it’s something I’d give to my family.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews