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Transphobia: Deal with it and be a gender transcender
Who do you think you are? Part of identity is how people experience their gender. Transphobia is intolerance of any part of the range of gender identity. This accessible, illustrated book offers information, quizzes, comics and true-to-life scenarios to help kids better understand gender identity and determine what they can do to identify and counter transphobia in their schools, homes and communities. Considered from the viewpoint of gender challengers, gender enforcers and witnesses, transphobic behavior is identified, examined and put into a context that kids can use to understand and accept themselves and others for whatever gender they are -- even if that's no gender at all!
32 pages, Library Binding
First published February 1, 2017
51 people want to read
About the author
J. Wallace Skelton
3 books4 followersj wallace skelton is an educator, activist, and writer based in southern Ontario. His work focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, 2-spirited, intersexed, queer and questioning (LGBTT2IQQ) individuals, their communities and related issues – with a particular focus on youth.
j would rather not have gendered pronouns applied to j, and is committed to supporting all people naming what pronouns work best for them, and in getting people’s pronouns right.
j would rather not have gendered pronouns applied to j, and is committed to supporting all people naming what pronouns work best for them, and in getting people’s pronouns right.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 26, 2017
Transphobia: Deal with It and Be a Gender Transcender by J Wallace Skelton is a short book but full of much needed info, unfortunately. This book is made for middle school and up. It starts by letting the reader know what trans gender is and what it isn't then what the transphobia is. There are multiple examples of transphobia behavior, those blatant and those subtle that seem harmless. The book gives quizzes then discusses the section at the end. Myths are also discussed. The book is great for those that are trans and those that are not. This book gives info so all can be educated and safe. Great pictures to bring home the point. Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.
June 12, 2017
This book was really good! It's aimed at kids 9 and up, but it doesn't talk down to its audience in any way. It presents its information in comics (all of them making their points perfectly), lists, and quizzes. It helps readers learn to distinguish between transphobia, sexism, and cluelessness. It provides responses that allow a person to "Speak Up" rather than "Put Up" or "Flare Up." It covers a wide variety of situations and helps the reader prepare themself to handle them gracefully. This book is an awesome resource that should be in every school and library branch.
My only complaint is that the transitions between some sections are very abrupt and not always obviously marked, so I found myself confused by what a couple of them were trying to do. (I had to read "Are You A Gender Enforcer?" twice before I figured out what the quiz was meant to show, and when I showed the book to a friend, they had the same problem.) But this is a minor issue for such a short book that holds so much useful information.
It's also wonderfully non-judgemental. Should you discover that you are a gender enforcer, for instance, it merely suggests in the nicest way that you might find it helpful to learn a little more about trans or non-binary people. (It is a Canadian book, after all; I guess it has to be polite. ;-D)
Thanks to my friend Kristen, because without her review, I would never have known about this book.
Ever since I saw Kristen's review, I've been trying to work "gender transcender" into a conversation, and haven't had a chance yet! But one of these days ...!
May 21, 2017
I read this on the Kindle app, so the pictures - and sometimes text- got a bit jumbled, but that was a problem on my end, not the publisher's. I was able to read most of it just fine, though, and what I read was quite good!
This is a great pick for classrooms and libraries! It addresses misconceptions, encourages readers to try to love and feel comfortable with themselves, and offers potential real-life instances of transphobia for students to consider. It's very positive, but does not shy away from harsh truths, like the violence associated with transphobia - particularly against trans women of color - or that not all adults are "safe" adults to whom students can go to when they are facing transphobic comments or actions. It's written for middle school and high school students, I think, but would not be out of place on a college campus. Also, it was written for Canadians, so there is information regarding things like Canadian laws and resources that won't apply everywhere, but most of the book would work well in any English-speaking environment.
Here are some of my favorite bits:
"Transphobia is not trusting someone to tell us what sex or gender they are, when, really, we all should get to be our own experts. Nobody knows you better than you!"
"A person's 'true sex' is how the identify themselves. A person's 'real name' is the name that feels real to them, regardless of what's on their ID."
"Washrooms are safe when nobody behaves in ways that are unsafe, threatening, harassing, policing, or dangerous. It's not whether it's 'single-sex' or 'all-gender' - it's what people do inside them."
"Do know that you are precious and valuable exactly as you are."
"Don't assume that someone is in the wrong washroom."
"It's your job to figure out how to express your own style, and nobody else's. Don't feel limited by other people's assumptions and stereotypes."
"It's not enough to have good intentions, we need to think about what impact our words and actions might have on others."
"Always talk about a person using words that feel good to them."
"Don't speak on behalf of a targeted group you are not a part of."
"Don't respond [to transphobia] with other kinds of prejudice."
It's just really good, y'all. And bonus points for being non-binary-inclusive! Highly recommended for students, teachers, librarians, parents, and...well, anyone, really.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review!
This is a great pick for classrooms and libraries! It addresses misconceptions, encourages readers to try to love and feel comfortable with themselves, and offers potential real-life instances of transphobia for students to consider. It's very positive, but does not shy away from harsh truths, like the violence associated with transphobia - particularly against trans women of color - or that not all adults are "safe" adults to whom students can go to when they are facing transphobic comments or actions. It's written for middle school and high school students, I think, but would not be out of place on a college campus. Also, it was written for Canadians, so there is information regarding things like Canadian laws and resources that won't apply everywhere, but most of the book would work well in any English-speaking environment.
Here are some of my favorite bits:
"Transphobia is not trusting someone to tell us what sex or gender they are, when, really, we all should get to be our own experts. Nobody knows you better than you!"
"A person's 'true sex' is how the identify themselves. A person's 'real name' is the name that feels real to them, regardless of what's on their ID."
"Washrooms are safe when nobody behaves in ways that are unsafe, threatening, harassing, policing, or dangerous. It's not whether it's 'single-sex' or 'all-gender' - it's what people do inside them."
"Do know that you are precious and valuable exactly as you are."
"Don't assume that someone is in the wrong washroom."
"It's your job to figure out how to express your own style, and nobody else's. Don't feel limited by other people's assumptions and stereotypes."
"It's not enough to have good intentions, we need to think about what impact our words and actions might have on others."
"Always talk about a person using words that feel good to them."
"Don't speak on behalf of a targeted group you are not a part of."
"Don't respond [to transphobia] with other kinds of prejudice."
It's just really good, y'all. And bonus points for being non-binary-inclusive! Highly recommended for students, teachers, librarians, parents, and...well, anyone, really.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review!
March 24, 2019
Appalling and somewhat chilling. Reminds me of childrens books under Stalin, Hitler, Chinese Cultural Revolution etc or some religious fundamentalist concepts, such as creationism.
November 23, 2019
NOTE: I received an advance reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinions or the way I talk about the book.
When I saw this was a book explaining transgender things with a middle-grade target audience, I was so excited to read it! I was already thinking in my head who to recommend this to before I opened it. Unfortunately, as I read, the star rating kept going down in my mind. The only excuse I can come up with is that this book was published in Canada and I live in the US, so the culture may differ.
Pros
*Overall, this is a good source for children who may have never heard "transgender" before.
*The illustrations naturally and explicitly include people of color, people of different religions, and people with disabilities. Everyone is represented.
*There is a note about intersectionality. It explains that young trans women of color is a very targeted group of people who are more likely to experience violence and other hate crimes against them.
*It explains that gender is on a spectrum rather than a binary and equally rotates pronouns and identities in its examples
*Mental health is discussed and the high suicide rate among transgender people is addressed well.
*The information is truly on a level for kids and people who have never encounter this before to understand.
*On the last page, there is a list of other sources including websites, phone numbers, reference books, and fiction books.
Cons
*Uses "sex" and "gender" interchangeably. It mentions something about the "sex you were assigned at birth". Maybe terms are different in Canada, but I've never heard that worded that way. I've always been told (by knowledgeable people) that sex is what you are physically and gender is what you are mentally. Therefore, you are assigned a gender at birth based on your sex.
*The use of "transsexual". This term is downright outdated. It's only used once, which makes the instance even weirder, because it's used in place of transgender. It's not even used to distinguish trans people who have had SRS from trans people who have not. That's the most common distinction I've heard between "transgender" and "transsexual", not that I agree with that usage.
*The use of GLBTQ. Listen, it's LGBTQ or LBGTQIA or LGBT+ or some other variation, but the L always goes before the G. There is no reason, other than sexism, why it needs to be GLBTQ. The gays don't need to be first. I am a Gay™ and I approve this message.
*The use of "transphobic" as a noun? There's a section titled "You're not a transphobic, are you?" and a quiz titled "Are you a transphobic?" Maybe I'm getting picky here, but the word that should be used is "transphobe". I've never heard anyone call someone a "homophobic", because the correct word in that case is "homophobe".
*On page 8 it gives a scenario where during grad pictures boy are posed with a diploma while girls are posed with a rose. The explanation underneath says that this is sexist but not transphobic, and that's about it. Sexism and transphobia are closely linked because they both have to do with gender. I understand that explaining sexism can quickly become a book of its own, but couldn't the author briefly explain the reason this is sexism instead of transphobic? Could the author mention that it's sexist because it's making boys look smarter than girls, that it isn't transphobic because it's not targeting people who don't fit these gender roles?
*On pages 22-23 there is a list of 30 transphobic statements, but the book doesn't explain why they are transphobic. At the end it basically says that if you agree with any of these statements, you should educate yourself more. This would be an acceptable answer if you were bombarded with questions on the street or on social media, but this is a book explaining transphobia to children. You can't tell them something is problematic and not explain why. This may be their first source of information on the topic. This may be their only accessible source of information.
*On the "More Help" page, it recommends Luna and Parrotfish which are both infamous for being transphobic books with transgender MCs. Why would you recommend those books to children who might be transgender when you could recommend Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, Symptoms of Being Human, When the Moon Was Ours, literally anything by Jazz Jennings, and/or The Pants Project? Each of these books have problems of their own, but none of them are as bad as the infamous ones mentioned.
Final thought: Bearing these issues in mind, I would say it is up to the provider to decide if they want to give this to children. This is a rare source of information on transphobia that is geared towards late elementary/middle school aged children. Still, it leaves a lot to be desired. I, personally, would not recommend it, but I understand people who would want to because of it being one of few of its kind. Just be aware that this is an imperfect source.
Support Me Elsewhere!
When I saw this was a book explaining transgender things with a middle-grade target audience, I was so excited to read it! I was already thinking in my head who to recommend this to before I opened it. Unfortunately, as I read, the star rating kept going down in my mind. The only excuse I can come up with is that this book was published in Canada and I live in the US, so the culture may differ.
Pros
*Overall, this is a good source for children who may have never heard "transgender" before.
*The illustrations naturally and explicitly include people of color, people of different religions, and people with disabilities. Everyone is represented.
*There is a note about intersectionality. It explains that young trans women of color is a very targeted group of people who are more likely to experience violence and other hate crimes against them.
*It explains that gender is on a spectrum rather than a binary and equally rotates pronouns and identities in its examples
*Mental health is discussed and the high suicide rate among transgender people is addressed well.
*The information is truly on a level for kids and people who have never encounter this before to understand.
*On the last page, there is a list of other sources including websites, phone numbers, reference books, and fiction books.
Cons
*Uses "sex" and "gender" interchangeably. It mentions something about the "sex you were assigned at birth". Maybe terms are different in Canada, but I've never heard that worded that way. I've always been told (by knowledgeable people) that sex is what you are physically and gender is what you are mentally. Therefore, you are assigned a gender at birth based on your sex.
*The use of "transsexual". This term is downright outdated. It's only used once, which makes the instance even weirder, because it's used in place of transgender. It's not even used to distinguish trans people who have had SRS from trans people who have not. That's the most common distinction I've heard between "transgender" and "transsexual", not that I agree with that usage.
*The use of GLBTQ. Listen, it's LGBTQ or LBGTQIA or LGBT+ or some other variation, but the L always goes before the G. There is no reason, other than sexism, why it needs to be GLBTQ. The gays don't need to be first. I am a Gay™ and I approve this message.
*The use of "transphobic" as a noun? There's a section titled "You're not a transphobic, are you?" and a quiz titled "Are you a transphobic?" Maybe I'm getting picky here, but the word that should be used is "transphobe". I've never heard anyone call someone a "homophobic", because the correct word in that case is "homophobe".
*On page 8 it gives a scenario where during grad pictures boy are posed with a diploma while girls are posed with a rose. The explanation underneath says that this is sexist but not transphobic, and that's about it. Sexism and transphobia are closely linked because they both have to do with gender. I understand that explaining sexism can quickly become a book of its own, but couldn't the author briefly explain the reason this is sexism instead of transphobic? Could the author mention that it's sexist because it's making boys look smarter than girls, that it isn't transphobic because it's not targeting people who don't fit these gender roles?
*On pages 22-23 there is a list of 30 transphobic statements, but the book doesn't explain why they are transphobic. At the end it basically says that if you agree with any of these statements, you should educate yourself more. This would be an acceptable answer if you were bombarded with questions on the street or on social media, but this is a book explaining transphobia to children. You can't tell them something is problematic and not explain why. This may be their first source of information on the topic. This may be their only accessible source of information.
*On the "More Help" page, it recommends Luna and Parrotfish which are both infamous for being transphobic books with transgender MCs. Why would you recommend those books to children who might be transgender when you could recommend Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, Symptoms of Being Human, When the Moon Was Ours, literally anything by Jazz Jennings, and/or The Pants Project? Each of these books have problems of their own, but none of them are as bad as the infamous ones mentioned.
Final thought: Bearing these issues in mind, I would say it is up to the provider to decide if they want to give this to children. This is a rare source of information on transphobia that is geared towards late elementary/middle school aged children. Still, it leaves a lot to be desired. I, personally, would not recommend it, but I understand people who would want to because of it being one of few of its kind. Just be aware that this is an imperfect source.
Support Me Elsewhere!
June 20, 2017
This book is written for children ages 8 and up. It is illustrated and has little quizzes that have questions to help guide the reader through different scenarios. It is set in Canada and refers to Canadian laws in a few places. I think it is a good, clear explanatory book about gender for tweens and teens.
March 5, 2017
Transphobia is a book written and illustrated for children (the language suggests older children and young adults) which looks at how our actions can - by choice or design - be transphobic. It could be read by young people independently, but it does lend itself to a more structured setting, such as a youth group or classroom, or even a book parents and children could read together.
The book follows a similar format to the workbooks that are used in 'social studies' lessons in the UK. It's vibrant, with lots of discussion activities, and whilst there is a fair bit of text, it's broken up with illustrations and presented in different ways throughout the 32 pages.
Now, this all seems good to an adult, but having worked through these kinds of books with UK high school students (particularly those aged 14-19), I know from experience that they don't always engage effectively with this format.
Given the time restrictions on teaching, it is unlikely that as a curriculum topic, this would be given more than an hour or two, and it's a topic that requires more thinking/free discussion away from the examples in the book. Therefore, it's best used as a resource to be dipped into, as there are discussion activities that would work with students from around the age of 10 to 19 with some core information that is relevant to all.
There are references to Canadian legislation and statistics at the bottom of some pages (the book was supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council), but this is a great resource for educators in any English-speaking setting. Finding the relevant laws would make for another interesting activity for students/young people reading this outside of Canada.
The content is excellent, and is likely to inspire some positive discussion amongst young people who are not LGBTQIA and haven't had cause to consider how their behaviour/language impacts on others. It's also affirming for LGBTQIA students and offers some excellent guidance for everyone on how to deal with their own and other people's passive and aggressive non-binary/transphobia.
As someone with 18 years' experience as a teacher/lecturer, I am happy to recommend this book, in particular as an educational resource for teachers, youth group leaders and parents.
Received through NetGalley.
The book follows a similar format to the workbooks that are used in 'social studies' lessons in the UK. It's vibrant, with lots of discussion activities, and whilst there is a fair bit of text, it's broken up with illustrations and presented in different ways throughout the 32 pages.
Now, this all seems good to an adult, but having worked through these kinds of books with UK high school students (particularly those aged 14-19), I know from experience that they don't always engage effectively with this format.
Given the time restrictions on teaching, it is unlikely that as a curriculum topic, this would be given more than an hour or two, and it's a topic that requires more thinking/free discussion away from the examples in the book. Therefore, it's best used as a resource to be dipped into, as there are discussion activities that would work with students from around the age of 10 to 19 with some core information that is relevant to all.
There are references to Canadian legislation and statistics at the bottom of some pages (the book was supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council), but this is a great resource for educators in any English-speaking setting. Finding the relevant laws would make for another interesting activity for students/young people reading this outside of Canada.
The content is excellent, and is likely to inspire some positive discussion amongst young people who are not LGBTQIA and haven't had cause to consider how their behaviour/language impacts on others. It's also affirming for LGBTQIA students and offers some excellent guidance for everyone on how to deal with their own and other people's passive and aggressive non-binary/transphobia.
As someone with 18 years' experience as a teacher/lecturer, I am happy to recommend this book, in particular as an educational resource for teachers, youth group leaders and parents.
Received through NetGalley.
May 1, 2017
Another ARC read is Transphobia by J. Wallace Skeleton. It is a kid’s non-fiction book dealing with transgender issues. As a “gender transcender” I feel the book would be a good gateway into a discussion about what it means to be trans*. Goodness knows it’s a discussion that we should be having with everyone so misinformation isn’t spread. My only red flag would be the inclusion of the word “transsexual”. Gender and sexuality are two separate things so using a word like transsexual confuses people when you try and make the distinction between gender and sexuality or, as my friend puts it, the difference between hearts and parts. And, as much as I’m thankful to live in a border state because I’m able to watch CBC Windsor 9, I was still thrown when Canadian trans people were mentioned rather than United States trans people. That’s my “American” bias kicking up but it might be off putting to a kid in, say Iowa, who might pick this book up.
March 27, 2017
This is an excellent introduction to gender identity and expression, aimed at middle school grades and above, with comics, examples, quizzes, and lists of do's and don'ts that challenge readers to question assumptions about gender and sex, stereotypes, and the use of pronouns or chosen names. A short and accessible book, the illustrations take care to show diversity in gender, ethnicity, and abilities and the back of the book has links to further resources, such as helplines, other books, and organizations - though the information is Canadian-oriented, given that the publisher is Canadian. The book is a timely guide that should be in every library, and also makes a great starting point in the classroom for discussions on gender (the publisher has a free teaching guide online).
February 14, 2017
I thought this book was well set out but was disappointed as there were no answers to the quiz sections and I am not sure why there are no British help sites or associations mentioned as I feel that there must be some. If not Childline would probably be able to help.
I was given this book by Netgalley and the publisher. This is my voluntary review.
I was given this book by Netgalley and the publisher. This is my voluntary review.
October 14, 2016
cool but super Canadian (I think my students will be confused by "washroom" and such), plus I wish the illustrations had more body type/size diversity (though in all other ways the diverse depictions in this book ruled).
March 20, 2017
Perhaps as someone from the US, I am not in the best position to say whether this Canadian book is a good resource. It uses the word "transsexual," which we do not here anymore, and reads like it's playing off of school lessons which kids here just don't have.
March 13, 2018
A wonderful and informative read that doesn't talk down to the reader but clearly states itself. It has situations and critical thinking that everyone should consider.
July 30, 2017
3.5 stars
*I received an ARC of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own*
I'm not sure I was completely comprehended what was in this book because the formatting for the book was so messed up. It was all over the place and very difficult to read because sentences would cut out halfway through and then be continued two or three pages later.
As a trans person, I'd say this book is mostly for cis people. Pretty much everything in here is stuff trans people would already know. But, for people who've never heard the word trans or don't know much about it, this is definitely a good book to read. It's a quick read while being inclusive of many identities and informative. The book is a bit repetitive, but I suppose if you don't understand the concept of transphobia or being trans, repetition is a good way to get the ideas to stick.
There were some interesting facts scattered throughout the book. They were a nice way to humanize trans people and take the content away from transphobia for a bit.
To me it seemed like this book was a little too positive. Maybe it was just the fact this was full of basic information, but I felt like it didn't express the often hard truth of being trans. Sadly, the trans experience is often really difficult and can be wrought with violence. This book pretty much only covered verbal harassment, and while verbal harassment is awful, trans people are liable to experience physical violence. I wish the book had addressed that a bit more.
There were outdated terms (like transsexual) used a couple times, which irked me.
This book is good for cis people and people being newly introduced to the concept of trans people. It has good information and while I don't think it's the most informative book about trans people, it's a great place to start off.
*I received an ARC of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own*
I'm not sure I was completely comprehended what was in this book because the formatting for the book was so messed up. It was all over the place and very difficult to read because sentences would cut out halfway through and then be continued two or three pages later.
As a trans person, I'd say this book is mostly for cis people. Pretty much everything in here is stuff trans people would already know. But, for people who've never heard the word trans or don't know much about it, this is definitely a good book to read. It's a quick read while being inclusive of many identities and informative. The book is a bit repetitive, but I suppose if you don't understand the concept of transphobia or being trans, repetition is a good way to get the ideas to stick.
There were some interesting facts scattered throughout the book. They were a nice way to humanize trans people and take the content away from transphobia for a bit.
To me it seemed like this book was a little too positive. Maybe it was just the fact this was full of basic information, but I felt like it didn't express the often hard truth of being trans. Sadly, the trans experience is often really difficult and can be wrought with violence. This book pretty much only covered verbal harassment, and while verbal harassment is awful, trans people are liable to experience physical violence. I wish the book had addressed that a bit more.
There were outdated terms (like transsexual) used a couple times, which irked me.
This book is good for cis people and people being newly introduced to the concept of trans people. It has good information and while I don't think it's the most informative book about trans people, it's a great place to start off.
May 5, 2017
I was excited to see a Canadian book on this topic, while recognizing that we shouldn't have to HAVE books on discrimination in the first place .... This is a new release from James Lorimer Books, the latest in the “Deal With It” series which tackles discrimination issues in colourful, illustrated books aimed primarily at middle school readers. In just 32 pages, children learn what transphobia is and how they can be “gender transcenders.” The language is age appropriate, and the cartoon-like illustrations by Nick Johnson offer young readers many entry points for exploring the topic. A good choice for school and public libraries. I'm recommending it for ages 9-15, and it is accessible to younger readers with occasional help from an adult to explain unfamiliar topics. See my full review at https://mmbookshelf.wordpress.com/201...
April 8, 2017
I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a good middle school read about transgender individuals, respecting their rights, their feelings, their name and their pronouns. It teaches the reader how to identify transphobia and how to handle or battle against it. While some people have suggested it's too Canadian (Is that a thing? Is it like being too polite?) I really don't think children in the proper age range (middle school) will have any trouble with the semantics of washrooms versus bathrooms. This book is well suited to both individual and group reading.
I do want to point out that one of the quizzes has what I believe is a reversal of answers. On page 17 of the print copy (19 in the galley) question 8 seems to have the correct responses (put up vs. speak up) for options b and c reversed. Doing nothing is clearly not speaking up.
This book is a good middle school read about transgender individuals, respecting their rights, their feelings, their name and their pronouns. It teaches the reader how to identify transphobia and how to handle or battle against it. While some people have suggested it's too Canadian (Is that a thing? Is it like being too polite?) I really don't think children in the proper age range (middle school) will have any trouble with the semantics of washrooms versus bathrooms. This book is well suited to both individual and group reading.
I do want to point out that one of the quizzes has what I believe is a reversal of answers. On page 17 of the print copy (19 in the galley) question 8 seems to have the correct responses (put up vs. speak up) for options b and c reversed. Doing nothing is clearly not speaking up.
January 29, 2017
Do we need another book on transgender and transphobia. Yeah, unfortunately, we do. As long as there are people out there that don't get it, the more we will need these sorts of books. And this book is very clear, and gives examples of how to know if you are being transphobic, and what you can do about it.
The books uses cute, bright cartoons, as well as cleaver and funny situations to explain their points. The people include POC and is very diverse.
This book is apparently part of a series. The other books are about anxiety, bullying, cyberbullying, gossip, homophobia, racism, and teasing. I am so glad that there are such important books in this series, and I hope that everyone in middle school gets to read and work with these texts.
This book should be available in school and public libraries.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
The books uses cute, bright cartoons, as well as cleaver and funny situations to explain their points. The people include POC and is very diverse.
This book is apparently part of a series. The other books are about anxiety, bullying, cyberbullying, gossip, homophobia, racism, and teasing. I am so glad that there are such important books in this series, and I hope that everyone in middle school gets to read and work with these texts.
This book should be available in school and public libraries.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
February 15, 2017
this book is a great resource for middle school students and people of all ages. it provides information for kids questioning their gender identity as well as kids who simply want to know more about trans issues and combatting transphobia. the illustrations were cute and included lots of diversity. :)
October 31, 2017
I would love to see this book in sex-ed classes everywhere. It covers in a way tweens, teens, and adults can understand Transphobia and what to do when you see it happening. In today's world, where LGBT+ are often ostracized, ridiculed, and bullied by peers and those in authority positions, this book is more important than ever.
April 26, 2017
this is a great book. Explains things in a simpler way to young kids. Pictures are so well drawn
September 14, 2023
Content warnings are listed at the end of my review!
Looking at this, then looking at the publication date gave me incredible whiplash as it comes off as significantly older than it actually is (and not just because of the actually charming nostalgic graphic design, that was cute). I can tell this is more of a middle grade book since it gets a lot more in the text department, and actually chips away at some pretty complex ideas. The issue it doesn't come away from is missing some of the nuances, some instances are more or less forgivable. Positively, it does try pretty hard to be engaging and walk you through examples to back up and further elaborate the points it is trying to get across. Overall, it gives conflicting delivery on who this is for, trans people or allies, with my best bet being both just clunkily executed. It's an alright attempt, and not the worst book I've seen, but the glaring errors that it did have really shocked me when I found out it's a late 2010s rather than early 2010s or prior. I'm glad someone's trying to write to explain transphobia for a younger audience, but this misses the mark.
So the book itself has diverse presentation accompanied by good illustrations showing in detail what transphobia is. It works to define the overlap and differences of transphobia, homophobia, sexism, and enbyphobia, and is blunt with the fact this behavior is damaging. We get some quizzes to test how well we can label each of these scenarios, and has some gray area scenarios that involve multiple- albeit not always elaborating much on it. This section also says outright that outing "might" be transphobic, which is a horribly lukewarm answer, with no elaboration on what kind of issues outing can bring up. There's an "Dear Abby" section reflecting different scenarios talking about allyship, asking trans people questions, sexuality, and the difference between gender nonconformity and being trans. There's a myths and more "Dear Abby" before another quiz aimed at seeing how you respond to transphobia, geared at trans people but really offers nothing productive to prompt self reflection, it just feels weirdly invasive with a slight undertone of judgement from how it is framed. It gives some trans and ally dos and don'ts, bluntly listing the t slur but not any other harmful language for allies to avoid, encourages allies to report transphobic violence even if the trans victim says not to without any elaboration of how that could out them, says to ignore when a substitute teacher is being very transphobic, ignore a group of people humoring committing a hate crime? These instances on top of using GLBTQ instead of LGBTQ and transphobic used as a noun "a transphobic" in 2017 blows my mind.
Audience: I'm inclined to say middle grade trans kids, because where it drops the ball on information for allies, it drops the ball hard. If this is the only book you have access to, it somewhat works, but there's better books out there. I don't recommend.
Content Warnings: anxiety, bullying, depression, enbyphobia, gender stereotypes, harassment, homophobia, murder, outing, sexism, slurs, suicide, violence, misgendering
Looking at this, then looking at the publication date gave me incredible whiplash as it comes off as significantly older than it actually is (and not just because of the actually charming nostalgic graphic design, that was cute). I can tell this is more of a middle grade book since it gets a lot more in the text department, and actually chips away at some pretty complex ideas. The issue it doesn't come away from is missing some of the nuances, some instances are more or less forgivable. Positively, it does try pretty hard to be engaging and walk you through examples to back up and further elaborate the points it is trying to get across. Overall, it gives conflicting delivery on who this is for, trans people or allies, with my best bet being both just clunkily executed. It's an alright attempt, and not the worst book I've seen, but the glaring errors that it did have really shocked me when I found out it's a late 2010s rather than early 2010s or prior. I'm glad someone's trying to write to explain transphobia for a younger audience, but this misses the mark.
So the book itself has diverse presentation accompanied by good illustrations showing in detail what transphobia is. It works to define the overlap and differences of transphobia, homophobia, sexism, and enbyphobia, and is blunt with the fact this behavior is damaging. We get some quizzes to test how well we can label each of these scenarios, and has some gray area scenarios that involve multiple- albeit not always elaborating much on it. This section also says outright that outing "might" be transphobic, which is a horribly lukewarm answer, with no elaboration on what kind of issues outing can bring up. There's an "Dear Abby" section reflecting different scenarios talking about allyship, asking trans people questions, sexuality, and the difference between gender nonconformity and being trans. There's a myths and more "Dear Abby" before another quiz aimed at seeing how you respond to transphobia, geared at trans people but really offers nothing productive to prompt self reflection, it just feels weirdly invasive with a slight undertone of judgement from how it is framed. It gives some trans and ally dos and don'ts, bluntly listing the t slur but not any other harmful language for allies to avoid, encourages allies to report transphobic violence even if the trans victim says not to without any elaboration of how that could out them, says to ignore when a substitute teacher is being very transphobic, ignore a group of people humoring committing a hate crime? These instances on top of using GLBTQ instead of LGBTQ and transphobic used as a noun "a transphobic" in 2017 blows my mind.
Audience: I'm inclined to say middle grade trans kids, because where it drops the ball on information for allies, it drops the ball hard. If this is the only book you have access to, it somewhat works, but there's better books out there. I don't recommend.
Content Warnings: anxiety, bullying, depression, enbyphobia, gender stereotypes, harassment, homophobia, murder, outing, sexism, slurs, suicide, violence, misgendering
August 10, 2019
Transphobia Deal with it and be a Gender Transgender written by J Wallace Skelton, Illustrated by Nick Johnson. This short little entry packs a lot of punch by defining what transphobia is, what it isn’t and how to deal with it no matter how the reader identifies. Using easy to understand language, a variety of text styles and full color illustrations this picture book size title gives the vibe of a graphic novel. Quizzes giving readers options on how to handle situations help prepare youngsters and remove anxiety. Written in Canada, all stats reflect those of that country, however it would be easy to add similar stats for the reader’s home country to an end page. Many middle school students will be attracted to the topic and/or the presentation making this a must have for all middle school libraries. Grades 5-7.
September 16, 2017
This was a good book, especially for the target youth audience. It's a very open book regarding gender and identity that would be good for more kids to have a better understanding of.
I was happy to read this because looking at it, it doesn't feel like a lot of other LGBT books I've read, even youth-aimed books don't always come across as welcoming as this, which could make it more appealing to pick up and read through.
The content itself is explained very well and covers a lot considering it's a fairly small book. I'd recommend it.
I was happy to read this because looking at it, it doesn't feel like a lot of other LGBT books I've read, even youth-aimed books don't always come across as welcoming as this, which could make it more appealing to pick up and read through.
The content itself is explained very well and covers a lot considering it's a fairly small book. I'd recommend it.
October 4, 2022
This is an informative book about what transphobia is. The title feels a bit awkward to me and some of the wording throughout feels a bit off (such as "you're not a transphobic, are you?" on page 20, are you a transphobic?" on page 22, and "it's estimated that 1 in 500 people are transsexual" on page 12). However, I really like the book overall because there so are many examples of what transphobia may look like in real life and suggestions on how one might handle it. I especially appreciate that the book brings up beliefs we've been taught and how they can be hurtful to others if we don't challenge them.
February 14, 2018
Numerous issues, including possible previous publication
March 3, 2022
Great resources for kids, teens, adults alike. Important conversations had in a clear and digestible way with fun/engaging illustrations!
March 24, 2023
poggies
April 28, 2017
This is a very short book, but I was impressed with the way it handled the role of cultural and gender stereotypes as related to trans-ness. One thing that has always frustrated me is the hard line between viewing gender as a social construct (which it is), and the ways in which most trans people seem to find themselves drawn to gendered things. For instance, it is common to hear, "I liked girl clothes" or "I was into boy toys." Although I have read a lot of books about trans issues, this is the first one that I felt satisfactorily helped me to deal with the role of gender stereotypes in many people's journey to authenticity while at the same time denying that clothes, habits, interests, sexuality, etc. have anything to do with one's gender. Although they CAN, they do not need to. The book suggests that when a person finds themselves thinking about how they do not fit in with perceptions of gender, this might be a place where they realize a truth about their gender identity - not because they do or don't shave their legs, but because they believe that their desire is counter to a particular gender that they feel pressured to perform as. One of the major complaints that I have encountered among reviewers of personal stories of transness is that these journies typically involve buying into a gender stereotype ("liking "girly" things) at the same time that they ask the reader to move beyond stereotypical conceptions of gender. The point, however, is not whether or not cooking or pink is really girly or not - it's that these stereotypes help people to identify dissonance between societal expectations of and their own experiences of their gender identity. You can have a trans girl who still does all sorts of "guy" things - but for many trans women, it is the desire to be perceived as a woman (with all the stereotypes therein) that provides clues to their own identity. This was an eye-opener for me, and I felt it was well-explained and managed to not alienate any path to transness or gender expression.
April 15, 2017
This is a very important book! Although it appears to be targeted towards younger audiences, it needs to be read by people of all ages. Applause for Skelton to tackle the issue in a mature and informative manner. I especially appreciated the little quizzes that would engage a young reader and sensitise them.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for this review!
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for this review!
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