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TRANS/gressive: How Transgender Activists Took on Gay Rights, Feminism, the Media & Congress ... and Won!
In the early 1990s, no one talked about transgender people, and no one knew one. We were not on TV or in movies. What formed the visible part of the transcommunity – overwhelmingly white, urban, and middle class – was also overwhelmingly focused on conferences, surgery or hormones and cisgender acceptance.
This was still a determinedly non-political population, often in defensive crouch because it was also constantly under attack by the media, police, local legislatures, feminists and even LGB-but-never-T advocates.
We were a group that still thought of ourselves as a collection of separate individuals, not a movement. What made political consciousness so difficult was that there was no “transgender section” of town, where we saw each other regularly.
And mainstream society mostly ignored us. And when it didn’t, it usually made clear it despised us. We were freaks. We were gendertrash.
We lived in a transient and indoor community that knew itself only a few days at a time during conferences at hotels out on the interstate.
But all that was about to change.
Even when politics are avoided, bringing despised and marginalized people together is itself a political act. Without realizing or intending it, the community was reaching critical mass.
Even in those pre-Internet, pre-cellphone days, enough transpeople were running into one another often enough to begin realizing we could be a force, that we didn’t really need cisgender acceptance. What we needed was our civil rights.
This is the inside story of how in just a few years, a handful of trans activists would come together in the face of enormous difficulties and opposition to launch from the very margins of society what would grow into the modern political movement for gender rights.
This was still a determinedly non-political population, often in defensive crouch because it was also constantly under attack by the media, police, local legislatures, feminists and even LGB-but-never-T advocates.
We were a group that still thought of ourselves as a collection of separate individuals, not a movement. What made political consciousness so difficult was that there was no “transgender section” of town, where we saw each other regularly.
And mainstream society mostly ignored us. And when it didn’t, it usually made clear it despised us. We were freaks. We were gendertrash.
We lived in a transient and indoor community that knew itself only a few days at a time during conferences at hotels out on the interstate.
But all that was about to change.
Even when politics are avoided, bringing despised and marginalized people together is itself a political act. Without realizing or intending it, the community was reaching critical mass.
Even in those pre-Internet, pre-cellphone days, enough transpeople were running into one another often enough to begin realizing we could be a force, that we didn’t really need cisgender acceptance. What we needed was our civil rights.
This is the inside story of how in just a few years, a handful of trans activists would come together in the face of enormous difficulties and opposition to launch from the very margins of society what would grow into the modern political movement for gender rights.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2017
4 people are currently reading
384 people want to read
About the author
Riki Anne Wilchins
7 books57 followersRiki Wilchins is an activist whose work has focused on the impact of gender norms. While she started out as a transgender leader -- founding the first national transgender advocacy group (GenderPAC) -- her analysis and work broadened over time to include discrimination and violence regardless of individuals' identity. While this perspective has been widely accepted, its breadth has provoked criticism by some in the transgender community. Wilchins' work and writing has often focused on youth, whom she not only sees as uniquely vulnerable to the gender system's pressures and harm, but whom she sees as capable of "looking with fresh eyes." Wilchins' work has been instrumental in bringing transgender rights into the mainstream LGBT movmement, and has helped bring awareness of the impact of gender norms to a wider audience. In 2001, Wilchins' work resulted in her being selected one of just six community activists named by TIME Magazine among its "100 Civic Innovators for the 21st Century."
A founding member of Camp Trans, since the mid-1990s Wilchins has been highly active in founding a number of organizations and events focused on gender issues, including:
The Transexual Menace, the first large direct action group for transgender rights, which was modeled along the lines of Queer Nation and which at one point boasted representatives in 40+ cities (co-founder Denise Norris).
Hermaphrodites With Attitude, the first direct action group for the intersex (co-founder Cheryl Chase, Executive Director of the ISNA, the Intersex Society of North America).
NYC Gay Community Center Gender Identity Project (co-founder Dr. Barbara Warren, Dir. of Social Services).
NYC Gay Community Center Transgender Health Empowerment Conference, an annual event (co-founder Dr. Barbara Warren, Dir. of Social Services).
Camp Trans, an annual educational event outside the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival that contests the exclusion of anyone who is not deemed a "womyn-born womyn" (co-founders Janice Walworth, Nancy Jean Burkholder).
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (co-founder Susan Wright, its first Exec. Dir.)
National Gender Lobby Day, an annual event on Capitol Hill (co-founder Phyllis Frye).
In 1995 Wilchins founded the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition GenderPAC, a tax-exempt organization focused on gender rights issues. GenderPAC originally focused on the transgender community, but gradually broadened its focus to include anyone who suffered discrimination or violence because of their gender identity or gender expression. GenderPAC described its mission as the creation of "classrooms, communities, and workplaces [that] are safe for everyone to learn, grow, and succeed - whether or not they meet expectations for masculinity and femininity."
In late 1999, the organization was incorporated and received tax-exempt status. In 2009 it rebranded and relaunched as a new organization, effectively ceasing operations as GenderPAC. While GenderPAC's Executive Director, Wilchins helped dozens of corporations as diverse as IBM, JP Morgan Chase, and Citigroup, as well as major funders like the Arcus and Gill Foundations to expand their employment non-discrimination policies to include gender identity and gender expression. GenderPAC's Congressional Non-Discrimination Pledge eventually had almost 200 sponsors, including both Republicans and US Senators. She helped compile and publish the GENIUS (Gender Equality National Index for Universities & Schools) Index, which rated and ranked schools' adoption of gender identity protections. During her watch, GenderPAC also launched the GenderYOUTH Network, which eventually supported student groups at 100+ schools in creating safer and friendlier environments for those who were gender non-conforming on their own campuses.
With help from researcher Emilia Lombardi, GenderPAC compiled and published the "1st National Survey of TransViolence," based on surveys provided by more than 500.
A founding member of Camp Trans, since the mid-1990s Wilchins has been highly active in founding a number of organizations and events focused on gender issues, including:
The Transexual Menace, the first large direct action group for transgender rights, which was modeled along the lines of Queer Nation and which at one point boasted representatives in 40+ cities (co-founder Denise Norris).
Hermaphrodites With Attitude, the first direct action group for the intersex (co-founder Cheryl Chase, Executive Director of the ISNA, the Intersex Society of North America).
NYC Gay Community Center Gender Identity Project (co-founder Dr. Barbara Warren, Dir. of Social Services).
NYC Gay Community Center Transgender Health Empowerment Conference, an annual event (co-founder Dr. Barbara Warren, Dir. of Social Services).
Camp Trans, an annual educational event outside the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival that contests the exclusion of anyone who is not deemed a "womyn-born womyn" (co-founders Janice Walworth, Nancy Jean Burkholder).
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (co-founder Susan Wright, its first Exec. Dir.)
National Gender Lobby Day, an annual event on Capitol Hill (co-founder Phyllis Frye).
In 1995 Wilchins founded the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition GenderPAC, a tax-exempt organization focused on gender rights issues. GenderPAC originally focused on the transgender community, but gradually broadened its focus to include anyone who suffered discrimination or violence because of their gender identity or gender expression. GenderPAC described its mission as the creation of "classrooms, communities, and workplaces [that] are safe for everyone to learn, grow, and succeed - whether or not they meet expectations for masculinity and femininity."
In late 1999, the organization was incorporated and received tax-exempt status. In 2009 it rebranded and relaunched as a new organization, effectively ceasing operations as GenderPAC. While GenderPAC's Executive Director, Wilchins helped dozens of corporations as diverse as IBM, JP Morgan Chase, and Citigroup, as well as major funders like the Arcus and Gill Foundations to expand their employment non-discrimination policies to include gender identity and gender expression. GenderPAC's Congressional Non-Discrimination Pledge eventually had almost 200 sponsors, including both Republicans and US Senators. She helped compile and publish the GENIUS (Gender Equality National Index for Universities & Schools) Index, which rated and ranked schools' adoption of gender identity protections. During her watch, GenderPAC also launched the GenderYOUTH Network, which eventually supported student groups at 100+ schools in creating safer and friendlier environments for those who were gender non-conforming on their own campuses.
With help from researcher Emilia Lombardi, GenderPAC compiled and published the "1st National Survey of TransViolence," based on surveys provided by more than 500.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 21, 2018
It’s really disturbing that she would crow about ending michfest - about this being the first major national political event trans activists had pulled off, that it signalled the end of female focused spaces... I couldn’t finish it. Instead of reading this, google what Davina Anne Gabriel wrote about Michfest in her trans feminist journal TransSisters to see a reasoned and empathetic trans perspective.
ETA: I went back and read the rest and she does do useful activism re violence against trans people, re inclusion by the HRC! But there’s still a lot about mean lesbians, means cis women. I think she just doesn’t grasp at all that being female is a specific experience and we have a right to discuss that and organize around it when we need to do so. Just as poc do. Just as trans people do. Separatism is not evil; it’s necessary. Read Marilyn Frye on it.
There’s also no understanding whatsoever re where the concerns are coming from re children and transition.
Really. there’s no discussion of any how anyone else may have formed a different point of view besides bigotry.. she glosses or dismisses. It’s just not a good history.
ETA: I went back and read the rest and she does do useful activism re violence against trans people, re inclusion by the HRC! But there’s still a lot about mean lesbians, means cis women. I think she just doesn’t grasp at all that being female is a specific experience and we have a right to discuss that and organize around it when we need to do so. Just as poc do. Just as trans people do. Separatism is not evil; it’s necessary. Read Marilyn Frye on it.
There’s also no understanding whatsoever re where the concerns are coming from re children and transition.
Really. there’s no discussion of any how anyone else may have formed a different point of view besides bigotry.. she glosses or dismisses. It’s just not a good history.
August 10, 2017
A copy was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I care very much about learning trans history and honoring trans elders. That’s why I wanted to read this book. It felt important to me, especially, to read a history of trans activism, as a trans activist and writer.
I am not from the same generation of trans folks as the author; I’m one generation behind, or perhaps two, depending on how you measure it. Trans communities have intense generation gaps that deeply impact frameworks, language and thinking; there are many generational divides. These days, I find myself wanting to reach both towards trans elders and towards trans youth and younger adults, wanting this very intensely. Wanting to hold on to history, especially activist history, because things keep repeating and we can learn so much from it, and also wanting to learn from younger generations, who have so much new thinking, new frameworks, new language to offer. I was hoping that this book might be a way to bridge some gaps, that it might document some trans activist history in a way that is accessible to younger generations of activists. That it could be a resource for that. I am torn about whether it actually is, as a whole, a resource for that. I mostly feel that it is not, unfortunately.
One of the key pieces is language. Wilchins uses language that is very outdated, most of the time; she is upfront about that in the foreward, to a certain extent. But in some ways, it feels like she doesn’t know r care about current language. For example, in the 90s she decided that her umbrella term for anyone who didn’t adhere to gender norms (transsexuals, cross dressers, butch women, gender non-conforming kids, whoever) was going to be genderqueer. She doesn’t use it as an identity label that people claim, but as a way she describes someone else’s gender, regardless of how they identify their own gender. She also never explains this; I know what she means because I read her first book (Read My Lips) and figured it out based on that knowledge. It may be because I identify as genderqueer that I continually found this confusing and jarring, but I don’t think so. I think it likely would be difficult for many people to parse, because it just isn’t how most trans and non-binary folks talk about gender these days. I found it especially difficult because it felt like part of what it was doing was erasing enby identities. I think a lot of younger trans and enby readers would have difficulty with this book because of language alone. And frankly, because of how intensely irreverent she is in the ways she talks about trans folks and trans identity. I found myself flinching quite often at the ways she was reclaiming the language of transmisogyny for herself, and I am fairly used to that kind of irreverent reclaiming.
I found this a very slow read; it took me a month, when many books take a day or two, unless they are books I only read before bed. (This wasn’t one of those; I definitely could not read this book before bed.) It was a slow read for a couple reasons. The first is that there were aspects of the text that irritated me enough to make me want to put it down. The second is that it has lengthy detailed descriptions of trans hating violence that felt gratuitous and were very difficult for me to read.
As a whole, it feels like this book is a bit confused about what it wants to be. It mostly seems to be an activist memoir by one U.S. based white trans activist, who did particular sorts of activism, and claims legacies and influences beyond that to other activist efforts. Except…it continually talks in sweeping generalities, makes huge claims about what was true then and what is true now, claims that go way beyond “this is my truth” to “this is the only truth”.
Near the end of the foreward, Wilchins says “it is not the story, but rather my story. It is what I experienced, what it was like to be there, and what it means now.” By the time I read that, I had already been irritated multiple times by the sweeping generalizations she was making, the way that a good portion of her statements were things that I knew personally were factually inaccurate, and was struck in particular by the frequent erasure of trans activists of color, particularly trans women of color. It comes at 7% and I had already stopped reading multiple times because I was so frustrated that because of how the foreward was written, she was implying in almost every sentence that she was telling a general trans activist history, our collective history, when in fact she was telling her own personal history. I was relieved that she wrote the sentences I quoted above, and hoped that this issue would be confined to the foreward and would not exist in the rest of the text. But, the thing is…this issue persists. She might have said once or twice in the foreward that she was telling her story, but the book wrestles constantly with attempting to tell the story. The best moments in it are when she lets herself tell her story. When she tries to tell the story, it is intensely pervasively white, frighteningly simplified, and very much centers particular sorts of activism. It is a story which still centers her, but speaks as if it’s everyone’s story, as if it’s universal.
There is this emblematic moment in the foreward a couple paragraphs after the passage I quoted, where the author names two other prominent white trans activists of her generation (Leslie Feinberg and Kate Bornstein), and says that they both were focused on other projects (Leslie on socialism, Kate on writing plays) and that she felt obligated to build a communal trans politics, because she “was the last one standing when the music stopped.” This is very much the sort of activist history the book contains: a singular history of someone who felt responsible for creating a movement by herself, and thinks of herself and her efforts at the center of trans activist history.
I found myself continually getting irritated and talking back to the text, because it’s full of deeply frustrating statements like “being a crossdresser might actually be the more revolutionary identity” when comparing crossdressers to transsexuals. Or when she describes trans exclusion at the Lesbian Sex Mafia as “cisgender lesbian sex perverts were now telling pre-ops that they weren’t woman enough to get tied up and whipped…I mean, really?” as if the problem of exclusion in kink communities (and kinky people in general) are laughable. Or when she claims Camp Trans was the “beginning of the end” for trans-exclusive policies in women’s spaces, as if they are now over.
And then there would also, right next to statements like this, be really astute analysis or really wonderful and important deeply specific stories about trans activist history that I learned from. For example, a couple paragraphs after that statement about LSM she says, “It was like there was this perpetual feminist circular firing squad that mustered into formation as each new generation and group confronted the ‘problem’ of gender non-conformity, but, with no awareness of prior similar situations, it was doomed to repeat past actions.” That right there, is a gem of analysis, something that feels deeply true to me as I read and recall trans activist histories and the histories of trans exclusion. Something that is incredibly usable for activists now, because that is still happening.
That’s the thing; reading this book is like spending time with an elder who thinks they know it all: infuriating sweeping generalities, outdated language, and incredible gems all at the same time. For me, the most useful gems were in chapter 1, which is mostly about Camp Trans. There are chapters about a variety of national efforts, activism around the murders of trans folks, activism with medical institutions, local NYC activist efforts. Depending on where you are coming from, any one of these might contain gems.
After being buoyed by finding really useful analysis and important stories in chapter 1, I found myself struggling to get through chapters 2 and 3, because there are so many detailed stories about violence towards trans folks. Very very detailed. That was the other thing that was hard about reading this book, and why I often put it down. These chapters recount violence in intense detail, but the titles of them are a warning, at least. Chapter 4 discusses child abuse, including child sexual abuse and recovery from child sexual abuse, in detail, and the title is not much of a warning. On top of that, out of nowhere, in any of the other chapters, there would suddenly be a detailed story of violence targeting trans folks, or trans folks committing suicide. It made for a difficult slow read. Basically, in this book more than most, I found myself wishing for trigger warnings at the beginning of each chapter or section. Or, if I am to really be honest about what I would prefer, it would be for a discussion of activism against violence targeting trans folks that treads much more carefully around sharing details, and shares only the ones that are necessary to talk about the activism.
I want to note that there are also moments where the book goes far outside the author’s own personal experience; this felt like delicate territory that was being stomped through rather carelessly and a bit too irreverently. For example, I was troubled by the way this book discussed kink and activism in kink communities; it felt like it bordered on anti-kink sentiments. I was also troubled by the way this book discussed intersex folks and intersex activism. It gave a bunch of details about the personal experience and body of an intersex activist, in a way that felt exploitative and like Wilchins was claiming the right to tell this person’s own story. Also, Wilchins is not intersex herself, and the book presents her own involvement in intersex activism as vitally important and instrumental. (Most of the book is like that, but it reads differently in activism centering other communities.)
Trigger warnings: Violence, murder, trans hatred and transmisogyny including slurs, police violence and sexual assault, as well as mentions of suicide, child physical abuse, child sexual abuse, child emotional abuse. Chs 2 & 3 are esp full of detailed accounts of violence and murder; Ch 4 is where most of the discussion of child abuse, esp child sexual abuse occurs. Discussion of kink that rides the line of anti-kink. Discussion of intersex identity that contains many details about nonconsensual surgery.
I care very much about learning trans history and honoring trans elders. That’s why I wanted to read this book. It felt important to me, especially, to read a history of trans activism, as a trans activist and writer.
I am not from the same generation of trans folks as the author; I’m one generation behind, or perhaps two, depending on how you measure it. Trans communities have intense generation gaps that deeply impact frameworks, language and thinking; there are many generational divides. These days, I find myself wanting to reach both towards trans elders and towards trans youth and younger adults, wanting this very intensely. Wanting to hold on to history, especially activist history, because things keep repeating and we can learn so much from it, and also wanting to learn from younger generations, who have so much new thinking, new frameworks, new language to offer. I was hoping that this book might be a way to bridge some gaps, that it might document some trans activist history in a way that is accessible to younger generations of activists. That it could be a resource for that. I am torn about whether it actually is, as a whole, a resource for that. I mostly feel that it is not, unfortunately.
One of the key pieces is language. Wilchins uses language that is very outdated, most of the time; she is upfront about that in the foreward, to a certain extent. But in some ways, it feels like she doesn’t know r care about current language. For example, in the 90s she decided that her umbrella term for anyone who didn’t adhere to gender norms (transsexuals, cross dressers, butch women, gender non-conforming kids, whoever) was going to be genderqueer. She doesn’t use it as an identity label that people claim, but as a way she describes someone else’s gender, regardless of how they identify their own gender. She also never explains this; I know what she means because I read her first book (Read My Lips) and figured it out based on that knowledge. It may be because I identify as genderqueer that I continually found this confusing and jarring, but I don’t think so. I think it likely would be difficult for many people to parse, because it just isn’t how most trans and non-binary folks talk about gender these days. I found it especially difficult because it felt like part of what it was doing was erasing enby identities. I think a lot of younger trans and enby readers would have difficulty with this book because of language alone. And frankly, because of how intensely irreverent she is in the ways she talks about trans folks and trans identity. I found myself flinching quite often at the ways she was reclaiming the language of transmisogyny for herself, and I am fairly used to that kind of irreverent reclaiming.
I found this a very slow read; it took me a month, when many books take a day or two, unless they are books I only read before bed. (This wasn’t one of those; I definitely could not read this book before bed.) It was a slow read for a couple reasons. The first is that there were aspects of the text that irritated me enough to make me want to put it down. The second is that it has lengthy detailed descriptions of trans hating violence that felt gratuitous and were very difficult for me to read.
As a whole, it feels like this book is a bit confused about what it wants to be. It mostly seems to be an activist memoir by one U.S. based white trans activist, who did particular sorts of activism, and claims legacies and influences beyond that to other activist efforts. Except…it continually talks in sweeping generalities, makes huge claims about what was true then and what is true now, claims that go way beyond “this is my truth” to “this is the only truth”.
Near the end of the foreward, Wilchins says “it is not the story, but rather my story. It is what I experienced, what it was like to be there, and what it means now.” By the time I read that, I had already been irritated multiple times by the sweeping generalizations she was making, the way that a good portion of her statements were things that I knew personally were factually inaccurate, and was struck in particular by the frequent erasure of trans activists of color, particularly trans women of color. It comes at 7% and I had already stopped reading multiple times because I was so frustrated that because of how the foreward was written, she was implying in almost every sentence that she was telling a general trans activist history, our collective history, when in fact she was telling her own personal history. I was relieved that she wrote the sentences I quoted above, and hoped that this issue would be confined to the foreward and would not exist in the rest of the text. But, the thing is…this issue persists. She might have said once or twice in the foreward that she was telling her story, but the book wrestles constantly with attempting to tell the story. The best moments in it are when she lets herself tell her story. When she tries to tell the story, it is intensely pervasively white, frighteningly simplified, and very much centers particular sorts of activism. It is a story which still centers her, but speaks as if it’s everyone’s story, as if it’s universal.
There is this emblematic moment in the foreward a couple paragraphs after the passage I quoted, where the author names two other prominent white trans activists of her generation (Leslie Feinberg and Kate Bornstein), and says that they both were focused on other projects (Leslie on socialism, Kate on writing plays) and that she felt obligated to build a communal trans politics, because she “was the last one standing when the music stopped.” This is very much the sort of activist history the book contains: a singular history of someone who felt responsible for creating a movement by herself, and thinks of herself and her efforts at the center of trans activist history.
I found myself continually getting irritated and talking back to the text, because it’s full of deeply frustrating statements like “being a crossdresser might actually be the more revolutionary identity” when comparing crossdressers to transsexuals. Or when she describes trans exclusion at the Lesbian Sex Mafia as “cisgender lesbian sex perverts were now telling pre-ops that they weren’t woman enough to get tied up and whipped…I mean, really?” as if the problem of exclusion in kink communities (and kinky people in general) are laughable. Or when she claims Camp Trans was the “beginning of the end” for trans-exclusive policies in women’s spaces, as if they are now over.
And then there would also, right next to statements like this, be really astute analysis or really wonderful and important deeply specific stories about trans activist history that I learned from. For example, a couple paragraphs after that statement about LSM she says, “It was like there was this perpetual feminist circular firing squad that mustered into formation as each new generation and group confronted the ‘problem’ of gender non-conformity, but, with no awareness of prior similar situations, it was doomed to repeat past actions.” That right there, is a gem of analysis, something that feels deeply true to me as I read and recall trans activist histories and the histories of trans exclusion. Something that is incredibly usable for activists now, because that is still happening.
That’s the thing; reading this book is like spending time with an elder who thinks they know it all: infuriating sweeping generalities, outdated language, and incredible gems all at the same time. For me, the most useful gems were in chapter 1, which is mostly about Camp Trans. There are chapters about a variety of national efforts, activism around the murders of trans folks, activism with medical institutions, local NYC activist efforts. Depending on where you are coming from, any one of these might contain gems.
After being buoyed by finding really useful analysis and important stories in chapter 1, I found myself struggling to get through chapters 2 and 3, because there are so many detailed stories about violence towards trans folks. Very very detailed. That was the other thing that was hard about reading this book, and why I often put it down. These chapters recount violence in intense detail, but the titles of them are a warning, at least. Chapter 4 discusses child abuse, including child sexual abuse and recovery from child sexual abuse, in detail, and the title is not much of a warning. On top of that, out of nowhere, in any of the other chapters, there would suddenly be a detailed story of violence targeting trans folks, or trans folks committing suicide. It made for a difficult slow read. Basically, in this book more than most, I found myself wishing for trigger warnings at the beginning of each chapter or section. Or, if I am to really be honest about what I would prefer, it would be for a discussion of activism against violence targeting trans folks that treads much more carefully around sharing details, and shares only the ones that are necessary to talk about the activism.
I want to note that there are also moments where the book goes far outside the author’s own personal experience; this felt like delicate territory that was being stomped through rather carelessly and a bit too irreverently. For example, I was troubled by the way this book discussed kink and activism in kink communities; it felt like it bordered on anti-kink sentiments. I was also troubled by the way this book discussed intersex folks and intersex activism. It gave a bunch of details about the personal experience and body of an intersex activist, in a way that felt exploitative and like Wilchins was claiming the right to tell this person’s own story. Also, Wilchins is not intersex herself, and the book presents her own involvement in intersex activism as vitally important and instrumental. (Most of the book is like that, but it reads differently in activism centering other communities.)
Trigger warnings: Violence, murder, trans hatred and transmisogyny including slurs, police violence and sexual assault, as well as mentions of suicide, child physical abuse, child sexual abuse, child emotional abuse. Chs 2 & 3 are esp full of detailed accounts of violence and murder; Ch 4 is where most of the discussion of child abuse, esp child sexual abuse occurs. Discussion of kink that rides the line of anti-kink. Discussion of intersex identity that contains many details about nonconsensual surgery.
August 15, 2017
*I received an ARC of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
Trans history isn’t something that’s often talked about, even when the topic of activism history or queer history comes up. In TRANS/gressive, Riki Anne Wilchins speaks about her own experiences with activism, specifically trans activism. She talks about how she was at the forefront of trans activism and how trans activism increased over time. This book follows the path of trans rights in social and political circles and how trans people fought for respect.
If you’re a self-proclaimed activist, feminist, LGBT+ person or advocate, you should absolutely read this book. As a trans person and a feminist, this book was incredibly important and meaningful to me. Beyond that, it’s informative. I learned far more than I expected to and I whole-heartedly believe everyone should read this.
LGBT+ history isn’t talked about enough, and even when it is talked about, trans history is often left out. In truth, trans people were an integral part to LGBT+ history and the fight for LGBT+ rights. Remember Stonewall? It’s thanks to Marsha P. Johnson, a trans woman, that Stonewall happened. This book gives even more examples of the importance of trans people in LGBT+ history. But it also intimately details what it’s been like to fight for trans rights.
Part of the reason I think it’s so important that everyone read this, but especially feminists and activists, is my frustration with a lot of activists. So often activists accuse others of being offensive or ignorant, but a lot of what they may find offensive made the trans community what it is. Did you know crossdressers were a major reason trans rights gained traction? And yet crossdressers can be berated by activists for trying to invade spaces!
On a similar note, it was crystal clear to me when I read this that the LGBT+ community is repeating history. A while ago, trans people were excluded from the LGBT+ community. LGB people tried to say that trans people didn’t belong in the community. They had to fight for the T in the acronym. Today, we see a repeat of barring people from the community. Asexual people are told they’re not queer enough to be in the community, just as trans people were told they weren’t queer enough.
The book addresses the rise of inequality in marginalized groups as said marginalized groups get more recognition. For example, when the LGBT+ community got more respect, lesbians and gay people began oppressing members of their own community. White, cis, able-bodied gays and lesbians were at the top of the hierarchy. That still happens today and it’s another case of repeating history that I think really needs to be acknowledged. I was happy to see that Wilchins points out inequality within the trans community and outside of it. The amount of respect a trans person gets can tie directly to their ethnicity and social status. Black trans women, especially poor black trans women, are more likely than any other LGBT+ demographic to be attacked. Wilchins fully acknowledges the inequalities in the LGBT+ community.
As I mentioned, Wilchins addresses transphobia within the LGB+ community. As trans people began to receive more attention, they were frequently kept out of LGB spaces. Wilchins recounts her experiences as a lesbian trans woman in lesbian spaces. Today we have TERFs (Trans Exclusionist Radical Feminists). When Wilchins was first prevented from entering a lesbian event, lesbians used the excuse that only “womyn-born-womyn” were permitted at the event. The irony is lesbian women fought against gender roles for themselves. Wilchins goes into more detail, and again, I think it’s very important to read about this history in order to prevent history repeating itself.
Wilchins speaks a bit about medical issues and how trans people had to fight for medical rights. She talks about homophobia and transphobia in medical communities, especially at Johns-Hopkins, and how trans people had to fight against this.
As informative as the book was, it was also humorous. The dry wit and occasionally self-deprecating humor kept me amused throughout.
My only complaints are the lack of information on nonbinary people and that the book was a bit repetitive at times.
I can’t believe there’s so much I didn’t know about my own community, and I’m sure there’s much more I still don’t know. Wilchins covered trans history from a few decades back and through recent years. I’ve lived through one or two of the events she cites, and it made the book affect me that much more. As I’ve said, every feminist and activist needs to read this.
Check out my review on my blog: https://loganetherealink.wordpress.co...
-------
This was an emotional and informative read. I'll review it as soon as possible but I'm behind on reviews right now and I really want to put a lot of effort and thought into this one, so it may take me a little while.
Trans history isn’t something that’s often talked about, even when the topic of activism history or queer history comes up. In TRANS/gressive, Riki Anne Wilchins speaks about her own experiences with activism, specifically trans activism. She talks about how she was at the forefront of trans activism and how trans activism increased over time. This book follows the path of trans rights in social and political circles and how trans people fought for respect.
If you’re a self-proclaimed activist, feminist, LGBT+ person or advocate, you should absolutely read this book. As a trans person and a feminist, this book was incredibly important and meaningful to me. Beyond that, it’s informative. I learned far more than I expected to and I whole-heartedly believe everyone should read this.
LGBT+ history isn’t talked about enough, and even when it is talked about, trans history is often left out. In truth, trans people were an integral part to LGBT+ history and the fight for LGBT+ rights. Remember Stonewall? It’s thanks to Marsha P. Johnson, a trans woman, that Stonewall happened. This book gives even more examples of the importance of trans people in LGBT+ history. But it also intimately details what it’s been like to fight for trans rights.
Part of the reason I think it’s so important that everyone read this, but especially feminists and activists, is my frustration with a lot of activists. So often activists accuse others of being offensive or ignorant, but a lot of what they may find offensive made the trans community what it is. Did you know crossdressers were a major reason trans rights gained traction? And yet crossdressers can be berated by activists for trying to invade spaces!
On a similar note, it was crystal clear to me when I read this that the LGBT+ community is repeating history. A while ago, trans people were excluded from the LGBT+ community. LGB people tried to say that trans people didn’t belong in the community. They had to fight for the T in the acronym. Today, we see a repeat of barring people from the community. Asexual people are told they’re not queer enough to be in the community, just as trans people were told they weren’t queer enough.
The book addresses the rise of inequality in marginalized groups as said marginalized groups get more recognition. For example, when the LGBT+ community got more respect, lesbians and gay people began oppressing members of their own community. White, cis, able-bodied gays and lesbians were at the top of the hierarchy. That still happens today and it’s another case of repeating history that I think really needs to be acknowledged. I was happy to see that Wilchins points out inequality within the trans community and outside of it. The amount of respect a trans person gets can tie directly to their ethnicity and social status. Black trans women, especially poor black trans women, are more likely than any other LGBT+ demographic to be attacked. Wilchins fully acknowledges the inequalities in the LGBT+ community.
As I mentioned, Wilchins addresses transphobia within the LGB+ community. As trans people began to receive more attention, they were frequently kept out of LGB spaces. Wilchins recounts her experiences as a lesbian trans woman in lesbian spaces. Today we have TERFs (Trans Exclusionist Radical Feminists). When Wilchins was first prevented from entering a lesbian event, lesbians used the excuse that only “womyn-born-womyn” were permitted at the event. The irony is lesbian women fought against gender roles for themselves. Wilchins goes into more detail, and again, I think it’s very important to read about this history in order to prevent history repeating itself.
Wilchins speaks a bit about medical issues and how trans people had to fight for medical rights. She talks about homophobia and transphobia in medical communities, especially at Johns-Hopkins, and how trans people had to fight against this.
As informative as the book was, it was also humorous. The dry wit and occasionally self-deprecating humor kept me amused throughout.
My only complaints are the lack of information on nonbinary people and that the book was a bit repetitive at times.
I can’t believe there’s so much I didn’t know about my own community, and I’m sure there’s much more I still don’t know. Wilchins covered trans history from a few decades back and through recent years. I’ve lived through one or two of the events she cites, and it made the book affect me that much more. As I’ve said, every feminist and activist needs to read this.
Check out my review on my blog: https://loganetherealink.wordpress.co...
-------
This was an emotional and informative read. I'll review it as soon as possible but I'm behind on reviews right now and I really want to put a lot of effort and thought into this one, so it may take me a little while.
June 26, 2018
*** Note: I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Publisher and author. ***
This is both a personal and thorough history of transgender activism. The narrative-based writing is accessible and compelling, while also being informative. I couldn't put it down. Excuse me while I read everything else by Wilchins.
This is both a personal and thorough history of transgender activism. The narrative-based writing is accessible and compelling, while also being informative. I couldn't put it down. Excuse me while I read everything else by Wilchins.
August 27, 2017
I was a bit scared of the content of this book taking into account the title. However, I have ended up being very pleased with it.
This is a book about Riki Wilchins' experience being a trans activist for decades. It highlights important changes and fights. It's particularly interesting to read about some of the situations that they had to face back in the 1970s and 1980s and the ones that continue today.
There are many quotes that got me thinking and taught me about the community in the US. For example, a quote that has stayed with me is "But it was certainly cisgender supremacists and trans-hating theorists within lesbian feminism who provided the intellectual firepower for transgender rejection and legitimated it as not just politically acceptable but politically correct." This is such an important quote that reflects the situation of trans activism that is still going nowadays. This specifically points at an all-women camp which threw out trans women because they were considered to be men by the organisers. It was really hard to read about that because those women were supposed to be defending women of all kinds, women who wanted to move away from patriarchy, but they decided that trans people who, just by existing, are facing the direct toxic attacks from what they were supposedly going against.
There are many references to lesbian and gay publications that felt like they could comment on the validity of trans people. The author also points out that the gay liberation movement and the gay rights movement would react differently to trans activism. It's interesting to see how they point out how harmful identity policing is and how being gatekeepers have caused many problems within the community and have lead to "division, hierarchy, and hurt." It feels so close to what is happening at the moment with non-binary identities and ace/aro/pan acceptance that it hurt a lot to read about their feelings at the time and how I could easily identify with some of them.
There is one thing that I appreciate Wilchins doing, that is pointing out how their position was one of certain privilege because they were able to get an education, they are white and they were able to keep a job even after coming out. There is an important part of the book that centers on work discrimination and how sex work was the only way to get money for many trans people, particularly trans women. This affected younger people of color who belonged to the working class. I like how that is outright mentioned.
There is also a good chunk of the book dedicated to the medical world. It's interesting to see how the trans community was torn when deciding to leave out trans people of the DSM. At first, I was surprised but, then, it made sense because many trans people don't have the money to pay for surgery so they need to be considered "ill" in order to ge their insurances to pay for the procedure. That's also the moment when intersex people are mentioned because they go through a lot of trauma when surgery is performed on them when they are born but are never told about it. It was nice to see how the two communities worked together from the get-to. All those policies regarding body-altering surgeries and consenting to them or not affected both groups. It was obviously different from one and the other but they came together and that is always good to see.
There is a detail that I wanted to mention before finishing this review. The author decides to mention Leelah Alcorn at the end because her death meant a lot for the Internet generations. I think that it is a good tribute to mention her case as part of this personal trans movement history.
*I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This is a book about Riki Wilchins' experience being a trans activist for decades. It highlights important changes and fights. It's particularly interesting to read about some of the situations that they had to face back in the 1970s and 1980s and the ones that continue today.
There are many quotes that got me thinking and taught me about the community in the US. For example, a quote that has stayed with me is "But it was certainly cisgender supremacists and trans-hating theorists within lesbian feminism who provided the intellectual firepower for transgender rejection and legitimated it as not just politically acceptable but politically correct." This is such an important quote that reflects the situation of trans activism that is still going nowadays. This specifically points at an all-women camp which threw out trans women because they were considered to be men by the organisers. It was really hard to read about that because those women were supposed to be defending women of all kinds, women who wanted to move away from patriarchy, but they decided that trans people who, just by existing, are facing the direct toxic attacks from what they were supposedly going against.
There are many references to lesbian and gay publications that felt like they could comment on the validity of trans people. The author also points out that the gay liberation movement and the gay rights movement would react differently to trans activism. It's interesting to see how they point out how harmful identity policing is and how being gatekeepers have caused many problems within the community and have lead to "division, hierarchy, and hurt." It feels so close to what is happening at the moment with non-binary identities and ace/aro/pan acceptance that it hurt a lot to read about their feelings at the time and how I could easily identify with some of them.
There is one thing that I appreciate Wilchins doing, that is pointing out how their position was one of certain privilege because they were able to get an education, they are white and they were able to keep a job even after coming out. There is an important part of the book that centers on work discrimination and how sex work was the only way to get money for many trans people, particularly trans women. This affected younger people of color who belonged to the working class. I like how that is outright mentioned.
There is also a good chunk of the book dedicated to the medical world. It's interesting to see how the trans community was torn when deciding to leave out trans people of the DSM. At first, I was surprised but, then, it made sense because many trans people don't have the money to pay for surgery so they need to be considered "ill" in order to ge their insurances to pay for the procedure. That's also the moment when intersex people are mentioned because they go through a lot of trauma when surgery is performed on them when they are born but are never told about it. It was nice to see how the two communities worked together from the get-to. All those policies regarding body-altering surgeries and consenting to them or not affected both groups. It was obviously different from one and the other but they came together and that is always good to see.
There is a detail that I wanted to mention before finishing this review. The author decides to mention Leelah Alcorn at the end because her death meant a lot for the Internet generations. I think that it is a good tribute to mention her case as part of this personal trans movement history.
*I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
January 9, 2022
contentious political biography. I credit her commitment even with having some bad takes here and there. people who have fought the past decades have made the climate for trans people more bearable and allowed for more people (like me) to feel safe enough to transition. A bad take does not take away from a good fighter.
July 4, 2017
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you are interested in LGBT History in America this is definitely a great book to read. Written by activist Riki Wilchins this book mostly focuses on her personal experience as a politically active trans woman, a founding member of Camp Trans and a member of the Transgender Menance.
Having done some research on my own in LGBT History I had known some of the things that Riki mentioned. I had heard about Michigans Womyn Music Festival and how they excluded Trans Woman from participating in it, but I hadn't known that there was a Camp right outside that protested against this, the Camp Trans, created and led by trans women, but also supported by many of the cis lesbians that had been visiting the festival. I had obviously known about the high amount of violence trans women, especially gnc, black and/or poor trans women faced, but reading about it like this from somebody who experienced it, is definitely something else than just knowing it happens. But there are many other things I didn't know and which were both hopeful and heartbreaking to read about, f.e. the fight trans woman had to go through to finally be seen by mainstream LGBT organizations and how these organizations kept refusing to pay any kind of attention to their plight.
Trigger warnings for assault, murder, transphobic and transmisogynistic slurs, police brutality and rape, as well as mentions of csa and incest.
One thing I didn't really like was how genderqueer people and people who fell outside of the gender binary were sometimes regarded as more radical, more political than binary or passing trans people. While trans people don't need to pass to deserve having their identity respected, those who do aren't automatically any less political than non-passing trans people. Also sometimes butch lesbians were referred to as genderqueer, which I didn't like at all, since I know a lot of butch lesbians (both cis and trans), who very much relate to their womanhood and would never identify as genderqueer simply because they are gender non-conforming (I felt these two terms were mixed up a bit).
All in all, however, this is a super interesting story about the history of transgender rights in the US and how they developed over time. I really liked how hopeful Riki was that maybe future generations can continue to change for the better as it is something I hope too. This book is incredibly well written and I enjoyed reading it a lot even though it is not always easy. Personally, I have to say this was very educational and very interesting and I can just recommend this book to anyone who is interested in History of transgender people and their fight in the United States.
If you are interested in LGBT History in America this is definitely a great book to read. Written by activist Riki Wilchins this book mostly focuses on her personal experience as a politically active trans woman, a founding member of Camp Trans and a member of the Transgender Menance.
Having done some research on my own in LGBT History I had known some of the things that Riki mentioned. I had heard about Michigans Womyn Music Festival and how they excluded Trans Woman from participating in it, but I hadn't known that there was a Camp right outside that protested against this, the Camp Trans, created and led by trans women, but also supported by many of the cis lesbians that had been visiting the festival. I had obviously known about the high amount of violence trans women, especially gnc, black and/or poor trans women faced, but reading about it like this from somebody who experienced it, is definitely something else than just knowing it happens. But there are many other things I didn't know and which were both hopeful and heartbreaking to read about, f.e. the fight trans woman had to go through to finally be seen by mainstream LGBT organizations and how these organizations kept refusing to pay any kind of attention to their plight.
Trigger warnings for assault, murder, transphobic and transmisogynistic slurs, police brutality and rape, as well as mentions of csa and incest.
One thing I didn't really like was how genderqueer people and people who fell outside of the gender binary were sometimes regarded as more radical, more political than binary or passing trans people. While trans people don't need to pass to deserve having their identity respected, those who do aren't automatically any less political than non-passing trans people. Also sometimes butch lesbians were referred to as genderqueer, which I didn't like at all, since I know a lot of butch lesbians (both cis and trans), who very much relate to their womanhood and would never identify as genderqueer simply because they are gender non-conforming (I felt these two terms were mixed up a bit).
All in all, however, this is a super interesting story about the history of transgender rights in the US and how they developed over time. I really liked how hopeful Riki was that maybe future generations can continue to change for the better as it is something I hope too. This book is incredibly well written and I enjoyed reading it a lot even though it is not always easy. Personally, I have to say this was very educational and very interesting and I can just recommend this book to anyone who is interested in History of transgender people and their fight in the United States.
January 25, 2022
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC copy of this book.
I got this book as part of a big find of a publisher that was offering so many queer books that I went a little wild requesting them all. This was the first one I sunk my teeth into. I have known of Riki Wilchins for a few years, but never really knew her name. I knew of the Transexual Menace (spelling intentional). I cited her work in my senior thesis in college that was about setting up a queer space on campus and how we could not rely on the Women’s Center or Intercultural center to provide that for us. Little did I know that Wilchins would have agreed with many of my points.
This book follows Wilchins’ life work of activism from challenging the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival to taking on the Human Rights Campaign. There is so much insider juiciness in this book. If you are a queer activist or a feminist, you have to give this book a shot. There is so much in here that is not public knowledge. The stuff that is public knowledge is because of Wilchin’s and her army. I was against the HRC due to its history of being anti-trans, but I didn’t know fully what was going on. Turns out Wilchins and her army faced off against them for many years challenging them for the very thing I had noticed and had been furious about. The very thing that the queer group on campus I was leading was sure I was making up. Wilchins not only validated how I felt, she went into a long discussion on how the HRC had hidden its motives and would out right lie about what it was doing to protect itself. It was a wonderful feeling to finally be told that no I wasn’t making things up and that someone else had already moved an army to fix the issues. The HRC has since become a much better ally.
Wilchins used “humor” to fight bigger fights. I put humor in quotes as many of her jokes came off as transphobic in general and was one of the reasons I did not attempt to join the Menace when I was in college when I first learned about them. Many of the “jokes” are referring to herself as a man in a dress or a man with a vagina on posters and fliers. I am not a woman with a dick. I don’t call myself that to make a point. That is the exact opposite that I am. If she had refereed to trans men as men with vaginas then that would have been more accurate (read less transphobic as that description has been taken back by many trans men, but still tread carefully) and I wouldn’t have cringed looking at her fliers. The newsletter she sent out read of a college newspaper that was trying too hard to be funny by making crass sex jokes, inflating her own ego, and again having transphobic jokes. I really could have done without all the transphobic language she used to shock people and be funny. The people she used it for were people who thought that language was correct so how is it funny or a joke? That is reinforcing their bad language.
While I have that issue with her methods, I am eternally grateful for what she was able to do and the people she was able to help. There was a section about the now defunct ISNA (Intersex Society of North America) which was also a group I followed very closely in college. There were sections on Lambda Legal and how they weren’t always trans friendly. Now one of the trans men that I know is a lawyer in their trans division. It is amazing to see the progress that has been made since Wilchin began her work. It is amazing to see the changes that are less than 30 years in the making.
My biggest issue with the book is yet again trans men are relegated a background role in the movement. They are mentioned when they are useful, but they are generally not discussed as needing help or anything. Their movement does not matter, it is really the movement of trans women and cross dressers (not the same thing, I am sad to have to make this note). The only living trans men that were even mentioned were Jamison Green who is a huge activist for trans men who was slightly brushed over and Wilchin’s friend who started a trans man group for police officers. The only other trans man was Brandon Teena, which was a pretty amazing section of the book. That section is why I have an issue with the rest. There is great mention of the issues and what was done and then BAM background characters for the rest. Otherwise the book solely focused on trans women and their needs while complaining that they were being excluded from movements. Seemed a bit hypocritical to me, always has. One of my biggest issues with the trans movement in general is the hypocrisy. In this case trans women get the show and trans men are left picking up scraps, but then complain that they are excluded from other spaces. I know part of that is trans men tend to pass better so they tend to move on with their lives. They become more than one identity. According to Wilchins trans people who pass are transphobic and don’t wish to be seen around other trans people. This comes from someone who self-described never passes. So she creates an us-vs-them mentality of people who pass vs people who don’t. According to this I am transphobic as I pass as male 100% of the time. I would like to point out that I have for the last ten years been actively fighting for trans rights, have been educating people on gender and sexuality; and have run support groups for trans masculine people (the same people that feel that trans women have made other spaces unsafe and unwelcoming because of people like Wilchins). Yet, I am transphobic according to her logic. I will be the first to admit that I may not know the newest terms, but I try to respect everyone and learn when I come across a new identity instead of complaining that they don’t fit my already preconceived notions of gender identity. Which gets me started on her trans dinosaur piece that she published that equated hormone blockers and transitioning young as not being trans. According to her logic, I am also not trans because I pass and have had an “easy” transition.
So why the four stars? This is an amazing book of history and learning. It is a book about finding yourself through activism. It is a book that reads like standpoint theory, a weakness of mine. It is a sound book and it is one I would recommend to people who are starting to get more involved in activism. This would have been five stars if it focused on the history instead of making divides of who is and is not trans, which Wilchins says that she was upset with when her group started doing it in the 90s. Yet she does it repeatedly through this book and her other writings. So take the lessons and try and do better. Take the lessons and fight. Take the lessons and try to realize times are different and that in twenty years your language will be outdated. Try to learn the new language. Try and continue improving otherwise your great work may be overshadowed by your inability to change with the times as I am afraid Wilchins’ work will soon be.
I got an ARC copy of this book.
I got this book as part of a big find of a publisher that was offering so many queer books that I went a little wild requesting them all. This was the first one I sunk my teeth into. I have known of Riki Wilchins for a few years, but never really knew her name. I knew of the Transexual Menace (spelling intentional). I cited her work in my senior thesis in college that was about setting up a queer space on campus and how we could not rely on the Women’s Center or Intercultural center to provide that for us. Little did I know that Wilchins would have agreed with many of my points.
This book follows Wilchins’ life work of activism from challenging the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival to taking on the Human Rights Campaign. There is so much insider juiciness in this book. If you are a queer activist or a feminist, you have to give this book a shot. There is so much in here that is not public knowledge. The stuff that is public knowledge is because of Wilchin’s and her army. I was against the HRC due to its history of being anti-trans, but I didn’t know fully what was going on. Turns out Wilchins and her army faced off against them for many years challenging them for the very thing I had noticed and had been furious about. The very thing that the queer group on campus I was leading was sure I was making up. Wilchins not only validated how I felt, she went into a long discussion on how the HRC had hidden its motives and would out right lie about what it was doing to protect itself. It was a wonderful feeling to finally be told that no I wasn’t making things up and that someone else had already moved an army to fix the issues. The HRC has since become a much better ally.
Wilchins used “humor” to fight bigger fights. I put humor in quotes as many of her jokes came off as transphobic in general and was one of the reasons I did not attempt to join the Menace when I was in college when I first learned about them. Many of the “jokes” are referring to herself as a man in a dress or a man with a vagina on posters and fliers. I am not a woman with a dick. I don’t call myself that to make a point. That is the exact opposite that I am. If she had refereed to trans men as men with vaginas then that would have been more accurate (read less transphobic as that description has been taken back by many trans men, but still tread carefully) and I wouldn’t have cringed looking at her fliers. The newsletter she sent out read of a college newspaper that was trying too hard to be funny by making crass sex jokes, inflating her own ego, and again having transphobic jokes. I really could have done without all the transphobic language she used to shock people and be funny. The people she used it for were people who thought that language was correct so how is it funny or a joke? That is reinforcing their bad language.
While I have that issue with her methods, I am eternally grateful for what she was able to do and the people she was able to help. There was a section about the now defunct ISNA (Intersex Society of North America) which was also a group I followed very closely in college. There were sections on Lambda Legal and how they weren’t always trans friendly. Now one of the trans men that I know is a lawyer in their trans division. It is amazing to see the progress that has been made since Wilchin began her work. It is amazing to see the changes that are less than 30 years in the making.
My biggest issue with the book is yet again trans men are relegated a background role in the movement. They are mentioned when they are useful, but they are generally not discussed as needing help or anything. Their movement does not matter, it is really the movement of trans women and cross dressers (not the same thing, I am sad to have to make this note). The only living trans men that were even mentioned were Jamison Green who is a huge activist for trans men who was slightly brushed over and Wilchin’s friend who started a trans man group for police officers. The only other trans man was Brandon Teena, which was a pretty amazing section of the book. That section is why I have an issue with the rest. There is great mention of the issues and what was done and then BAM background characters for the rest. Otherwise the book solely focused on trans women and their needs while complaining that they were being excluded from movements. Seemed a bit hypocritical to me, always has. One of my biggest issues with the trans movement in general is the hypocrisy. In this case trans women get the show and trans men are left picking up scraps, but then complain that they are excluded from other spaces. I know part of that is trans men tend to pass better so they tend to move on with their lives. They become more than one identity. According to Wilchins trans people who pass are transphobic and don’t wish to be seen around other trans people. This comes from someone who self-described never passes. So she creates an us-vs-them mentality of people who pass vs people who don’t. According to this I am transphobic as I pass as male 100% of the time. I would like to point out that I have for the last ten years been actively fighting for trans rights, have been educating people on gender and sexuality; and have run support groups for trans masculine people (the same people that feel that trans women have made other spaces unsafe and unwelcoming because of people like Wilchins). Yet, I am transphobic according to her logic. I will be the first to admit that I may not know the newest terms, but I try to respect everyone and learn when I come across a new identity instead of complaining that they don’t fit my already preconceived notions of gender identity. Which gets me started on her trans dinosaur piece that she published that equated hormone blockers and transitioning young as not being trans. According to her logic, I am also not trans because I pass and have had an “easy” transition.
So why the four stars? This is an amazing book of history and learning. It is a book about finding yourself through activism. It is a book that reads like standpoint theory, a weakness of mine. It is a sound book and it is one I would recommend to people who are starting to get more involved in activism. This would have been five stars if it focused on the history instead of making divides of who is and is not trans, which Wilchins says that she was upset with when her group started doing it in the 90s. Yet she does it repeatedly through this book and her other writings. So take the lessons and try and do better. Take the lessons and fight. Take the lessons and try to realize times are different and that in twenty years your language will be outdated. Try to learn the new language. Try and continue improving otherwise your great work may be overshadowed by your inability to change with the times as I am afraid Wilchins’ work will soon be.
February 1, 2019
“It is not the story, but rather my story. It is what I experienced, what it was like to be there, and what it means now.”
DISCLAIMER: an Arc is provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
TRIGGER WARNING: This is a non-fiction book which contains the notion and stories of violence, transphobia, hatred, transmisogyny, sexual assault, suicide, child physical abuse, child sexual and emotional abuse.
An interesting reading but may be a slow one to read.
Full review: https://literatureisliving.wordpress....
DISCLAIMER: an Arc is provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
TRIGGER WARNING: This is a non-fiction book which contains the notion and stories of violence, transphobia, hatred, transmisogyny, sexual assault, suicide, child physical abuse, child sexual and emotional abuse.
An interesting reading but may be a slow one to read.
Full review: https://literatureisliving.wordpress....
August 7, 2017
Amazing behind the scenes book at the inside history of transgender activism in America. A must read for anyone interested in gender studies.
September 3, 2017
(Received from NetGalley)
This book should be a must-read for all young LGBTQ+ folks (and all cishet folks, but that's a harder sell, I know). I'm constantly amazed at how so many young people in the LGBTQ+ community, myself included, know so little about the history of LGBTQ+ folks' struggle for rights in the US. And even when we hear about history, it tends to be centered on a very certain group of people, usually middle/upper class cis white gay men and lesbians.
This book fills in the gaps in a big way. I learned so much about the history of trans activism from this book, and I know it only scratches the surface. Riki Wilchins is great at sharing history in a way that makes it engaging and interesting, and she does a great job taking credit for the important work that she did while also giving credit to the many, many other folks who worked for the rights that we young folks take for granted.
TRANS/gressive touches on issues from trans exclusion from LGBTQ+ spaces to the violence and murder of trans folks, especially trans WOC, and shows that trans rights are both a political and personal issue that deserve a place in the spotlight, both in history and today. I found this book both inspiring and humbling, both solemn and hopeful. From reading this book I not only know more about the history of trans rights and activism in the US, but also have learned more about how far we have left to go and tactics that have worked in the past. Learning from the past in order to prepare for the future is an important aspect of activism, and this book is an invaluable resource.
This book should be a must-read for all young LGBTQ+ folks (and all cishet folks, but that's a harder sell, I know). I'm constantly amazed at how so many young people in the LGBTQ+ community, myself included, know so little about the history of LGBTQ+ folks' struggle for rights in the US. And even when we hear about history, it tends to be centered on a very certain group of people, usually middle/upper class cis white gay men and lesbians.
This book fills in the gaps in a big way. I learned so much about the history of trans activism from this book, and I know it only scratches the surface. Riki Wilchins is great at sharing history in a way that makes it engaging and interesting, and she does a great job taking credit for the important work that she did while also giving credit to the many, many other folks who worked for the rights that we young folks take for granted.
TRANS/gressive touches on issues from trans exclusion from LGBTQ+ spaces to the violence and murder of trans folks, especially trans WOC, and shows that trans rights are both a political and personal issue that deserve a place in the spotlight, both in history and today. I found this book both inspiring and humbling, both solemn and hopeful. From reading this book I not only know more about the history of trans rights and activism in the US, but also have learned more about how far we have left to go and tactics that have worked in the past. Learning from the past in order to prepare for the future is an important aspect of activism, and this book is an invaluable resource.
December 28, 2017
Riki Wilchins has this way of telling stories at the same time of giving facts and information that makes you want to investigate more about it. Everything about this book is human, fragile, raw, and it is a must read of intersectional feminism.
I believe most times, people shut trans people out of certain discussions because of transphobia or because it is more "comfortable" for them. This book shows that reality that people try to ignore exists, the wall built in the "accepting communities" they know and want to believe exist at the same time it gives solutions and opens up the door for discussion.
I love Wilchins writings and I look forward to read more.
I believe most times, people shut trans people out of certain discussions because of transphobia or because it is more "comfortable" for them. This book shows that reality that people try to ignore exists, the wall built in the "accepting communities" they know and want to believe exist at the same time it gives solutions and opens up the door for discussion.
I love Wilchins writings and I look forward to read more.
May 13, 2019
A spirited and fun (as it can be, given the gravity of the topic) trans rights history covering about 1990 to 2012, by a well known trans author and activist. This is a quick readable story, told with each chapter focused on a specific action/demonstration and all the details leading up to them, and then their results. The structure works very well. As an editor, several formatting and spell check typos stood out, but they are minor enough not to disrupt the flow.
December 20, 2017
I came across this on netgalley a little while back, and have been all but desperate to read it ever since.
Pretty much what it says on the box, badass trans folks taking on the world and somehow winning. Yet, somehow, it feels like a whole lot more. We have so little LGBTQIAPN+ history - more now than we used to, but still far less than we should, and even within the stories of queer stories, it so often feels like the T is forgotten. Thus, coming across a full book of trans and queer history took me a little aback, and it took far longer to read than what I'd expected. This both caused by sudden business in my own life, but also simply because it's so much.
Wilchins doesn't stick to any single 'side' of history, neither the good nor the bad, and although the book definetly covers amazing activist work and the many ways it changed the world, it also covers many of those lost in the process - so make sure to take some time, take breaks, and pace yourself and your reading.
What makes the book really stand out for me is the fact that, whilst it tells the story of the American trans community as a more or less whole, it's written as a memoir; covering not only the goals achieved, but also Wilchins' own experiences along the way, giving, not quite a face, but rather a personality to the work done - both Wilchins' own, but also the countless friends and others that have somehow helped, or influenced and affected. Wilchins never shyes away from taking credit for all the work they've done, but they also makes sure to name the people they met through the community, and all the work they did.
A bit heavy on the language at times, making it a somewhat slow read, but all in all, a strong 4/5 stars!
Merged review:
I came across this on netgalley a little while back, and have been all but desperate to read it ever since.
Pretty much what it says on the box, badass trans folks taking on the world and somehow winning. Yet, somehow, it feels like a whole lot more. We have so little LGBTQIAPN+ history - more now than we used to, but still far less than we should, and even within the stories of queer stories, it so often feels like the T is forgotten. Thus, coming across a full book of trans and queer history took me a little aback, and it took far longer to read than what I'd expected. This both caused by sudden business in my own life, but also simply because it's so much.
Wilchins doesn't stick to any single 'side' of history, neither the good nor the bad, and although the book definetly covers amazing activist work and the many ways it changed the world, it also covers many of those lost in the process - so make sure to take some time, take breaks, and pace yourself and your reading.
What makes the book really stand out for me is the fact that, whilst it tells the story of the American trans community as a more or less whole, it's written as a memoir; covering not only the goals achieved, but also Wilchins' own experiences along the way, giving, not quite a face, but rather a personality to the work done - both Wilchins' own, but also the countless friends and others that have somehow helped, or influenced and affected. Wilchins never shyes away from taking credit for all the work they've done, but they also makes sure to name the people they met through the community, and all the work they did.
A bit heavy on the language at times, making it a somewhat slow read, but all in all, a strong 4/5 stars!
Pretty much what it says on the box, badass trans folks taking on the world and somehow winning. Yet, somehow, it feels like a whole lot more. We have so little LGBTQIAPN+ history - more now than we used to, but still far less than we should, and even within the stories of queer stories, it so often feels like the T is forgotten. Thus, coming across a full book of trans and queer history took me a little aback, and it took far longer to read than what I'd expected. This both caused by sudden business in my own life, but also simply because it's so much.
Wilchins doesn't stick to any single 'side' of history, neither the good nor the bad, and although the book definetly covers amazing activist work and the many ways it changed the world, it also covers many of those lost in the process - so make sure to take some time, take breaks, and pace yourself and your reading.
What makes the book really stand out for me is the fact that, whilst it tells the story of the American trans community as a more or less whole, it's written as a memoir; covering not only the goals achieved, but also Wilchins' own experiences along the way, giving, not quite a face, but rather a personality to the work done - both Wilchins' own, but also the countless friends and others that have somehow helped, or influenced and affected. Wilchins never shyes away from taking credit for all the work they've done, but they also makes sure to name the people they met through the community, and all the work they did.
A bit heavy on the language at times, making it a somewhat slow read, but all in all, a strong 4/5 stars!
Merged review:
I came across this on netgalley a little while back, and have been all but desperate to read it ever since.
Pretty much what it says on the box, badass trans folks taking on the world and somehow winning. Yet, somehow, it feels like a whole lot more. We have so little LGBTQIAPN+ history - more now than we used to, but still far less than we should, and even within the stories of queer stories, it so often feels like the T is forgotten. Thus, coming across a full book of trans and queer history took me a little aback, and it took far longer to read than what I'd expected. This both caused by sudden business in my own life, but also simply because it's so much.
Wilchins doesn't stick to any single 'side' of history, neither the good nor the bad, and although the book definetly covers amazing activist work and the many ways it changed the world, it also covers many of those lost in the process - so make sure to take some time, take breaks, and pace yourself and your reading.
What makes the book really stand out for me is the fact that, whilst it tells the story of the American trans community as a more or less whole, it's written as a memoir; covering not only the goals achieved, but also Wilchins' own experiences along the way, giving, not quite a face, but rather a personality to the work done - both Wilchins' own, but also the countless friends and others that have somehow helped, or influenced and affected. Wilchins never shyes away from taking credit for all the work they've done, but they also makes sure to name the people they met through the community, and all the work they did.
A bit heavy on the language at times, making it a somewhat slow read, but all in all, a strong 4/5 stars!
July 12, 2017
This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review . TRANS/gressive is a history. TRANS/gressive is a retelling. It is a history of a movement. It is a history of people growing into political consciousness. It is a history of an individual’s journey through that movement; their role within it, their view of it, and their doubts about a movement that they had helped to build.
This book outlines the changes within the Trans community. How trans individuals went from; shame to anger, from anger to empowerment, and from empowerment to the roots of victory. It is the story of how these individuals took on the entrenched views of the feminist movement and the violence of the wider community. It is a story of how the politicised trans community; lobbied, protested, set up camps, held vigils, and found community. It is the story of how they began to win victories. It is the story of division and struggle. It is the story of the disagreements that emerged in victory. This book is a good introduction to a newly emerging movement. It is a good place to start if you want to gain an understanding of how a marginalised group; grew into political awareness, found solidarity, began to fight political campaigns, began to win victories, and changed our world. It is written in a very accessible manner. It is a must read for all who wish to understand; the birth of a movement that is shaping our world and how individuals become politicised.
This book outlines the changes within the Trans community. How trans individuals went from; shame to anger, from anger to empowerment, and from empowerment to the roots of victory. It is the story of how these individuals took on the entrenched views of the feminist movement and the violence of the wider community. It is a story of how the politicised trans community; lobbied, protested, set up camps, held vigils, and found community. It is the story of how they began to win victories. It is the story of division and struggle. It is the story of the disagreements that emerged in victory. This book is a good introduction to a newly emerging movement. It is a good place to start if you want to gain an understanding of how a marginalised group; grew into political awareness, found solidarity, began to fight political campaigns, began to win victories, and changed our world. It is written in a very accessible manner. It is a must read for all who wish to understand; the birth of a movement that is shaping our world and how individuals become politicised.
September 27, 2018
TRANS/aggressive is a great resource and must read. From feminism to trans* history, you find personal insight, failures, and victories within this book. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to gain more knowledge about the transgender movement and how the movement has formed throughout the years. This is extremely important to the trans* community as a whole. I want to thank Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
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