What do you think?
Rate this book
LIMINAL
Gilbert Calleja's photographic expose of the Maltese transgender community. It includes works from 2010-2013
“We know we are close to some sexual frontier, to that chasm where meaning is about to break down. But we never know if we are really there. We want to know whether a man is a man, or a woman is a man, or if a woman is really a woman. But we don’t know: we think we are at the fault-lines of sexual identity, staring down at this chasm, this death of gender, this breakdown of meaning. Instead, Calleja’s work must make us reconsider: how important is it for us to know? Do we need this kind of finality?”
– Matthew Vella
“We know we are close to some sexual frontier, to that chasm where meaning is about to break down. But we never know if we are really there. We want to know whether a man is a man, or a woman is a man, or if a woman is really a woman. But we don’t know: we think we are at the fault-lines of sexual identity, staring down at this chasm, this death of gender, this breakdown of meaning. Instead, Calleja’s work must make us reconsider: how important is it for us to know? Do we need this kind of finality?”
– Matthew Vella
160 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2013
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 28, 2018
I've been waiting to 'read' this book for some time, finally managed. I'm still conflicted. The photos are nice and show the human side of things. However, I have huge problems with the essay.
The essayists and photographer are both external people to the trans community. This book was published in 2013, when the civil unions bill was being happening. Yet, some terms used are just cringe worthy. I'll ignore the term 'transexual' rather than 'transgender' because some trans people still identify with that term. However, too much importance was placed on surgeries and the physicality of trans people, even if to make a point that it doesn't matter - this point I didn't feel so much. It was mentioned around 2 times but from the descriptions, it appeared that actually it does matter and it's confusing. I'm not sure if the essayist was trying to get everyday, not-trans/queer people to think about it but it just resonate wrongly with me as a queer person.
Let me put a few quotes: '' without this all-important sexual organ to convey the finality to his subjects'' as if the genitalia are what makes us who we are and that's final!
''some were pre-op, others post-op, some were transvestites who lived as men wanting to be women, some were pre-op trans-lesbians'' the identities in this! Were these self-identifies by the photo subjects or is it something the essayist just wrote? Where is the sensitivity in this? Are humans just about operations? Where is the self-identity and distinction between presentation and identity?
The essayist used 'transsexual' throughout and some instances of 'trans' but then at one point mentioned 'gender identity'. Why was this mentioned only once? What was the point of switching language?
The way he spoke about the trans people! Also with a classist perspective. like ''We must admire her physicality (oh yes be a fetishist); the currency of her femininity (she was always female!); know her tastes, her choices, her decision to be a visible, productive member of society'' (so sex workers aren't productive members? cleaners? people that work in bars?)
He also put an emphasis when women were masculine that their ''gender-past'' was showing...so you're saying women (cis or trans) cannot be masculine?
Let me conclude by quoting the opening line ''have you come here out of curiosity, desire, for arousal...you are demographically speaking, not transexual, least of all gay'' There are projects by people out of the queer/trans community that have done good projects. Choosing to write about a group of people without some sensitivity training or actual input from trans people leads to such results. If there was consultation, the results are poor.
Nice photos, but very demeaning essay and scope.
The essayists and photographer are both external people to the trans community. This book was published in 2013, when the civil unions bill was being happening. Yet, some terms used are just cringe worthy. I'll ignore the term 'transexual' rather than 'transgender' because some trans people still identify with that term. However, too much importance was placed on surgeries and the physicality of trans people, even if to make a point that it doesn't matter - this point I didn't feel so much. It was mentioned around 2 times but from the descriptions, it appeared that actually it does matter and it's confusing. I'm not sure if the essayist was trying to get everyday, not-trans/queer people to think about it but it just resonate wrongly with me as a queer person.
Let me put a few quotes: '' without this all-important sexual organ to convey the finality to his subjects'' as if the genitalia are what makes us who we are and that's final!
''some were pre-op, others post-op, some were transvestites who lived as men wanting to be women, some were pre-op trans-lesbians'' the identities in this! Were these self-identifies by the photo subjects or is it something the essayist just wrote? Where is the sensitivity in this? Are humans just about operations? Where is the self-identity and distinction between presentation and identity?
The essayist used 'transsexual' throughout and some instances of 'trans' but then at one point mentioned 'gender identity'. Why was this mentioned only once? What was the point of switching language?
The way he spoke about the trans people! Also with a classist perspective. like ''We must admire her physicality (oh yes be a fetishist); the currency of her femininity (she was always female!); know her tastes, her choices, her decision to be a visible, productive member of society'' (so sex workers aren't productive members? cleaners? people that work in bars?)
He also put an emphasis when women were masculine that their ''gender-past'' was showing...so you're saying women (cis or trans) cannot be masculine?
Let me conclude by quoting the opening line ''have you come here out of curiosity, desire, for arousal...you are demographically speaking, not transexual, least of all gay'' There are projects by people out of the queer/trans community that have done good projects. Choosing to write about a group of people without some sensitivity training or actual input from trans people leads to such results. If there was consultation, the results are poor.
Nice photos, but very demeaning essay and scope.
Displaying 1 of 1 review