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mxunsmiley's review
2.0
There was too much emphasis on finding a scientific basis for being transgender, replete with details about biological systems and analogues in non-human animals, so much so that it was a slog at times to read. I don't think there is a need to find a "reason" for transgender people's existence.
It was also extremely repetitive in that Geri would receive validation of her gender from cis women along the lines of "But you have a real woman's soul, I never would have guessed!" or some such thing, and then inevitably the same women would praise Geri for getting surgery--a backhanded way of calling her a "good" trans woman because throughout the novel, there is a lot of scrutiny toward and rejection of pre-op and non-op trans women, even by Geri herself.
This only places trans women who do not receive the same approval, whether because they refuse to conform to gender stereotypes and norms or simply because they do not pass an arbitrary standard set by cis women, further on the fringes. It's interesting that Geri went into detail about how difficult it was to pretend to be straight so that she could be seen as an "acceptable" trans woman, yet she spent a lot of time criticizing other trans women.
Frankly much of the discussion on what makes a "real" woman reeked, especially when a lot of it ended on the refrain of "But you are a real woman, unlike those freakish t*annies". (A side note: the t-slur is used a lot, both reclaimed and in the real derogatory way, so beware of that.) I suppose I should be more understanding considering the time period, but the unquestioned biological and gender essentialism was astounding to me. Should it not be sufficient if a woman says she's a woman?
There's also a lot of New Age stuff that put me off. A lot of things in the book smacked of an insular white perspective to me in general, particularly when she mentions Jaya, a south Asian trans woman, and how she saw trans womanhood.
The writing is nothing to write home about, either. It's very matter-of-fact and not too engaging. I'd say that there is a lot of value in this memoir in the way of reading what it was like to be a lesbian trans woman during the rise of separatism and trans exclusionary radical feminism, particularly when, even today, there is little shown or said about lesbian trans women--and when they are mentioned, usually it is to say that they can't be lesbians, or to argue over whether cis lesbians should have sex with them.
It was also extremely repetitive in that Geri would receive validation of her gender from cis women along the lines of "But you have a real woman's soul, I never would have guessed!" or some such thing, and then inevitably the same women would praise Geri for getting surgery--a backhanded way of calling her a "good" trans woman because throughout the novel, there is a lot of scrutiny toward and rejection of pre-op and non-op trans women, even by Geri herself.
This only places trans women who do not receive the same approval, whether because they refuse to conform to gender stereotypes and norms or simply because they do not pass an arbitrary standard set by cis women, further on the fringes. It's interesting that Geri went into detail about how difficult it was to pretend to be straight so that she could be seen as an "acceptable" trans woman, yet she spent a lot of time criticizing other trans women.
Frankly much of the discussion on what makes a "real" woman reeked, especially when a lot of it ended on the refrain of "But you are a real woman, unlike those freakish t*annies". (A side note: the t-slur is used a lot, both reclaimed and in the real derogatory way, so beware of that.) I suppose I should be more understanding considering the time period, but the unquestioned biological and gender essentialism was astounding to me. Should it not be sufficient if a woman says she's a woman?
There's also a lot of New Age stuff that put me off. A lot of things in the book smacked of an insular white perspective to me in general, particularly when she mentions Jaya, a south Asian trans woman, and how she saw trans womanhood.
The writing is nothing to write home about, either. It's very matter-of-fact and not too engaging. I'd say that there is a lot of value in this memoir in the way of reading what it was like to be a lesbian trans woman during the rise of separatism and trans exclusionary radical feminism, particularly when, even today, there is little shown or said about lesbian trans women--and when they are mentioned, usually it is to say that they can't be lesbians, or to argue over whether cis lesbians should have sex with them.
rainberry's review
3.0
interesting read but gets a little boring + she presents a couple questionable ideas imo
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