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mae_ogas's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
rissasreading's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed reading this through. I love that there was such a huge collection of people with so many different backgrounds. This book talks about issues facing the LGBTQIA2+ community in forms of, state violence, hatred, fear, labels, terminology, and the unintended impacts of people, and society as a whole. I wish I had this book when I was younger as not only did it talk about issues facing the trans community, but it also centered on mental health. My favorite story of this collection being "Taking Up Space". I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to learn more about trans issues, and lives, as well as those who already are a part of the community and conversations just to hear from different people on their loved experience.
TWs: mention of eating disorders, sexual assault & harrassment, homophobia, and slurs (never used in a malicious way mostly to reclaim the words but some people may find it triggering to read on the page)
TWs: mention of eating disorders, sexual assault & harrassment, homophobia, and slurs (never used in a malicious way mostly to reclaim the words but some people may find it triggering to read on the page)
leguinstan's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
It hurts me to say this, considering the importance of publishing a diversity of stories reflecting the lived experiences of trans and gender non-conforming people, but I simply did not like this anthology :(
Gender Outlaws features over FORTY essays and a handful of poems, comic strips, and descriptions of art performances pieces. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these works did not make an impression on me and I think the anthology as a whole would have benefited from a more selective editorial process. A lot of the essays felt underdeveloped or simply did not stand out in comparison to other essays in the collection that explored similar themes. I also really disliked the use of text chats between the two authors as introductions to the different sections of the anthology. It didn't help me gain a greater appreciation of the essays and generally felt like a waste of time.
Luckily, there are a few essays that I think are actually good. In no particular order, these are my five personal favorites:
Gender Outlaws features over FORTY essays and a handful of poems, comic strips, and descriptions of art performances pieces. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these works did not make an impression on me and I think the anthology as a whole would have benefited from a more selective editorial process. A lot of the essays felt underdeveloped or simply did not stand out in comparison to other essays in the collection that explored similar themes. I also really disliked the use of text chats between the two authors as introductions to the different sections of the anthology. It didn't help me gain a greater appreciation of the essays and generally felt like a waste of time.
Luckily, there are a few essays that I think are actually good. In no particular order, these are my five personal favorites:
- "We're All Someone's Freak" by Gwendolyn Ann Smith
- "Identity, Schmidentity" by Telyn Kusalik
- "Performance Piece" by Julia Serano
- "Taking Up Space" by Kyle Lukoff
- "The Manly Art of Pregnancy" by J. Wallace
But overall, I just don't think Gender Outlaws is worth reading from front to back. I have no doubt that there are better anthologies of essays by trans people to be found.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Dysphoria, Homophobia, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Eating disorder
In a lot of these essays you will find frequent use of a specific transphobic slurkng_writes's review against another edition
2.5
I had high hopes for this book, but generally speaking, I was disappointed. Some of the submissions were a lot better than others. Overall, this book may have been a huge piece of the conversation a decade ago, but it didn’t really feel as relevant today as it might have in the past.
suzysreadings's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
ashthecryptid's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
wrentfree's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the authenticity and reading queer writers. I think I had different expectations going in, that the pieces would align with my understanding of what radical queerness should look like, but the pieces are just as flawed and complex as their respective authors and myself and it's extremely rare to find anyone who has the exact same politics as you anyway even in your close circles.
I think I also hoped to see my story. I didn't, but that's not a failing of the book. I think queer stories that follow my trajectory are common, but queer media likes to focus on certain narratives and timelines when it comes to being trans. The first time I read a queer journey that made me say, "That's me!" came from a book about the very real dangers and harm of militant, patriarchal Evangelicalism because she had the same background I did. Gender Outlaws was offered to me as a queer resource where I might see myself reflected, but I didn't. What I did take away is that gender queerness and folks' journies all look different.
I think I also hoped to see my story. I didn't, but that's not a failing of the book. I think queer stories that follow my trajectory are common, but queer media likes to focus on certain narratives and timelines when it comes to being trans. The first time I read a queer journey that made me say, "That's me!" came from a book about the very real dangers and harm of militant, patriarchal Evangelicalism because she had the same background I did. Gender Outlaws was offered to me as a queer resource where I might see myself reflected, but I didn't. What I did take away is that gender queerness and folks' journies all look different.
caedocyon's review against another edition
5.0
I've read this maybe six and a half times by now or something?