Reviews

This book highlights the history of non-heteronormative gender expression and identity by sharing the stories of people from different times and cultures. Most of this info was new to me, and I really enjoyed learning about gender presentations across and outside of the gender binary.

Throughout the whole book, Heyam grapples with the balance between demonstrating that trans people have always existed, and being careful not to misconstrue or misrepresent how people from the past understood themselves. Historical artifacts like news articles, personal journals, or letters are certainly evidence of people living outside of gender norms, but there is often no way to know for sure whether or not they would have called themselves “transgender” as we understand the term today.

And while Heyam argues that that’s not a reason that these people should be excluded from trans history (“emotional connection to the past isn’t a zero-sum game”) they argue that part of honoring and respecting the dead is acknowledging the complexity of human identity, expression, and cultural contexts to give them a “humanising historiography”

acma708's review against another edition

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hopeful informative medium-paced

5.0

avidales's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

smillas_tales's review against another edition

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informative reflective

5.0

emlynbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

Upon finishing this book I felt compelled to start it over again just to feel all of the feelings I experienced through it. This book is powerful required reading for all queer people. I’ve never felt so part of a community. Truly astonishing.

rsk1315's review against another edition

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informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

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