Scan barcode
unladylike's review
3.0
I really wanted to like this a lot more. I ordered a library copy of it in hopes that it would impress me, get me and my lovers off, and earn a place on my "owned" bookshelf. Granted, I didn't get through every story in the collection, but of the eight or so that I did read, I felt merely drawn in to about half of them, and never as aroused as I'd like to be from reading good erotica.
From the beginning, I had mixed feelings about a cis woman editing an anthology of trans and genderqueer narratives. I do love many things [a:Tristan Taormino|13893|Tristan Taormino|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1241222874p2/13893.jpg] has done, but over and over I've seen her put out "definitive experts' guides" on various kinds of sex, fill them with cis-sexist, gender essentialist language, and then try to sell herself as an ally to trans folk. If I had a copy of the book handy still, I'd cite some of the lines in the intro that made me wince, and some of the themes and scenes that turned me on the most.
My biggest suggestion to future editions or similar anthologies would be: add trigger warnings and "tags" at the tops of each story so the readers can look for things they're into as well as avoid topics that enter some of the stories without warning and could be traumatizing. That is how I search for erotica in places such as literotica.com and I don't seen how it could take anything away by giving some topical descriptors.
From the beginning, I had mixed feelings about a cis woman editing an anthology of trans and genderqueer narratives. I do love many things [a:Tristan Taormino|13893|Tristan Taormino|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1241222874p2/13893.jpg] has done, but over and over I've seen her put out "definitive experts' guides" on various kinds of sex, fill them with cis-sexist, gender essentialist language, and then try to sell herself as an ally to trans folk. If I had a copy of the book handy still, I'd cite some of the lines in the intro that made me wince, and some of the themes and scenes that turned me on the most.
My biggest suggestion to future editions or similar anthologies would be: add trigger warnings and "tags" at the tops of each story so the readers can look for things they're into as well as avoid topics that enter some of the stories without warning and could be traumatizing. That is how I search for erotica in places such as literotica.com and I don't seen how it could take anything away by giving some topical descriptors.
mxsallybend's review
5.0
If you’re a regular reader/visitor, you’ll know I don’t normally interject a lot of hyperbole into my reviews. Generally, I try to keep them well-grounded and professional, with just enough personality to add a little colour and (hopefully) make them a more interesting read. With that in mind, I beg your indulgence for just a moment, as I try to sum up Tristan Taormino’s Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica in a few words:
Absolutely amazing. Beautifully breathtaking. Compellingly creative. Deliciously diverse.
I could go on – after all, there are 22 letters I haven’t alliterated yet – but you get the point. On a list of my top 10 reads for the year, Tristan is looking down upon her peers from a very high perch indeed!
As she states in her introduction, this is a collection of “erotica by, for and about transfolk, FTMs, MTFs, genderqueers, gender outlaws, as well as two-spirit, intersex, and gender-variant people.” Almost immediately, you notice these are stories where gender (in all its forms) is almost taken for granted, without the ‘surprise confession’ or ‘shocking reveal’ common to mainstream erotica/porn, and without the arbitrary focus on simply passing or being acknowledged. This is a collection where trans lovers can feel intimately and comfortably at home amidst stories of being treasured, loved, desired, and adored.
Considering the wide variety of authors, genders, and subjects explored, I’m pleased to say there’s not a single story here that didn’t, on some level, resonate with me. Indeed, they are all wonderful, but there were certainly some stand-outs that I must call attention to:
"The Therapist and the Whore" by Giselle Renarde - Giselle at her romantic and thought-provoking best, turning the tables on our expectations with a kind, lovable, transsexual whore who serves as a remarkably effective bedroom therapist.
"Shoes Are Meant to Get You Somewhere" by Dean Scarborough - Plays to the clothes fetishist in me, complete with ballet slippers, stockings and garters, and a tightly laced corset, but it's also a remarkable literary dance of gender exploration.
"Taking the Toll" by Kiki DeLovely - Deliciously naughty and provocative, a tale of a young woman who is aroused by Sunday morning church bells, and her genderqueer lover who is only too happy to put her in a schoolgirl uniform and hear her confession.
"Dixie Belle" by Kate Bornstein - A gloriously genderqueer sequel to Huckleberry Finn, with young Huck settling quite contentedly into a new career as Miss Sarah Grangerford, high-class N'awlins whore. It's been years since I last read Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn, but Kate recaptures the magic perfectly.
"The Visible Woman" by Rachel K. Zall - This is a story that begins with an in-your-face fantasy of public confrontation, settles into a lovely domestic scene of transsexual bliss, and ends with the lovers playing to the voyeuristic public outside their apartment window.
"Canadian Slim" by Shawna Virago - Still erotic without being overtly sexual, this is the heart-warming story of a transsexual who has tired of being the fetish/freak secret partner, and who has found love with a fellow transsexual who fits her perfectly.
"Self-Reflection" by Tobi Hill-Meyer - Trippy and bizarre, this is one I'm cautious of saying too much about, but it doesn't get much sexier or self-aware than a post-op transsexual visiting her pre-op transsexual self for a little show-and-sell.
"Face Pack" by Penelope Mansfield - This is a bold, blatantly sexual story that challenges the pornographic mainstream, claiming the bukkake experience as a visual validation of the narrator's new-found femininity. It takes an act most would seem as vulgar or degrading, and transforms it into something cleansing and rewarding.
Not only are the stories contained here erotic, imaginative, and exciting, but they are also beautifully written. As Tristan asks in her introduction, “our language is severely limited when it comes to describing the bodies of transpeople,” and there is a significant challenge in writing stories that are both erotic and respectful. Fortunately, the authors here have the words to do so, and the talent to use those words well.
I’d like to leave you with a brief passage from Rachel K. Zall’s "The Visible Woman" that sums it up better than I ever could:
A stranger looking at us now would call us “MTFs” instead of women, would name us by our genitalia—“pre-op,” “nonop”—would call us trans before they called us anything else, if they did call us anything else. A stranger would call our bodies gender ambiguous: her cock about to enter me, my clit poking out of her fist, her tiny breasts on her large rib cage and the shadow across my cheeks and chin. A stranger would say that, and that stranger would be wrong: our bodies aren’t ambiguous at all, only the meanings people misapply to them. She’s a woman and her beautiful body is a woman’s body; I am a woman and seeing how beautiful her body is makes me think my body might be beautiful too.
Take Me There indeed . . . I just hope, somewhere down the line, Tristan chooses to take us there again.
Absolutely amazing. Beautifully breathtaking. Compellingly creative. Deliciously diverse.
I could go on – after all, there are 22 letters I haven’t alliterated yet – but you get the point. On a list of my top 10 reads for the year, Tristan is looking down upon her peers from a very high perch indeed!
As she states in her introduction, this is a collection of “erotica by, for and about transfolk, FTMs, MTFs, genderqueers, gender outlaws, as well as two-spirit, intersex, and gender-variant people.” Almost immediately, you notice these are stories where gender (in all its forms) is almost taken for granted, without the ‘surprise confession’ or ‘shocking reveal’ common to mainstream erotica/porn, and without the arbitrary focus on simply passing or being acknowledged. This is a collection where trans lovers can feel intimately and comfortably at home amidst stories of being treasured, loved, desired, and adored.
Considering the wide variety of authors, genders, and subjects explored, I’m pleased to say there’s not a single story here that didn’t, on some level, resonate with me. Indeed, they are all wonderful, but there were certainly some stand-outs that I must call attention to:
"The Therapist and the Whore" by Giselle Renarde - Giselle at her romantic and thought-provoking best, turning the tables on our expectations with a kind, lovable, transsexual whore who serves as a remarkably effective bedroom therapist.
"Shoes Are Meant to Get You Somewhere" by Dean Scarborough - Plays to the clothes fetishist in me, complete with ballet slippers, stockings and garters, and a tightly laced corset, but it's also a remarkable literary dance of gender exploration.
"Taking the Toll" by Kiki DeLovely - Deliciously naughty and provocative, a tale of a young woman who is aroused by Sunday morning church bells, and her genderqueer lover who is only too happy to put her in a schoolgirl uniform and hear her confession.
"Dixie Belle" by Kate Bornstein - A gloriously genderqueer sequel to Huckleberry Finn, with young Huck settling quite contentedly into a new career as Miss Sarah Grangerford, high-class N'awlins whore. It's been years since I last read Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn, but Kate recaptures the magic perfectly.
"The Visible Woman" by Rachel K. Zall - This is a story that begins with an in-your-face fantasy of public confrontation, settles into a lovely domestic scene of transsexual bliss, and ends with the lovers playing to the voyeuristic public outside their apartment window.
"Canadian Slim" by Shawna Virago - Still erotic without being overtly sexual, this is the heart-warming story of a transsexual who has tired of being the fetish/freak secret partner, and who has found love with a fellow transsexual who fits her perfectly.
"Self-Reflection" by Tobi Hill-Meyer - Trippy and bizarre, this is one I'm cautious of saying too much about, but it doesn't get much sexier or self-aware than a post-op transsexual visiting her pre-op transsexual self for a little show-and-sell.
"Face Pack" by Penelope Mansfield - This is a bold, blatantly sexual story that challenges the pornographic mainstream, claiming the bukkake experience as a visual validation of the narrator's new-found femininity. It takes an act most would seem as vulgar or degrading, and transforms it into something cleansing and rewarding.
Not only are the stories contained here erotic, imaginative, and exciting, but they are also beautifully written. As Tristan asks in her introduction, “our language is severely limited when it comes to describing the bodies of transpeople,” and there is a significant challenge in writing stories that are both erotic and respectful. Fortunately, the authors here have the words to do so, and the talent to use those words well.
I’d like to leave you with a brief passage from Rachel K. Zall’s "The Visible Woman" that sums it up better than I ever could:
A stranger looking at us now would call us “MTFs” instead of women, would name us by our genitalia—“pre-op,” “nonop”—would call us trans before they called us anything else, if they did call us anything else. A stranger would call our bodies gender ambiguous: her cock about to enter me, my clit poking out of her fist, her tiny breasts on her large rib cage and the shadow across my cheeks and chin. A stranger would say that, and that stranger would be wrong: our bodies aren’t ambiguous at all, only the meanings people misapply to them. She’s a woman and her beautiful body is a woman’s body; I am a woman and seeing how beautiful her body is makes me think my body might be beautiful too.
Take Me There indeed . . . I just hope, somewhere down the line, Tristan chooses to take us there again.
silasburke's review
2.0
Honestly I was really disappointed in this book. As another reviewer pointed out, there repeatedly were racial slurs and other racially insensitive language in some of the stories. I was hoping this collection would be affirming but I generally did not find it to be.
scrow1022's review
5.0
Loved this collection. Every story good, some hit me harder than others (emotionally or heat). And very happy to see stories from Pat Califia and Laura Antoniou again, it's been years since I've read either of them.
ckcombsdotcom's review
great book, will definitely read it again, highly recommended
hboss22's review
5.0
Though there were a couple of stories that I didn't finish and one which continues to disturb me, I love that this collection exists and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
It made me happy to read this, to see so many different representations of transgender and genderqueer people and relationships.
I can't wait to read it again.
It made me happy to read this, to see so many different representations of transgender and genderqueer people and relationships.
I can't wait to read it again.
codalion's review
4.0
"Sea of Cortez" is definitely the highlight of this anthology--I more or less picked it up because it was reprinted in Beyond Binary--but it's a good group altogether. Most of it wasn't stuff that personally turned my crank, but I have a very specific crank and it was all well-written and heartfelt regardless.
neurodivengeance's review
4.0
Some of it was crap, but lots of it was AWESOME, and I really appreciate that so much brilliant genderqueer erotica exists. More like this, please!
strawberryteeth's review
I’m writing down problems I have with this book as I read it, so bare with me.
First off, immediately starts with complaining about how “ trans people aren’t represented in nsfw media “ which is absolutely true and they should be! But then shuts that down with “ transwomen and transmen “ which is terf-rhetoric. Trans isn’t a noun, it is a adjective. You don’t say cismen, you say cis men. Also, terfs use “ transwomen “ instead of trans ( space ) woman to imply trans women are transwomen and not “ real “ ( cis ) women. To top that all off, it mentions Buck Angel and how he’s trying to pave the way for FTM bodies in pornography, which would be amazing if Buck Angel wasn’t the toxicly masculine Blaire White regurgitating transphobic word vomit on his twitter acting like he’s the only real trans person simply for being old! The fact this was edited and published without anyone looking over the transphobic bad grammar appauls me.
Tristan mentions how Huckleberry Finn was pulled off of shelves and public libraries because of the use of racial slurs and flat out says the slurs when they’re unnecessary, no effort to censor them or just say “ the n word/the n slur “. I had to google if Tristan was white and they are! They edited the book, wrote it, and still decided “ oh yeah I’ll keep that in the book no one will say anything. “ which is ludicrous. Yes, I as a white person / non-black person am not allowed to get offended for black people or call things racist, but whether or not I am black or white no white person should be saying a word that applies to them even if it’s written in a book. Words on a page and words on a screen are still coming from that person directly.
I know it’s supposed to seduce me and get me excited for the rest of the book, but the book spends around 16 pages before it gets to the first story. In “ Trans/Love “ by Morty Diamond, which the book references, it takes around maybe three? Morty Diamond doesn’t try to seduce the viewer before the story even starts. It’s an erotica book, that’s the entire point.
The first story Cocksure is about a 14 year old having sex with a 17 year old, no ifs or buts about it, is pedophilia all the way around. But they didn’t state that in the 16 page long introduction! A 14 and 17 year old relationship dynamic is also unhealthy as the 14 year old is just starting highschool and the 17 year old is getting ready to finish highschool and can drive, and work. Because this is an erotica book, I assume this book is intended for adults and by adults right? You can’t sexualize minors and then complain that they come into your spaces, it makes no sense. If you don’t want a minor to interact with your content, don’t make content about minors
I got to around the fifth story, and was already tired of this book. I don’t get why LGBTQ+ erotica writes itself off as progressive whilst being offensive, paraphilic and tacky. At least “ Trans/Love “ by Morty Diamond was tasteful, realistic, relatable and written with honesty.
I got to around the fifth story, and was already tired of this book. I don’t get why LGBTQ+ erotica writes itself off as progressive whilst being offensive, paraphilic and tacky. At least “ Trans/Love “ by Morty Diamond was tasteful, realistic, relatable and written with honesty.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia and Transphobia
Minor: Racial slurs