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A review by moonyreadsbystarlight
Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman by Leslie Feinberg
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
There's a difference between learning history and politics and feeling like there's actually a possibility for change. This actually brings that inspiration while talking about this history.
It catalogs parts of trans history, but it's about so much more than that. Feinberg talks about early trans history through Indigenous conceptions of gender and early European spiritual leaders that defied current concepts of gender, to figures like Joan of Arc and cross-dressed pesant resistance from the 1600s-1800s, and more. They explore the relationship of transphobia and misogyny, class-based oppression, and colonialism historically.
As they're talking about this history, they also talk about their own journey with gender and politics, how they learned and what impact this history had on them personally. They contextualize themself both in terms of where the writing is coming from and putting themself in this history. They also make clear that this history contextualizes the present and future. This can inform how we can act and demonstrates the necessity of trans liberation -- and how any liberation is not possible without liberation for all marginalized people.
I also love that even though the narrative only touched on so many parts of history, they included art and photographs with captions about so many different people and parts of trans history. It gives you places to look afterwards, but it also is just a small piece of the hugeness of transgender history.
I have so many more thoughts about this, but I'll leave it at that for now. This was incredible and if you haven't read any Leslie Feinberg, now is the time!!
It catalogs parts of trans history, but it's about so much more than that. Feinberg talks about early trans history through Indigenous conceptions of gender and early European spiritual leaders that defied current concepts of gender, to figures like Joan of Arc and cross-dressed pesant resistance from the 1600s-1800s, and more. They explore the relationship of transphobia and misogyny, class-based oppression, and colonialism historically.
As they're talking about this history, they also talk about their own journey with gender and politics, how they learned and what impact this history had on them personally. They contextualize themself both in terms of where the writing is coming from and putting themself in this history. They also make clear that this history contextualizes the present and future. This can inform how we can act and demonstrates the necessity of trans liberation -- and how any liberation is not possible without liberation for all marginalized people.
I also love that even though the narrative only touched on so many parts of history, they included art and photographs with captions about so many different people and parts of trans history. It gives you places to look afterwards, but it also is just a small piece of the hugeness of transgender history.
I have so many more thoughts about this, but I'll leave it at that for now. This was incredible and if you haven't read any Leslie Feinberg, now is the time!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual violence