A review by mykoyamo
Female Masculinity by Jack Halberstam

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

i won’t lie i mostly decided to read this book because the first edition was published the day i was born and that felt funny to me. this book made me think so i enjoyed that. the chapters that focused more on history interested me the most. i think the cultural and societal critiques are very outdated in a way that feels almost jarring but i suppose with the legalization of gay marriage, the rising mainstream lesbian representation (that very much femme queer as opposed to butch) + anti trans legislation and sentiments on the rise, 1998 feels like a very very very long time ago for masculine women. i didn’t always agree with the author’s assertions especially about tomboys and trans men but i think that’s mostly because i’m existing in a completely different queer cultural landscape. there’s more gay trans men than butch drag kings now. my biggest pet peeve about the book was how critical the author was of trans men who want to distance themselves from butch women. as a trans man, i don’t feel this way personally as i spent many formative years as a lesbian and that is still a part of me. but would we as a “queer community” hold it against a trans woman who doesn’t want to be mistaken for a twink? exactly. this book is good queer history, would recommend if you’re interested in the subject.