A review by suzyreadsbooks
Can the Monster Speak? by Paul B. Preciado

2.5

“Allow me to reassure you: I have had surgery; carefully, over the course of lengthy political, practical and theoretical sessions, I surgically removed the epistemic apparatus that diagnoses my body and my behaviors as pathological. 

What of you, esteemed psychoanalysts, have you had surgery?”

I wanted more context in the book!!! I was drawn to this because of the situation surrounding the speech (Preciado spoke about gender at the École de la Cause Freudienne’s annual conference and was booed off stage, so this is the full speech he planned to read) and I just wish the actual book had told us more about that. At 65% there’s a footnote mentioning some scattered boos from the crowd, but it doesn’t tell us how far he got before he had to leave, which would’ve been interesting because I don’t think the speech really escalated after 65% or anything. 

I truly don’t ever think about psychoanalysts or their views of gender so it was disturbing to learn more about how the whole profession just refuses to view trans identity as valid in any way. 

The actual speech itself was fine I guess. fairly unremarkable from a gender theory perspective, but clearly already challenging enough for the conference at hand.
It seems like it would’ve been a very long talk?? There was also a weird comment about trans bodies "being Africa"??