We at ‘embrace the rainbow’ hope to increase awareness acceptance and support for the trans*, genderfluid and questioning people in the m/m romance and the book blogging community as a whole. To encourage this growth and understanding, we have created this list of reading material which we have found to be informative and thought-provoking.
Websites, blogs, etc sharing knowledge
- Note To Someone Who Might Be My Sixteen by Rowan McBride
- Pondering Rainbows by Rowan McBride
- Sincerely, Natalie Reed
- Tranarchism.com: Not Your Mom’s Trans 101
- Ten Things Not to Say to a Trans Person
- Trans Etiquette 101: No Offense But That’s Offensive
- Trans Etiquette for Non-Trans People
- Ones And Zeros: Breaking Past Binary by Rhianon Etzweiler
- Presentation, Perception and Reality by James Buchanan
- Here I stand, I can do no other by Aleksandr Voinov
- Offering Sanctuary by Aleksandr Voinov
- Equality =/= Neutrality: Exploring Feminism & Gender Variance by Rhianon Etzweiler
- www.andersoncooper.com: Children and Teens Trapped in the Wrong Bodies (episodes)
- www.advocate.com – Politics, Commentary, Oped: The Harsh Reality of Some Transgender Lives
- Bad T-Word by Billy Martin (formerly Poppy Z. Brite)
- Transphobic Tropes #1 – ‘Really’ A Man/Woman
- Gender Neutral Pronouns in Fiction
- Cisgender Privilege List
- Trans 101 (for Transpeople)
- My Body – My Words
- Little Light’s ‘on cartography and dissection‘
- Kit Yan’s ’3rd Gender’ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEUAlm7Rn5o&feature=youtu.be
Websites, blogs, etc for health and care
- Transgender Health Program managed by Vancouver Coastal Health
Books (list provided by Emilie)
- Transgender Warriors and Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue by Leslie Feinberg
- Intersex in the Age of Ethics by Alice Domurat Dreger
- Lessons from the Intersexed by Suzanne J. Kessler
- Intersex and Identity: The Contested Self by Sharon E. Preves
- The Riddle of Gender: Science, Activism, and Transgender Rights by Deborah Rudacille
- Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality by Anne Fausto-Sterling
- The Testosterone Files: My Hormonal and Social Transformation from Female to Male by Max Wolf Valerio
- Just Add Hormones: An Insider’s Guide to the Transsexual Experience by Matt Kailey
- Transmen and FTMs: Identity, Bodies, Genders, and Sexualities by Jason Cromwell
- From the Inside Out: Radical Gender Transformation, FTM and Beyond by Morty Diamond
- Sex Changes: Transgender Politics by Patrick Califia
- Becoming a Visible Man by Jamison Green
- Butch is a Noun by S. Bear Bergman
- Body Alchemy by Loren Cameron
- GenderQueer: Voices from Beyond the Sexual Binary
‘embrace the window’ see this thread as an opportunity to share information. We encourage you to comment with any suggestions you might have to help increase awareness and understanding.
I think this is a fantastic initiative. I’d suggest the following links to add perspectives on trans* women:
Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity
http://www.juliaserano.com/whippinggirl.html
Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us
Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us
“Pass the Mic: Transgender Women in Chocolate City Tell Their Stories”
http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/12/young_black_and_trans_in_dc.html
“On Being Transgender”
http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2011/12/on-being-transgender.html
Documentary Films:
“Cruel and Unusual”
http://www.outcast-films.com/films/cu/index.html
Yeah, I would have to agree with southcarolinaboy rfsneiug to answer a question is not rude, especially if the question is personal and inappropriate. Asking such a personal question in the first place is rude, in my opinion. HOW the question is answered (or not answered) can become rude and my impression is that southcarolinaboy is not intending to be rude, just private. When I receive inappropriate questions, I sometimes say, That’s not really an appropriate question, or sometimes I’ll say, I won’t discuss my own personal medical treatments, but I can tell you that some trans people take hormones and some do not etc. I can still offer general information without talking about myself and my private medical information. However, I don’t think that every trans person should feel obligated to answer questions of non-trans people, no matter how curious or well-meaning they are when they ask. Some trans people don’t mind answering questions, and that’s great, but it’s not our responsibility to educate people. There is all sorts of information out there on the internet, at the library, the bookstore, on TV where people can get information about trans people. That’s my opinion about it anyway.
Another thing that might be great to focus an initiative on is the incredibly common use of the phrase “chicks with dicks” in the pejorative sense across the m/m romance community. It’s pretty horrifying and I can only imagine it creates an incredibly hostile atmosphere for trans* women.
Thank you so much for these additional resources, Violetta. This is exactly the reason why we created this page so that people can share information like this.
An excellent point about the phrase ‘chicks with dicks’. It’s something many people, including myself, have used – and still do – unthinkably ignorant of the impact it would on others.
I don’t suppose we could interest you in writing a post on the topic??
Sure! Just emailed you a potential post on the subject
Awesome! Thanks Violetta.
, with anything, it ddpenes on how it is being asked and what the intentions are behind it. As long as there’s no malintent, then I think it’s fine. I’m a firm believer that understanding is what breaks down intolerance and hatred. If a question about hormones can break the ice, then I’m all for it. And I don’t see it as anything wrong if someone is asking questions to satisfy their curiosity. Ever notice that the haters aren’t asking questions? They are just making assumptions and think they already know it all and that what they believe is fact. I’ll take a curious person over that any day. I think that when we shut people down who are curious, then we are running the risk of creating haters from people who otherwise may not have been. Someone’s experience with me may effect how they feel about all transmen. Whether we like it or not, each of us is always representing everyone else who is in whatever group(s) we a part of.As for other trans people asking me questions, I think it is important. As was mentioned, we are always comparing ourselves to one another and seeking information about what to expect and how hormones affect each of us differently. Also, transgender is a very broad term and can encompass people who seek to medically transition, those who do not, and those who want to but haven’t started yet. Are you on hormones? is a question that can tell a transperson if the other transperson is someone they have more in common with in terms of experiences of being transgender. I don’t see it as any different than do you have kids? or what was your major? Also, getting on hormones is a real milestone for many transpeople, so I also see it as being kind of like the question when do you graduate? Personally, I am grateful to people who are willing to share info about themselves because it helps me to gain more understanding, which I think helps me to be a better person. So I am glad to return the favor by sharing with others.