Trans Bodies, Trans Selves - by Laura Erickson-Schroth (Paperback)

Number of Pages: 649
Genre: Social Science
Sub-Genre: Gender Studies
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Age Range: Adult
Author: Laura Erickson-Schroth
Language: English

Book Synopsis

There is no one way to be transgender. Transgender and gender non-conforming people have many different ways of understanding their gender identities. Only recently have sex and gender been thought of as separate concepts, and we have learned that sex (traditionally thought of as physical or biological) is as variable as gender (traditionally thought of as social).

While trans people share many common experiences, there is immense diversity within trans communities. There are an estimated 700,000 transgendered individuals in the US and 15 million worldwide. Even still, there's been a notable lack of organized information for this sizable group.

Trans Bodies, Trans Selves is a revolutionary resource-a comprehensive, reader-friendly guide for transgender people, with each chapter written by transgender or genderqueer authors. Inspired by Our Bodies, Ourselves, the classic and powerful compendium written for and by women, Trans Bodies, Trans Selves is widely accessible to the transgender population, providing authoritative information in an inclusive and respectful way and representing the collective knowledge base of dozens of influential experts. Each chapter takes the reader through an important transgender issue, such as race, religion, employment, medical and surgical transition, mental health topics, relationships, sexuality, parenthood, arts and culture, and many more.

Anonymous quotes and testimonials from transgender people who have been surveyed about their experiences are woven throughout, adding compelling, personal voices to every page. In this unique way, hundreds of viewpoints from throughout the community have united to create this strong and pioneering book. It is a welcoming place for transgender and gender-questioning people, their partners and families, students, professors, guidance counselors, and others to look for up-to-date information on transgender life.

Review Quotes

[A] groundbreaking title --Publisher's Weekly

As transgender people strive to gain more acceptance and legal protections, they will soon have a hefty new resource to assist them - a 672-page book, written by scores of transgender contributors, that encompasses social history, gender politics and wide-ranging advice on health, law, relationships and many other matters. Encyclopedic in scope, conversational in tone, and candid about complex sexual issues, the Oxford University Press book being released in mid-May is titled Trans Bodies, Trans Selves - a deliberate echo of a pioneering feminist health-resource book, Our Bodies, Ourselves that appeared more than 40 years ago --Associated Press

I have been waiting for some time to see a book come out that is written for the purposes of providing timely information to transgender individuals to support them through their identity process. The comprehensiveness of this book is a major strength that can be applied to transgender individuals, their loved ones, and those who are in fields that impact transgender individuals. I have yet to have seen a book that incorporates information for individuals who identify on the gender spectrum-most books focus on one specific identity, whereas Trans Bodies, Trans Selves allows for the breadth of applying to many different individuals. This book appears to carry on the tradition of affirming many different transgender identities and the identification process. -Stephanie L. Budge, PhD, Assistant Professor, Counseling Psychology, University of Louisville

Trans Bodies, Trans Selves is the answer to the wishes of many trans individuals and their therapists and counselors for a comprehensive resource of critical information that is both accurate and reliable, on the one hand, and written in a respectful way that is addressed to trans and questioning readers rather than at them or about them. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. -Michael L. Hendricks, Ph.D., ABPP, Clinical Psychologist, Washington Psychological Center

...a community of people who are the best experts on themselves has come together to create a resource of information, mutual support, and political advocacy that will strengthen many. Thanks to Trans Bodies, Trans Selves and all the transgender folks who have been writing and teaching over the past many years, we, a group of cisgender women, now know that we can no longer say 'a woman's body' and mean only one thing. -From the Afterword by Wendy Sanford, author of Our Bodies, Our Selves

The many voices raised in the pages of Trans Bodies, Trans Selves are the vanguard of a rising tide. If you are new to transgender, transsexual, or trans* experience, prepare to be swept away. -Jamison Green, President of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), co-director of the Transgender Law & Policy Institute, and author of Becoming a Visible Man

Trans Bodies, Trans Selves comes at a moment in our history when transgender people are in the spotlight, but we are not yet the authority on our own lives. This critical resource will provide a beacon of hope for the transgender person in crisis who is facing a barrage of negative messages, life-threatening discrimination, and a lack of support and validation. We now have a volume that speaks to our lived experiences and provides the message that our lives matter, we are powerful in ourselves and our bodies, and we demand political, social, and legal equality. -M. Dru Levasseur, JD, Director of Lambda Legal's Transgender Rights Project and Co-Founder of the Jim Collins Foundation, providing financial assistance to transgender people for gender-confirming surgeries

One of the most grassroots, comprehensive transgender and gender noncomforming (TGNC) community-based literary projects I have ever seen. Lots of great people with diverse perspectives brought together to provide a truly holistic look at what is to be a TGNC person in all the various ways one may define that for themselves. A great resource that respects the immense intersectionality of trans and gender nonconforming people's lives. Finally a literary project that sincerely deserves the use of the term 'Groundbreaking'. -Imani Henry, Staff Organizer at the International Action Center (IAC), focusing on national organizing of LGBT people and communities of color

For years I wondered how to create a one-stop-shop book for the trans community with all the basic info trans people would need. Trans Bodies, Trans Selves has done it! -Riki Wilchins, founder of GenderPAC and The Transexual Menace, and author of Queer Theory, Gender Theory: An Instant Primer

Trans Bodies Trans Selves is a remarkably timely and much needed book that brings together collaborators across the spectrum of transgender health, culture, and history. At no other time has the transgender community been so poised to break out of its collective closet than now. It is vitally important to our communities of transgender people, advocates, and health care providers to have this volume of expertise at our fingertips. Dr. Erickson-Schroth has done us a great service by bringing together thoughtful thinkers and writers in the social and biological sciences to share complex knowledge that will empower each reader of this volume in new ways. Whether you are transgender, genderqueer, cis, scholar, health-care provider, social service provider, policy-maker, loved one, or other interested ally, you will find mind-opening and practical information and perspectives in this groundbreaking collection. -Jack Pula, MD, co-chair of the APA NY District Branch Committee on LGBT issues

It's impossible to make informed decisions about one's life in the absence of information. Happily, trans people now have a wealth of information in the form of Trans Bodies, Trans Selves. -Dallas Denny, Founding Director of the American Educational Gender Information Service (AEGIS), past editor of Chrysalis Quarterly and Transgender Tapestry, and former director of the Fantasia Fair

There has never been a book just like Trans Bodies, Trans Selves. More than a medical textbook, much more than any individual's autobiography, this anthology of transgender health and history is personalized with interviews covering every point on the spectrum of transgender experience. Transgender and gender nonconforming persons will read this book and see stories directly relevant to their own lives. Others who read with a desire to learn about the experience of transgender life - for that is the correct term, 'life' not 'lifestyle' - will not be disappointed. People who said 'I have never met a transgender person' may feel they have met many of us in the pages of this book. [R]ecommended for everyone who wants to understand this wonderful, brave, diverse group called 'transgender.' -Rebecca Allison, MD, past President of GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality

TBTS is brimming with straightforward information about living a life as a gender-nonconforming person in the United States...illuminating even for people who are already well-informed... --The New Republic

[T]his book clearly comes at the perfect time...Bridging the gap between being understandable to the newest of readers and being helpful to those more versed in transgender issues, the vastness of topics covered includes everything from sex work to sexual safety, from romantic relationships to personal feelings about one's changing body. The mix of personal stories and professional guidance from doctors and therapists allows the reader to have a well-rounded learning experience about each of the topics. --socialworker.com

Trans Bodies, Trans Selves offers practical suggestions on navigating life as a transgender person. From tips on how to transition socially to questions one should ask mental health professionals, the volume offers concrete transition-related ideas on a range of topics. It is strongly recommended to professionals who serve the TGNC community. Trans Bodies, Trans Selves has created a solid foundation upon which future research will emerge regardless of discipline. This resource will be cited for a long time. --Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity

Like its inspiration, OBOS, TBTS is not an academic treatise, nor is it meant to be, though
much of the writing is quite academic. It is written for a broad audience inclusive of trans
people and those who live, love, and work with them. There is thread of activism and a desire to be seen that runs through the book. Throughout the pages of information, stories and narratives are
placed about the lives people are living, the struggles they face, and the joy they feel. Much
of this is accomplished by the way the editor has chosen to format the book. There are
many contributors who are featured in boxed narratives. This book can be used as a helpful resource to both the lay and the professional audience, as well as the transgender and cisgender person. --Shara Sand, PsycCRITIQUES

TBTS is an invaluable resource. A surprising wealth of material on trans people already
exists, written by both trans and cisgender people, and in a broad range of genres and
formats, including memoirs, histories, medical journals, academic collections,
and even graphic novels. This volume does an excellent job of consolidating much of that material into a 'one-stop' resource, while also providing extensive bibliographies at the end of each chapter for further exploration. TBTS is an ideal book for introductory reading,
both for personal and classroom use. --Feminist Collections

This collaboratively written resource guide discusses virtually every aspect of transgender life, ranging from intersectionality and legal issues to health and art. Each chapter, written by transgender or genderqueer authors, incorporates anonymous quotations from respondents to surveys conducted by the editorial staff that demonstrate the diversity in transgender people's experiences and perspectives. A substantial work for public and academic libraries.
--Library Journal

About the Author

Laura Erickson-Schroth, MD, MA, is a psychiatry resident at New York University Medical Center. She is a board member of GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality, as well as the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists. She is a founding member of the Gender and Family Network of New York City, a group for service providers interested in the health of gender non-conforming children and adolescents.