Reviews and Comments

This is a wonderfully comprehensive transsexual manifesto across transphobia, feminism & intersectionality, experiences of transition, gender theory, academic & medical gatekeeping, cross-dressing, cisexual privilege, fetishsation, media dehumanisation, and well shit pretty much everything that impacts upon the lives of trans femmes.

Serano is thorough, precise but impassioned in her augments and gives us here an excellent foundation stone for someone seeking to broaden their understanding of these issues. Even with the time that has passed since it has been published, with updates in the forward and afterwards, the issues remain fresh and pressing.

I've been meaning to get some of these for a while and finally grabbed this and Succulent at a queer book fair. They're anthologies of short trans and trans-inclusive erotic comics. This host of explicit encounters is packed with a lot of fantasy but also some contemporary stories to which are really cute. All are full of queer joy and body positivity which can really make them as heart warming as they are hot. For these and a bunch more anthologies, check out the store on discordcomics.com to find them.

The monotony of Therese's soulless Christmas retail job at a 1950s department store is broken by the entrance of Carol, an older, elegant married woman who captivates young Therese. Carol herself is a commanding, maternal figure to Therese, and certainly not without a sharp edge to her character that is slowly softened by her vulnerability. Therese meanwhile is someone used to censoring herself and following the desires of others, only to find her own voice and path in spite of the world's paternalism toward her. It's been a while since I saw the film but I was surprised by how much the film had changed. While those changes served the film visually, I prefer the depth the book offers. Especially when it comes to Therese's internal struggles and voice, as well as her view of Carol.

This is a detailed and insightful look at how different forms of criminalisation and regulation of sex work harms sex workers around the world. It sets this against police brutality, white supremacy and misogyny in how society sees sex work. The authors pit the real experiences of sex workers against the myths peddled by radical feminists and politicians to consistently silence the voices of those suffering under police enforcement.

Between the Hijras under the British Raj, the genocide of two-spirit people by the US, and the persecution of transvesti in Latin America, this book demonstrates that the persecution of groups often now identified as trans massively predates the modern concept of trans women. This book outlines how deeply ingrained trans misogyny is in our society and its connections with aspects of class and race. It's a vital and challenging read in outlining the inherent violence of trans misogyny, how broadly it impacts peoples swept up under medicalised labels, and how the broader gay rights movement abandoned those who started it.

A sort of whodunit set in Georgian London’s gay scene where Gabriel, the guard at Mother Clap's, must track down the rat who is feeding names to the Society for the Reformation of Manners and getting fellow Mollies murdered.

It's a fun thriller with a cute romance and some very hard to digest moments as we explore the underground Molly culture and 18th century London delving as far as a dash of folklore incarnate. It has its moments of queer solidarity, yet also our infighting and betrayal as suspects do what they can to avoid the noose.

Holy fuck. So on the face of it this is a re-imagining of the 18th century outlaw Jack Sheppard via a faux uncovered memoir revealing Jack to be a trans man. The text itself is "discovered" and edited by the author with numerous, very comedic footnotes. What starts out as translating a very long list of period slang for pussy begins to bleed into the narrative with metatextual discussions on gender, publishing, policing and capitalism. If you ever wanted a raunchy queer period drama with commentary that is one part stand-up, one part revolutionary treaties, then this is for you.

An awesome, epic ending to the trilogy. Who doesn't want to see gay gal take on patriarchal religious nuts to claim an empire and save their people? I only wish I got more time with them actually happy together? Not that I have any issue with them jumping between flirting and battling of course. Frankly, keeping that many knives under your pillow is hot.

This is a hilarious anthology of queer and camp pulp short stories. I came across this as I was previously writing some pulp trans scifi in a similar vein to some of these, notably the story "Dotch Masher and the Planet 'MM'" but also a few others in here. The styles and genres vary so it can be hit-and-miss depending on your tastes of course but I adored the camp silliness of many of them. It's maybe a bit biased towards cis dudes compared to most of my reading - as you'd expect from the title - but there is still a diversity of characters within. If you're looking for an OTT and slightly horny gay anthology, ripped from the 50s but without the ingrained bigotry of the era, then this is a good call.