Trans bodies, trans selves : a resource for the transgender community

1243 Pages·2014·30.44 MB·English

by  Laura, Erickson-Schroth

TRANS BODIES, TRANS SELVES

TRANS BODIES,
TRANS SELVES | A RESOURCE
FOR THE TRANSGENDER
COMMUNITY

Edited by
Laura Erickson-Schroth

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Trans bodies, trans selves : a resource for the
transgender community / edited by Laura Erickson-Schroth.
pages cm
ISBN 978–0–19–932535–1 (paperback) eISBN 978–0–19–932537–5
1. Transgender people. 2. Transgenderism. 3. Gender identity. I. Erickson-Schroth, Laura.HQ77.9.T714
2014306.76′8—dc232014007921

Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface – Laura Erickson-Schroth
About This Book
Throwing Our Voices—An Introduction – Jennifer Finney Boylan
Introduction to Media Spotlight Series – Dallas Denny and Jamison Green
Introduction to Trans Political Leaders Series – Jamie Roberts and Anneliese
Singh

SECTION 1
WHO WE ARE

1 Our Many Selves

HOLIDAY SIMMONS AND FRESH! WHITE

2 Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

KORTNEY RYAN ZIEGLER AND NAIM RASUL

3 Immigration

KATE KOURBATOVA AND ELANA REDFIELD

4 Disabilities and Deaf Culture

SYRUS MARCUS WARE AND ZACK MARSHALL

5 Religion and Spirituality

Delfin Bautista AND QUINCE MOUNTAIN WITH HEATH MACKENZIE REYNOLDS

6 Sex and Gender Development

LAURA ERICKSON-SCHROTH, MIQQI ALICIA GILBERT, AND T. EVAN SMITH

SECTION 2
LIVING AS OURSELVES

7 Coming Out

REID VANDERBURGH

8 Social Transition

HEATH MACKENZIE REYNOLDS AND ZIL GARNER GOLDSTEIN

9 Employment

JESSICA LINA STIRBA, ZIL GARNER GOLDSTEIN, AND CECILIA GENTILI, WITH HEATH

MACKENZIE REYNOLDS, TOBI HILL-MEYER, AND DEAN SCARBOROUGH

10 Legal Issues

KYLAR W. BROADUS AND SHANNON PRICE MINTER

SECTION 3
HEALTH AND WELLNESS

11 General, Sexual, and Reproductive Health

NICK GORTON AND HILARY MAIA GRUBB

12 Medical Transition

MADDIE DEUTSCH

13 Surgical Transition

JULES CHYTEN-BRENNAN

14 Mental Health Services and Support

RUBEN HOPWOOD AND lore m. dickey

15 Mental Health Concerns

TAMAR CARMEL, RUBEN HOPWOOD, AND lore m. dickey SECTION 4
OUR RELATIONSHIPS AND FAMILIES

16 Intimate Relationships

SARAH E. BELAWSKI AND CAREY JEAN SOJKA 17 Sexuality
TOBI HILL-MEYER AND DEAN SCARBOROUGH

18 Parenting

KEL POLLY AND RYAN G. POLLY

SECTION 5
LIFE STAGES

19 Children

AIDAN KEY

20 Youth

COLT KEO-MEIER AND LANCE HICKS

21 Aging

JOE IPPOLITO AND TARYNN M. WITTEN

SECTION 6
CLAIMING OUR POWER

22 US History

GENNY BEEMYN

23 Arts and Culture

LAZLO ILYA PEARLMAN, JAE DK SZESZYCKI-TRUESDELL, AND KESTRYL CAEL
LOWREY

24 Activism, Politics, and Organizing

PETER CAVA

Afterword
Contributors
Glossary
Index
Suggestions

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This project would not have been possible without our professional editor,
Celeste LeCompte, who agreed to work on this book practically as a probono
project because she believed so strongly in it. Jonah A. Siegel and A. Robin
Williams were core organizers for this project when it was in its infancy. We also
received assistance very early on from Scott Edelstein, who helped to shape our
proposal to publishers. One of the most enthusiastic responses to our inquiries
came from Dana Bliss of Oxford, who continued to send excited e-mails almost
weekly throughout the process of putting together this book. Probono legal
advice came from Maura Wogan (Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein, and Selz) and
Victoria S. Belyavsky, Jesse M. Brush, Adam E. Fleisher, Jennifer Kroman,
Garth Spencer, and Stephanie Atwood (Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen, and Hamilton).
On a personal note, the editor would like to thank her partner, Amanda
Rosenblum, for her extensive work on the editing and shaping of this book, as
well as organization of book-related events and the creation of the book’s
nonprofit entity. In addition to participating in this process, she was patient
through times when the work did not stop at home.

PREFACE

I was 12 years old when I first opened my mother’s copy of Our Bodies,
Ourselves (OBOS). I was fascinated by just about everything I read. I flipped
through for interesting photos and pored over diagrams. Among my favorite
parts were the quotes that appeared on nearly every page, representing the voices
of hundreds of women. In some cases, I yearned to have their experiences; in
others, I hoped I would never have to face them. I was comforted by all of the
stories, knowing that they came from real people.

A few years ago, I bought a copy of an early edition of OBOS in a used

bookstore. It was older than the one my mother owned. (Though she had seen
this edition, she had been good at updating her collection.) Published in 1973, it
was yellowing and thinner than the newer editions I was used to. On the cover
was a photo of an older woman and a younger woman holding up a sign together
that read, “Women Unite.”

The 1973 edition of OBOS was billed as “by and for women”—a strikingly

radical proposition then. At a time when over 90% of physicians were men, and
only a small number of states allowed legal abortions, it was an extremely daring
and exciting thing to publish a book in which women taught other women about
their bodies, their sexuality, and their rights. This wasn’t the stuff of polite
conversation. It was about abortion rights, rape, intimate partner violence, and
lesbian and bisexual identity. From the very beginning, OBOS questioned the
medical establishment. If male doctors would not allow women access to
information about their bodies, they would get that information, and they would
share it with other women. Childbirth, once clouded in secrecy, would be a two-
page photo spread, so that women could see just what they were in for if they
decided to make that choice. To the writers of OBOS, it was clearly a choice.
They believed that no one had the right to tell women whether or when to have
children.

Trans Bodies, Trans Selves (TBTS) is written by and for transgender and

gender nonconforming people (although we hope that many allies will read it as
well!). We have endeavored to make it as radical as its predecessor. Where
OBOS challenged the medical establishment’s monopoly on knowledge about
women’s bodies, TBTS shares trans health information and implores medical
providers to educate themselves about trans bodies. Where the original

questioned psychiatry’s condemnation of lesbian identity, we fight the similar
treatment of transgender identity. As a psychiatrist, one of my personal goals for
activism is to help lead the fight against pathologization of trans identities.

Not all feminists are trans allies, but I believe they should be. I wasn’t sure

what to expect when I first reached out to Judy Norsigian and Wendy Sanford,
current board members of OBOS. Immediately I received mountains of
enthusiasm for our new book, as well as indication that they were working hard
to update the latest edition of theirs to include information on transgender and
genderqueer identities. They even printed a story about our project in their most
recent book. It was invigorating to see that they understood that all of our fates
are linked.

In 1973, the cover price of OBOS was $2.95. Our book is more expensive, but

we have fought to keep it affordable by today’s standards. As we began writing
this book, we also started a nonprofit organization with the immediate goal of
disseminating the book to as many people and organizations as possible,
regardless of ability to pay. All author proceeds from the book will go toward
Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, Inc. Our hope is that we will publish, with your
help, many more editions of this book, in many countries and in many
languages, and the work of our organization will expand to include additional
education around transgender issues.

In the lower right corner of the back cover of the 1973 edition of OBOS—the

place where the reader finds, literally, the book’s last words—there is a simple
sentence: “Please share this book with others.” After 40 years, this is still the
most important message I can send. Please share this book with others.

Laura Erickson-Schroth, MD, MA

ABOUT THIS BOOK

This book does not need to be read from cover to cover. It is meant to be flipped
through, referenced, picked up, and put down. Chapter 1, “Our Many Selves,”
provides an overview of terminology and concepts that may be useful before
delving into other chapters. When terms are introduced for the first time, they
appear in bold and are defined in the glossary.

One of the main goals of this book is to provide as many viewpoints as

possible. Our authors come from varied backgrounds, with expertise in law,
health, culture, and policy. They wrote text for their chapters collaboratively and
worked with multiple knowledgeable advisors. Most chapters appear in sequence
within the book. There are, however, two chapters (Media and Global Leaders)
that instead appear as series of spotlights throughout the book.

Short pieces by hundreds of contributors add personal experiences and

opinions to each chapter, demonstrating the diversity of our communities.
Quotes in italics are taken from an online survey where over 3, 000 people
across the globe participated in answering questions about their lives. We also
held forums in cities across the United States and Canada, to gather information
on the kinds of resources community members wanted. The book is heavily
illustrated, as pictures can often say more than words. We have taken liberties
with English grammar at times, especially when it is gendered. For example,
parts of the book use the third-person “they” where other books might use the
phrase “he or she.”

An effort was made to select short pieces, quotes, and art that represent the

diversity of trans communities. We have inevitably failed at this goal. Most of
the authors live in the United States or Canada. Many are middle or upper class,
and many are white. There are stories that are not told here—voices that are not
heard. If one of these voices is yours, please consider completing our online
survey or sending your suggestions for the next edition of this book to