Happy Pride Month! I thought I would start this month off with some queer non-fiction books on my TBR. These books are either ones I am looking forward to reading or have already read and want to reread soon.
My future PhD project will hopefully be an experimental memoir focusing on being a nonbinary parent, so there might be a few things from my reading list for that on here!
All links for books go to Gay’s the Word, an independent LGBT bookshop in London. They ship over the UK and international I believe. (I’m not sponsored – just want to shout out a business I like).
Pageboy: A Memoir by Elliot Page
From the blurb: Full of behind the scenes details and intimate interrogations on sex, love, trauma, and Hollywood, Pageboy is the story of a life pushed to the brink. But at its core, this beautifully written, winding journey of what it means to untangle ourselves from the expectations of others is an ode to stepping into who we truly are with defiance, strength, and joy.
I have been excited about this release since it was announced and just got around to preordering it from Gay’s the Word the other day. It comes out in the 6th June 2023! As with most of these books I don’t have much to say until I read them, but I’m looking forward to this.
The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye
From the blurb: In this powerful new book, Shon Faye reclaims the idea of the ‘transgender issue’ to uncover the reality of what it means to be trans in a transphobic society. In doing so, she provides a compelling, wide-ranging analysis of trans lives from youth to old age, exploring work, family, housing, healthcare, the prison system and trans participation in the LGBTQ+ and feminist communities, in contemporary Britain and beyond.
The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye is the only one on this list I have read. I preordered and read it as soon as I could and it had me in tears, but it is so much more than that. If you are going to argue for equality, justice, and fend off transphobic rubbish in your life, you need to be educated – you’ll be plenty informed after reading this!
I read this initially in a time of my life where I was in the middle of questioning my gender, so I’m due a reread since there have been some changes! I also need some quotes to back up a few of my points in essays for this PhD proposal, so this, these other books on the list, and many more (let me know if you want to see more and I’ll post a more comprehensive list) will help me look a little smarter!
The Queer Parent by Lotte Jeffs and Stu Oakley
From the blurb: 90% of queer parenting is just . . . parenting, but being LGBTQ+ when you’re a parent does bring with it a host of conundrums that mainstream guides – which tend to assume heterosexuality – do not address. From adoption, surrogacy, fertility treatment and other routes to parenthood, to donors, trans parenting, how to deal with family-focused homophobia, coming out at the school gates and much more, The Queer Parent is a groundbreaking toolkit for LGBTQ+ parents, parents-to-be, and anyone looking to support their journey. It is a book that redefines the family for the modern age.
I am a nonbinary, stay-at-home parent, and when it comes to introducing myself as such to doctors, childcarers, extended family, friends, etc, I have no idea what I am doing. Unfortunately, I can’t just wear a pronoun badge or similar as the little one will just pull it off again!
I need a book like this to start on my journey to knowing how to approach a bunch of situations I have not been able to ask other parents about. But also, I think it will be a great way to learn about parenting experiences from others in the LGBTQ+ community.
What’s Your Pronoun? by Dennis Baron
From the blurb: An essential work in understanding how 21st century culture has evolved, What’s Your Pronoun? chronicles the story of the role pronouns have played-and continue to play-in establishing both our rights and our identities.
With the discourse around LGBTQ+ rights, especially trans rights, focusing on things like pronouns and bathrooms (instead of things that are far more urgent, like better access to life-saving healthcare, educating teachers and healthcare professionals, self ID, and much more), I think a book like this might help focus that discourse on the important things.
We Can Do Better Than This, Ed. by Amelia Abraham
From the blurb: We talk about achieving ‘LGBTQ+ equality’, but around the world, LGBTQ+ people are still suffering discrimination and extreme violence. How do we solve this urgent problem, allowing queer people everywhere the opportunity to thrive? In We Can Do Better Than This, 35 voices explore this question. Through deeply moving stories and provocative new arguments on safety and visibility, dating and gender, care and community, they map new global frontiers in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.
I love anthologies like this. I read Gender Explorers by Juno Roche a while ago and got a lot out of the varied perspectives of people within and linked to our community – I definitely need more books like this.
