{"id":39249,"date":"2021-05-04T06:00:37","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T11:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/?p=39249"},"modified":"2021-04-09T09:24:37","modified_gmt":"2021-04-09T14:24:37","slug":"invisible-in-betweens-gender-identity-201","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/invisible-in-betweens-gender-identity-201\/","title":{"rendered":"Invisible In-betweens: Gender Identity 201"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gender identity is a hot topic in politics and culture lately, and for good reason. More people than ever before are feeling comfortable expressing the true range of their gender identity, but that means a lot of new and unfamiliar concepts are coming into the mainstream. If you’re overwhelmed, worried, or confused about what it all means, that’s okay – we can help with that! Research has shown that reading books, especially fiction, about people different from you can help build your empathy and understanding for them. I’m a firm believer that if we could only understand each other better and have compassion for each other, the world would be a kinder place – so if you liked my previous recommendations<\/a> (or if you missed them entirely) try one of these titles to build a better understanding of a complicated issue. My focus this time around is on the muddled, fluid, unclear in-between places where gender isn’t clear-cut.<\/p>\n

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For a comprehensive look at gender diversity, try They\/Them\/Their<\/a> <\/strong><\/em>by Eris Young – available through interlibrary loan, it focuses mostly on gender diversity in the United Kingdom, but with applicable concepts for US audiences. What I especially like about this book is its careful discussion of various terms and their meanings, and its heavy use of first-person accounts describing real-life experiences. If you’re completely new to the world of gender diversity, this is a great place to start.<\/p>\n

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If you’d like a book that helps you get used to hearing gender-neutral pronouns, and focuses on adventures and everyday activities of gender-diverse people, try one of these great titles. The Love Study<\/a><\/strong><\/em> is a light-hearted romance between a man with a fear of commitment and a genderqueer YouTuber. Finna<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Nino Cipri is a funny sci-fi take on working retail, featuring Ava, an anxious girl, and her recent ex, genderqueer Jules. Mask of Shadows<\/a> <\/strong><\/em>is the dark and exciting fantasy adventure of Sal, a genderfluid thief who takes the opportunity to audition to be an assassin for the queen, only to find themself falling in love with scribe Elise. Spin With Me<\/a><\/strong><\/em> is a sweet story of the mutual crush that blossoms between Essie, the reluctant new girl in town, and Ollie, a non-binary classmate passionate about LGBTQ advocacy.<\/p>\n

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For a meaningful memoir, try Gender Queer<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Maia Kobabe and Identity<\/a> <\/strong><\/em>by Corey Maison. I especially recommend Gender Queer<\/strong> if you’re not familiar with alternative pronouns: the author uses e\/em\/eir instead of he\/him\/his, she\/her\/hers, or they\/them\/theirs. These books are especially good for seeing life from a gender-diverse person’s perspective, because they detail the processes and emotions surrounding the authors’ quests to live authentically as themselves.<\/p>\n

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For a comics treatment, try Be Gay, Do Comics<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, edited by Matt Bors, and A Quick and Easy Guide to They\/Them Pronouns<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Archie Bongiovanni and Tristan Jimerson. Be Gay, Do Comics is a massive anthology of comics describing the wide world of LGBTQ+ experience, including the spectrum of gender diversity and the struggle of pronouns. A Quick and Easy Guide is, well, exactly what it sounds like. If you’re confused by the singular they\/them pronouns or aren’t really familiar with how it works, this is a good book to start with, not least because it includes perspectives from both inside and outside the non-binary gender experience. See also A Quick and Easy Guide to Queer and Trans Identities<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Mady G and J.R. Zuckerberg.<\/p>\n

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Finally, make it manga (Japanese graphic novels) with My Androgynous Boyfriend<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Tamekou, The Bride Was A Boy<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Chii, and Love Me for What I Am<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Kata Konayama. These beautifully and\/or adorably illustrated graphic novels tell the story of gender-diverse people as they fit into (or stand out of) everyday society. In My Androgynous Boyfriend<\/strong>, an average girl dates a boy skilled in the arts of makeup, nails, hair, and fashion – and they navigate the response of society to his unconventional self-expression. In The Bride Was A Boy,<\/strong> a transgender bride shares her journey through transition into love and matrimony, with cute humor along the way. Finally, Love Me for What I Am<\/strong> focuses on a non-binary teen finding community and acceptance working at an unusual caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gender identity is a hot topic in politics and culture lately, and for good reason. More people than ever before are feeling comfortable expressing the true range of their gender identity, but that means a lot of new and unfamiliar concepts are coming into the mainstream. If you’re overwhelmed, worried,[Read more]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1,8],"tags":[5662,3627,5503,69,5663,1187,676],"class_list":["post-39249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-reference","category-staff-picks","tag-gender-diversity","tag-gender-identity","tag-genderqueer","tag-graphic-novels","tag-manga","tag-memoir","tag-nonfiction"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pd0CXx-ad3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39249"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40308,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39249\/revisions\/40308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}