Kit Heyam

A New History of Gender

Before We Were Trans

not extensive by any means but a beautiful start

kate 

I went back and forth on my rating on this mainly because, as a cis woman, I am not sure I am qualified to judge how informative this was and exactly where it fits within contemporary discussions regarding gender and transness and the history of the community. To me, this book was incredibly informative, even if I was already familiar with some of the concepts. I felt like the emphasis on the difference in the understanding of gender across cultures and eras and how its current mainstream discussion through a Western (and historically Christian) lense is limiting and has historically been damaging was an incredibly strong concept tying the project together.

While I consider myself a person who always approaches matters with an open mind, Heyam has found a way to open this mindset even further. I think this was the first time where non-conforming terms and histories have been organised and clarified within my mind so well - and I will carry this with myself for the rest of my life. This is not only due to the author's incredibly accessible writing style but also their clear passion for the subject and compassion for the people forming it. The book is incredibly engulfing, even of dense with information, and I often found myself impatient to come back to reading it when real life responsibilities interupted me.

I went back and forth on my rating on this mainly because, as a cis woman, I am not sure I am qualified to judge how informative this was and exactly where it fits within contemporary discussions regarding gender and transness and the history of the community. To me, this book was incredibly informative, even if I was already familiar with some of the concepts. I felt like the emphasis on the difference in the understanding of gender across cultures and eras and how its current mainstream discussion through a Western (and historically Christian) lense is limiting and has historically been damaging was an incredibly strong concept tying the project together.

While I consider myself a person who always approaches matters with an open mind, Heyam has found a way to open this mindset even further. I think this was the first time where non-conforming terms and histories have been organised and clarified within my mind so well - and I will carry this with myself for the rest of my life. This is not only due to the author's incredibly accessible writing style but also their clear passion for the subject and compassion for the people forming it. The book is incredibly engulfing, even of dense with information, and I often found myself impatient to come back to reading it when real life responsibilities interupted me.

Before We Were Trans A New History of Gender

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