Synopses & Reviews
Ground-breaking work on gender transgression by one of the most provocative lesbian authors in the U.S.
-- Transgenderism is a hot subject, with books by Kate Bornstein, Leslie Feinberg, and others garnering national attention
This work springs from my own profound discomfort with gender. As a small child, I put Ken in Barbie's formal, tied him up, and stuck him back in the box. He had been kidnapped, I decided. Barbie got to wear Ken's suit and had a series of mad adventures trying to rescue Ken with her sidekick, a troll doll with bright green hair".
So begins Pat Califia's honest, meticulously researched analysis of the contemporary history of transsexuality. Based on in-depth interviews with gender transgressors who "opened their lives, minds, hearts, and bedroom to the gaze of strangers", this book combines a well-thought-out chronology with Pat Califia's hallmark candor and insight. "My lesbianism is largely a product of my profound emotional and erotic involvement with other women. But it was also a strategy for reducing gender dysphoria, part of a search for a place where I could be more of a man, or at least a different sort of woman".
Writing about both male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals, Califia examines the lives of early transgender pioneers like Christine Jorgenson, Jan Morris, and Mark Rees; partners of transgendered people such as Minnie Bruce Pratt; and contemporary transgender activists, including Leslie Feinberg and Kate Bornstein.
Califia scrutinizes feminist resistance to transsexuals occupying women's space and the Christian Right's backlash against transsexuals. Finally, the book explores the future of gender. Califia's first book oforiginal material in four years, Sex Changes includes an extensive bibliography and resource list.
Synopsis
Patrick Califia's meticulously researched history of transsexuality combines well thought-out chronology with Califia's hallmark candor and insight. Writing about both male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals, Califia examines the lives of transgender pioneers like Christine Jorgensen, Jan Morris, Renée Richards, and Mark Rees; partners of transgendered people like Minnie Bruce Pratt; and contemporary transgender activists like Leslie Feinberg and Kate Bornstein.
Includes new writing by the author reflecting changes in the transsexual community in the five years since publication of the first edition, as well as his own decision to transition to a female-to-male transsexual identity.
Synopsis
Pat Califia needs no introduction for lesbian and gay readers. His writings on sexuality, pornography, censorship, S/M and other controversial topics have earned him the reputation of a fearless defender of the rights of gays and lesbians and a fearless intellectual adversary. Sex Changes: The Politics of Transgenderism is Califias meticulously researched analysis of the contemporary history of transsexuality. Based on in-depth interviews with gender transgressors who "opened their lives, minds, hearts, and bedrooms to the gaze of strangers," this book combines a well thought-out chronology with Pat Califias hallmark candor and insight.
Writing about both male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals, Califia examines the lives of early transgender pioneers like Christine Jorgenson, Jan Morris, Renee Richards and Mark Rees, contemporary transgender activists like Leslie Feinberg and Kate Bornstein, and partners of transgendered people like Minnie Bruce Pratt.
Califia scrutinizes feminist resistance to transsexuals, the Christian Rights backlash, and the appropriation of the berdache and other differently-gendered people by gay historians. Finally, Sex Changes explores the future of gender.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 281-292) and index.
About the Author
PATRICK CALIFIAformerly Pat Califiais the author of Speaking Sex to Power, Public Sex, and Sensuous Magic. He lives in San Francisco.