Monday, September 16, 2013

September book of the month; Trans Love: Radical Sex, Love & Relationships beyond the Gender Binary


Reviewed by Sabrina Samone



Lately, for many recent personal reasons, this book caught my attention. As transgender people, we are the first to know and to understand that gender does not equal sexuality. Even I, as a young trans-woman that was only exposed to a typical trans-heterosexual relationship with a Cis-gender person was a little taken aback at first to the variations of partnering that goes on in the Trans community. Even as a member of the transgender community, I had to educate myself about the various sexual orientations.

Transgender deals only with gender and within that group that makes up maybe 3% of the world’s population, within us is the entire spectrum of sexuality and sexual orientations. I have never came across a book that touched on this subject and dared tried to explore the various avenues for sexuality that are truly unique to the trans community. It’s possible to say it s one of the many special gifts unique to transgender people, because sexuality, in a transgender world, can be explored in as many ways known to man and few that are unique to only us.

Trans-Love: Radical Sex, Love & Relationships beyond the Gender Binary, is a collection from editor Morty Diamond. An intense personal and sexy that is far more than just about sex. It explores the many ways of navigating the love and self across the gender spectrum. With contributions from filmmaker Silas Howard, writer Max Valerio, author and performer Julia Seramo, author Sassafras Lowery, activist Bryn Kelly, Sister Spit’s Cooper Lee Bombardier and musician Shawna Virago.




“This is where sex and gender collide; they ricochet like fragments of heart rending shrapnel. Rarely has a book about lust been full of so much love, conflict, and intelligence.  If you think you already know what’s in these stories, or you think you don’t need to know, you’re wrong,” said Patrick Califa, author of Sex Changes: The Politics of Transgenderism.

Exploring the crossroads of gender and sexuality, Trans/Love: Radical Sex, Love & Relationships beyond the Gender Binary offers unusually engaging narratives that create a raw and honest depiction of dating, sex, love, and relationships among members of the gender variant community. FTM, MTF, third gender, gender queer, and other non-traditional identities beyond the gender binary of traditional male and female are included in this often heartwarming, occasionally heartbreaking, always heartfelt groundbreaking anthology. From monogamous love and marriage to anonymous sex and one-night hook-ups (and everything in between), these stories offer readers insight into the precarious emotional and practical mechanics of intimacy among gender-variant experiences.

Within the 155 pages is an interesting mix of essays by people who push gender boundaries.  It’s frank, funny, tender, vulnerable, tough, fierce and heartwarming. This book  debunks the myth that a transgender person’s sexual partners is limited but proves the contrary that we may in fact have the most options of any gender or sexual orientation.  It is a Celebration of the fact that indeed we are the best of both worlds.

If you think you have read all there is to cover the Transgender experience this book will live you feeling you just began to understand what it can truly mean to be Transgender. It does truly laugh out loud funny, you will drop this book to scream laughing and call a friend to tell them what you’ve just read. It’s dead on, each story you may be able to relate or know a friend or a social network friend that is Trans that is going through something similar. Transmuseplanet highly recommends this to all in the community our admirers and Cis-genders seeking or in relationships with someone Transgender.
Below you can click the names of few of the various artist to watch you tube video of them reading their contributions in the book

Morty Diamond

Ashley Altadonna

Cooper Lee Bombardier


                       PREVIOUS TRANSMUSEPLANET'S BOOK OF THE MONTH

August book of the month: An Awaited Reckoning; the Solstice Moon Series

July book of the month: The Lady Chablis; Hiding My Candy 

 
 June Book of the Month; Warrior Princess: A U.S. Navy SEAL’s Journey to Coming out 
 Transgender
 
May’s book of the month; I Rise-The Transformation of Toni Newman

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Sounds exciting and captivating..i will def have to check this one out! Great article..very well written Sabrina. Thanks for introducing me to new things I wouldn't have taken the time ti notice.