Hello there from your beloved Prince of Unpopular Opinions! Today, I have a review of A Quick and Easy Guide to Queer and Trans Identities by the incredibly talented Mady G and J.R. Zuckerberg! I was able to review a similar title talking about they/them pronouns so I practically jumped at the chance to review this one on a topic close to home: queer and trans identities. I myself am a s/he genderfluid human person and it took me years to sort out just exactly what I was. So I’m supportive of any guide that talks about this at times very sensitive topic with tact but also with humor and grace.
And I’m proud to say this guide does not disappoint! Immediately, we kick off with discussing the word “queer” and the somewhat tricky history of the slur now being taken by back certain factions of the LGBTQ+ community and it features an appearance by Oscar Wilde because it isn’t a talk about queer studies without bring up Oscar Wilde.
Each section of this book is thorough and in fact, its the thoroughness that really made me love this read. Even though I’m genderfluid, I’m the first person to admit that everyone needs a refresher course sometimes and if you are a cisgender (person who feels comfortable in the biological sex you were born with) person then this is an amazing guide to better understanding trans folks and all the gender identities in between!
The art style is adorable and it makes this read all the easier to understand and wrap your head around if this is all a bit new to you. This guide goes over all the major topics I’d want out of a guide from pronouns to gender expression and the history of the terms that come to define all the various gender identities.
I cannot recommend this book enough! This is great for young teens all the way on up and for people of all genders and orientations.
Sometimes it’s worth it to go back to the foundation when it comes to identity as it tends to change so much for some. I know speaking from experience I have used several different words to describe similar feelings: genderqueer, gender nonbinary, genderfluid, bigender and I can absolutely understand that to a lot of people, that is very confusing. But fret now, dear reader, let this book be your guide.
With this guide at your side, I am sure you’ll walk away feeling more informed about such an important topic to so many people.
A Quick and Easy Guide to Queer and Trans Identities gets 5/5 from me!
