http://thegenderbook.tumblr.com/

Photo

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:22:14 -0700

We're featured on Autostraddle today!

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:50:29 -0700

Cara at Autostraddle wrote a very sweet write up of our project. How exciting! Check it out.

She says “The book is straightforward enough that you could send it to your mom the next time she asks you why you’re wearing a tie, and in-depth enough that even people who think about this stuff every day can probably find something new — did you know that the tastiest papayas come from hermaphroditic papaya trees? I also learned the term “gender surfer.” Even if it’s all familiar, you’ll definitely enjoy the illustrations, many of which are adorable and smart reinterpretations of familiar images, like classical art and board games (did I spot a marble statue of Jessica Rabbit?). And the overall style is a really great mix of wide-eyed and wise.”

We’ve gotten from this publicity so far a ten dollar donation, three new issuu followers, a couple of surveys, some very valuable feedback, and an offer to help translate the gender book into French! Rock on.

omg yall it’s the last page of the GENDER book,...

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:00:54 -0700

omg yall it’s the last page of the GENDER book, colored!

… at least, unless I go through with this secret plan to add another last minute page… then it’d be the second-to-last.

I cannot wait to see it in print. We included some random fun facts and miscellaneous info there on the inside back cover you might recognize from the GENDER booklet, as well as a little concept map to help you find your way through the book quickly.

thanks for posting one of our booklet illustrations. FYI, you...

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:46:08 -0700

thanks for posting one of our booklet illustrations. FYI, you can find the other pages at our website- www.thegenderbook.com

Hey guys, check it out- I just colored the Acknowledgments page...

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:00:35 -0700

Hey guys, check it out- I just colored the Acknowledgments page from the GENDER book. You may notice that there is space still for your name! Though we’ve closed the surveys for all practical purposes (putting this baby to bed soon!) we still welcome your feedback and support in other ways- from spreading the word to donating financially whatever you can. If you paypal us more than $5, we’ll put you (or a person’s name of your choosing) here in the book.

Who are your gender heroes?

Idea for an activities page to go in the GENDER book. What do...

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:51:00 -0700

Idea for an activities page to go in the GENDER book. What do you think?

the gender book

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:00:52 -0700

the gender book:

alxndrmrtnz:

The gender book is a colorful, short book meant to educate and entertain- a sort of gender 101 for anyone and everyone. Please enjoy and distribute widely.

pretty cool, you guys! check it out.

thanks, ya’ll! We have a Tumblr, too! <3 mel

the second page of the glossary for the GENDER book has been...

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:00:52 -0700

the second page of the glossary for the GENDER book has been colored. Yay! Now it just needs words.

Recently-colored footnotes and further resources pages from the...

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:00:45 -0700

Recently-colored footnotes and further resources pages from the GENDER book.

Ideas for resources to add? What are your favorite gender- or trans- related books, videos, articles, websites, and groups? I’d love to hear your ideas. I’m still collecting them myself. You can email me directly at mel@thegenderbook.com. Alternately, you can try leaving comments here, I check those sometimes.

PS- Don’t mind the footnotes; they will be updated and edited, heavily. I just put some rough text there to play with fonts and such. :)

Today I sat at Maxfield’s coffeeshop in the Castro and...

Sat, 11 May 2013 19:44:08 -0700

Today I sat at Maxfield’s coffeeshop in the Castro and colored this page. Just imagine the words in there. Those wil come later. Kthanks.

Meanwhile, we could play a game where you comment with the words you’d most like to see included in gender definitions

The inside front cover and title page of the GENDER book have...

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:00:00 -0700

The inside front cover and title page of the GENDER book have been released for your perusal and feedback. Yes, that is my handwriting on the titles. I also used somewhat brighter, more acidic colors than usual. Fun stuff. **Note to self- put in actual publisher’s info and ISBN there… Just as soon as we find one…

-mel

(Edited to include the new colors. I like them moar!)

So… Apparently the mice in Texas like digital coloring tablets...

Tue, 07 May 2013 21:24:00 -0700

So… Apparently the mice in Texas like digital coloring tablets as much as I do. >.< anyone want to donate $72 to help me finish the book, or have an old Wacom lying around somewhere, or want to play with the cord with their sautering iron? Only 5 pages left to color! It’s so frustrating….

queerfabulousmermaid: callingoutbigotry: alphabonesoup: Here...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 12:59:22 -0700

queerfabulousmermaid:

callingoutbigotry:

alphabonesoup:

Here it is! I’m not 100% sure if I like how it came out… it almost seems a bit too cutesy for the subject. Maybe I just like drawing cute clothes and bright colours too much!

This is for a contest with the Canadian Human Rights Agencies for their conference in May. All the Advanced Illustration students and Design students had to enter as part of their final. Kinda pissed that they required us to print it off at 24 x 36…. which I think is way too big and expensive ($50!!) for most students and their budget. We don’t even get to keep the posters. And the top prize is only $200. I feel kinda ripped off. :/

EDIT: A couple of people have sent me notes saying that “Transgendered” is incorrect terminology. I apologize, I kind of added the text last minute, and should have known better. I’ve uploaded a fixed version. :)

This poster is a good reminder that pronouns aren’t “preferred”. They’re NECESSARY.

Exactly why my school admins/peers starting asking “what pronouns do you use?” instead of “what are you preferred pronouns?”

I love this! So good.

lgbteam: QVF on @weheartit.com - http://whrt.it/UeI0v3 Nice.

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:11:15 -0700

lgbteam:

QVF on @weheartit.com - http://whrt.it/UeI0v3

Nice.

Gender Across Communities page from the GENDER...

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:00:39 -0700

Gender Across Communities page from the GENDER book

_______________________________________________

(cc) the GENDER book project. in progress snapshot presented for community editing and feedback. Please direct all notes to mel@thegenderbook.com or comment using disqus on the original post to ensure your voice gets heard. Thanks!

Status update on the book

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:01:53 -0700

Hi friends! Just wanted to let everyone know how the book-making process is going. Fun facts follow!

There are 70 pages total in the book.
We have completed illustrations for 60 of them.
We have (mostly) complete text for 52 of them.
The pages left to color are the acknowledgments page, footnotes and further reading, the index, the two pages of glossary, and the inside front cover.
The pages left to edit are the “Walk in our Shoes” pages I and II, How to Be an Ally, and this page.
Meanwhile, we have a spreadsheet of short-run printers going that will make the first edition print for us (self-publishing), because
We haven’t heard back from traditional publishers yet.
On the plus side, thanks to Koomah we have a fabulous new video that might help with our kickstarter/other fundraiser to pay for that first round of printing.

We are super excited about how near to completion this book is and also entirely aware of how without big beautiful community support this project would go nowhere. Thank you, everyone who’s contributed so far, again, and if you see anywhere in the above where you could help, please get in touch and let’s collaborate together!

In community,

Mel

Transgender & Genderqueer identities page from the GENDER...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:00:32 -0700

Transgender & Genderqueer identities page from the GENDER book

Hey Boston, how’s the research going? Remember, as you’re learning about all of these identities, that they are only the tip of the iceberg. It’s okay to identify simply as transgender, as a mix of those identities, none at all, genderqueer like me, or make up something that fits you better!

Bigender describes those who alternate between two distinct gender roles. May be crossdressers or drag performers.

Intergender describes those who identify between the traditional masculine and feminine genders.

Ambigender describes those who identify to some degree with both the masculine and feminine genders

Genderfluid describes those whose gender behavior and presentation changes depending on the situation or their mood.

Pangender describes those who identify with all the genders.

Polygender describes someone who identifies with many (though not all) of the genders.

Agender describes those who identify with having no gender or a neutral gender. They may present androgynously or seek to make their bodies more gender-neutral to match their identity. Sometimes also called neutrois.

Third gender describes those who identify with a (often non-Western) gender that is neither masculine nor feminine. See “gender across cultures” on page 6 for more!

Genderqueer describes those whose identities fall outside of the widely accepted gender binaries. Many of the identities [above] could also be described as genderqueer.

They have a great diversity of expression and presentation. An individual who identifies as genderqueer could display few gendered cues to many (potentially conflicting) ones. It’s not really about how they look, though. What genderqueer individuals all share is a nonconforming gender identity and an opposition to gender systems that they perceive as strict or limiting.

ed note: We affirm that labels are starting points for further conversation. A single word can never encapsulate a whole person. You probably have lots of intersecting identities that only scratch the surface of who you are. Gender is one part - what are some others?

We humbly acknowledge the limited scope of these pages. If you don’t see your identity words here, we empower you to tell us so we may include it in the final version!

_______________________________________________

Trans Man page from the GENDER book Transmen are people whose...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:01:10 -0700

Trans Man page from the GENDER book

Transmen are people whose experience is usually that of being assigned female at birth and socialized as such, to determine at some later point that their gender identity is masculine to the extent that they desire to live full-time in those roles.

Though there is a wide variety of people who identify as somewhat trans-masculine, most who embrace the “transsexual” identifyer usually prefer masculine pronouns, take masculine or androgynous names, and may want to alter their bodies to match their gender identities.

_______________________________________________

"Today I am thinking of women too often ignored or even hurt by the feminist movement. Trans* women,..."

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 10:01:21 -0700

“Today I am thinking of women too often ignored or even hurt by the feminist movement. Trans* women, women of color, disabled women, fat women, queer women, elderly women, poor women, women in prison, women who are sex workers, women who are undocumented, women who are more than one of the above. Today is your day, too. I celebrate you and your strengths.”

- If you identify as a woman, you are a woman. It’s really as simple as that. Hopefully one day everyone will understand. Until then, we as a society must continue to deconstruct what our culture has historically defined “woman” to mean. And what that definition means to women across the world.

(above quote from Cease Silence)

New page @ thegenderbook.com

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:00:00 -0800

New page @ thegenderbook.com:

Just in case anyone’s curious about how the book is made- especially the illustration and design side of things. Updated the rest of the website too, so if you haven’t been recently, might be worth it to take a look!

-mel