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. 

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? 

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. :)

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!

_______________________________________________

(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!

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.

_______________________________________________

(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!

Hey Tumblrs!

The GENDER book is in the process of making a video that will be used for an upcoming kickstarter and for a grant application. If you want to be in it, we’d love to have you. Here’s how you submit a shoutout:

Make a brief video of you saying how a resource like the GENDER book could make positive change in your life, family, home community. Who do you know that could use some gender education?

Bonus points if you show off your copy, hand-printed or found at an event, or include a shot of your favorite page(s).

Every contributor will get a shoutout in the final hardcover GENDER book and here on our website, and our heartfelt thanks. 

Send us an email to creators at the genderbook dot com with Video Shoutout in the subject line, and a link to your blog or youtube or whatever you’d like us to promote for you. But hurry, they’re due by Wednesday Feb 20th if you want to be included. 

Much love and community,

Mel, Jay, and Robin

co-creators of the GENDER book

The transgender umbrella (page from the GENDER book)

Gender Perception

Another page from the GENDER book, edited.

————————————-

So I’m constantly putting out these messages that express my gender. Sometimes I’m not even aware of it. But that’s only half the story… How those signals are interpreted by others (Like Jim here) is their perception of my gender.

I’m finding that when my gender is consistently correctly identified by strangers, it’s easier to navigate going to the grocery store. I feel safer* and more comfortable. 

However, I, like most people, sometimes have the experience of being misgendered by well-meaning strangers at one time or another. While this can be very upsetting (or frustrating or amusing or however you deal with such misunderstandings), it’s important to remember that how others judge your gender is never as important as how you see yourself. 

—————————————

Please leave comments/critique/feedback as comments on our original post if you want us to read them, or simply email us at creators (at) thegenderbook.com. We’d love to read what you have to say.

Ever want to know where all these pages come from, or live when they’re not floating around tumblr? check out www.thegenderbook.com/thebook for a complete (if less-updated) listing of the book’s pages. Enjoy!

The gender binary (and alternative systems)

Public bathrooms, like drivers licenses and census forms, present us with two options. You’re either male or female. In this system, your gender and sex are assumed to be the same thing. However, this isn’t always true for gender diverse or intersex  folks.

My friends and I would love a gender system that includes more options than male and female. Can you imagine that? What might it look like?

(cc) the GENDER book. please share and comment on our original post if you want us to see it. Thanks! -Mel

Imagine gender as a planet.

All people grow up somewhere on that planet, most in Ladyland or in Manlandia. Lots of people are comfortable where they’re born and stay in that same area their whole  lives. Some people,  though, are citizens of Manlandia but are born in Ladyland. Just like in the real world, you can’t tell someone’s citizenship by looking at them, it’s very personal. As we get older we may want to move to a place where we are more comfortable. 

cisgender If you’re most comfortable in the gender you were assumed at birth, that’s called cisgender. 

transgender Anyone who lives outside their expected gender land, crossing state lines, so to speak, could be said to be transgender. 

Ever wonder what the GENDER booklet is? It’s actually different from the book, a kind of pre-book mini handout version made of 6 of the most-requested pages. You can see a pdf of it at www.thegenderbook.com/the-booklet, but remember this hasn’t been updated in a little while, so it might not reflect the most recent information out there. Still, we hope it’s useful as an educational tool. One day, we do hope to revisit and edit it, but for now all of our energies are going into editing the full-length book, what we call the GENDER book. 

Here’s a table to help clear up the confusion:

the GENDER booklet                        the GENDER book

6 pages long                                      70 pages long

the most essential information           everything we could fit

fits in your pocket                              fits on your bookshelf

mostly purple                                     full color

both pages show up on Tumblr sometimes, so it might be good to know which is which. Hope this helps! mel