Page Boy.
I am currently reading Page Boy, @elliotpage's autobiography. I kind of had to put it down for a few days because that shit hits hard. I have several friends who are Trans (I actually had to sit and think about that statement because I usually forget they are indeed, Trans, at the end, they're just.. friends) and I know some of their stories, and some are sadly very similar to Elliot's. So I am reading the book because I had the book in my waiting list at the local library and just got it. There were more than one hundred and seven people ahead of me when I requested it. Yeah, I totally believe it was a New York Times bestseller.
I had to put it down and read something else because it's a book that hits you hard: becoming who you know you are when society (and people you have never even met) tells you you are wrong is hard. Very hard. Years in the closet, years denying who you really are, years of surreptitiously mixing clothing items you really want to wear with your everyday clothes, years of unhappiness, years of hiding from yourself leave a trace in you.
Maybe that's why I think transphobes and TERFS are kind of the worst kind of human beings. No empathy, no understanding of basic biology, no real feelings for other humans, no desire to stay on their lane while intruding in other people's lives. Tans people go through some of the most grueling processes a person can go in order to realize who they really are. And there are people out there ready to tear them down and make their lives impossible. Just because. Deplorable.
Don't get me wrong, I like the book. I just put it down for a minute. Mads had told me I could have her book when she finished it (the darling!) but I really wanted to make sure I also asked for it in the library because representation matters. Oh, yes. Just like every banned book, I usually read Queer-themed books from the public library because that's my contribution to visibility. And taking into account how many people wanted to read this book, I am not alone. Thankfully.
So if you drop by Target, or Barnes and Noble or your local bookstore, look for PageBoy. Totally recommend.
XOXO
I have it on the nightstand as soon as I finish what I'm reading now.
ReplyDeleteAs for the hate and bigotry and intolerance, why don't those people try a little simple respect. You don't need to "understand' trans if that too hard to grasp for you, just respect the human being and treat them with that respect.
xoxo
Oh, totally recommend.
DeleteAnd the haters are just tiny, insignificant souls that have no heart. I don't need to 'understand' anybody because their lives are... theirs! We just let them BE!
XOXO
Big says,
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware of this. Now I shall have to get it and read. ... Isn't it interesting that it took me more than a hot minute to remember the birth name. Since the shedding of the cocoon, I've just automatically thought of him as Elliot. XOXO
Oh, you must.
DeleteIt's a very engrossing, informative, and full of heart. And having to think about the birth name is something that tells you that you just take people for who they ARE.
XOXO
Right now I'm reading through The Body in Motion making all sorts of notes and corrections.
ReplyDeleteThere you go.
DeleteProofreading is a mood. But I'd recommend Elliot's book. Who knows? You may decide to write your memoirs.
XOXO
HuntleyBiGuy:
ReplyDeleteAs you said, the Trans community sacrifices so much to realize their authentic selves and people who have nothing better to do make it their business to vilify them. The existence of the Trans community, in reality, has no impact on them. They manufacture grievances because hate is their currency.
Elliott has more strength and determination than they will ever know in their lives.
XOXO 👨🏼❤️💋👨🏽
When people say that Trans people 'decided' to be Trans, I get stabby.
DeleteIt's not a 'decision' It's a becoming. Trans people does not impact anybody's life. While people do ALL THEY CAN so they can make Trans people's lives miserable.
Elliot is twice the man they could ever be or have.
XOXO
Yes...when I first saw Ellen Page on the big screen, it now blows your mind to know just what he was going through then in a hidden hell, Elliot Page wanting nothing more than to come out and shine and be himself. I love the book, and like you have a few trans friends. But it never crosses my mind as that since I've been around trans so long with friends and drag sisters. We will ever see people as just people without labels??? Not in this country sadly I suspect.
ReplyDeleteI got the book from Giovanni's Room, where I get all my books. I feel bad because I know they must be hanging on by a thread. I hope I'm wrong. This place is a gem, and still a beacon for the young LGBT coming out and finding their tribe and material to support it. I never miss a stop when in Philly, or I do their mail order.
Can you imagine?
DeleteElliot talks about how hard it was when Juno blew up: the closet was the only solution. Can you imagine? And You are right, we see people as.. PEOPLE when we have been around Trans and non-binary people because that's who they are.
And more people must go and patronize Giovanni's Room! For real! It's historical!!! Thanks for supporting them.
XOXO
Big says,
DeleteWell, Mads, we will never see people as just people until WE stop using the labels ourselves. WE perpetuate them. When someone says, "Oh, he's gay." or "Oh, I'm gay." The correct response should be, "No, he's a person, a human being. That's all you need to know." XOXO
Certain experiences and certain obstacles in life break the hearts of those who have to experience and overcome them. But I believe that one of the current problems is precisely the lack of empathy. Can't you help? don't you WANT to help? at least, don't distress people who are suffering.
ReplyDeleteOh, lack of empathy is killer.
DeletePeople who lack empathy are... sociopaths. Simple as that. TERFs and Transphobes are just empty shells.
XOXO
Great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI was just literally telling you guys that I had to put that book down. It's so interesting! But it does hit hard. Totally recommend.
XOXO
Very cool. I don't think I'll be reading this one, though I agree with all you said re: Trans folk and all they must go through. It's a struggle, just like being gay and in the closet - but it's much easier to simply say, I'm gay... Trans folk have a much harder road to travel. And empathy is exactly what's lacking. The same people who want to tell women what to do with their bodies and fear drag queen story hour and don't want to acknowledge same sex relationships... they are the same people who want to tell trans people to keep a lid on it. But it's never going to work. Not in the long run. You can't stop people from expressing who they are... you can't stop people from identifying, naming and becoming their authentic selves. A bestseller? Good. About damn time. When we go to the polls next November... remember people like Elliot. And then vote for those who recognize the rights and the authenticity of people like Elliot. They are they same people who recognize the rights of gay folk and women and people of color. Those are the folks we need to support. Those are the folks who will do the right thing and make life easier for, well... actually everyone. Even those who oppose them.
ReplyDeleteOh, absolutely.
DeleteAnd usually Trans people first come out as LGBQ and then they have to come out as Trans. It's a double whammy. And I agree that conservatives are using them as a wedge issue: the Trans panic. It won't last. But meanwhile, Trans people will be under scrutiny and will be demonized.
XOXO
I enjoy Elliot Page. But I admit I had a hard time getting through the book. Of course, I'm not a huge autobiographical book reader.
ReplyDeleteI can see that.
DeleteAutobiographies are a mood. I found it heavy because it hit close to home. I have friends who have gone through similar things, so I needed a break. I find memoirs more fun, but autobiographies are better researched.
XOXO