At a time of increased danger to transgender and gender-nonconforming people, the 17 essays in Both/And, edited by Denne Michele Norris, represent a joyful call to action. Authors of color reimagine the future, transcending traumatic memories and others' expectations through activism and the arts.
Akwaeke Emezi and Autumn Fourkiller question gender-specific standards of beauty. Edgar Gomez and Caro De Robertis observe how the Spanish language is evolving to become less gendered and allow nonbinary pronouns. Raquel Willis, a speaker at the Brooklyn Liberation March, was spurred to protest after the deaths by suicide of fellow young trans people. Meredith Talusan addresses the sex-work client who assaulted her, an event that proved to be a turning point in her life.
Often, the arts accompany transition journeys. Addie Tsai found a model of gender fluidity in her father's Mandarin-language theater productions, which involved cross-dressing. Vanessa Angélica Villarreal discusses the controversy over nonbinary and trans characters in role-playing video games. Several authors take strength from goddess imagery, as when Gabrielle Bellot visits a Hawaiian volcano and ponders the transformative nature of fire. Others are inspired by the daring acts of "transcestors" from legend and religious history.
Confessional and creative modes coexist here. Kaia Ball's piece is a shining example, contrasting current freedom with the constraints of a mixed-race Mormon upbringing and exploring their relationships with their estranged father and ultrafeminine mother by imagining both parents transitioning.
These vibrant essays blend the personal and the political in fascinating ways, tracing shifting identities and standing up for artistic expression. --Rebecca Foster, freelance reviewer, proofreader and blogger at Bookish Beck