Jan 3rd, 2005
Becoming a Visible Man
The history of the organized transgender movement is relatively young, but also very rich. In my quest to expand my knowledge of “T” issues, I’m energized by Jamison Green’s book, Becoming a Visible Man (Vanderbilt, 2004), which offers a mountain of information free from sensationalism.
Green weaves together the personal and political to give you insight into his own evolution and the parallel development of the FTM (female-to-male) activist movement. His book includes frank stories about his friends and family reacting to his transition, including his children and his children’s biological mother. He also incorporates smart critiques about the portrayal of transgender people in media. In person, Green is a warm and genuine educator; he has succeeded in maintaining his authentic voice within the pages of this book.
The gay community I knew as a child was transphobic. (To read my fortunately-now-very-outdated explanation about my internalized transphobia, read my archived column here.)
Everything I have learned about T-issues has been an undoing of my own transphobia. Becoming a Visible Man is an excellent resource for non-transpeople who are committed to strengthening their understanding of T-issues, and well as transpeople themselves.