Description

The transgender and gender nonbinary community is forever under siege. Institutional transphobia is enacted by those who would return us to the shadows, the closets, or worse.

Surviving Transphobia is an anthology by transgender and gender nonbinary celebrities and experts on endurance during times of severe hostility. We share the moments when we were vulnerable, were bullied, had needs dismissed, or were discriminated against, revealing our determination and how we have (sometimes) managed to thrive. We offer loving support as you brave agony and seek joy. We also speak to our allies.

We are activists, actors, athletes, authors, lawyers, doctors, nurses, therapists, sex workers, clergy, diplomats, and military veterans. We are of many ethnicities. We vary socioeconomically, educationally, and geographically. Some are neurodivergent. Several are disabled or have chronic illnesses. A few are HIV+. A small number were born elsewhere.

We have survived, here’s how. And if we can survive… so can you.

Publisher Review

This is a vital book at a crucial time, executed with such a skilful choice of contributors by Laura. Trans people's lives and safety are being exploited on both sides of the Atlantic by political operators seeking cheap gains at the polls. Their attacks won't win the votes they seek but an account of the harms they are inflicting is overdue. Laura has chosen such a diverse and articulate set of contributors to document the real harm. Anyone who doubts the human cost for a second must read this. A book I wish I'd created myself, but Laura has done it first and done it better. -- Christine Burns, Author of Trans Britain and retired activist Transphobia is everywhere and every transperson is threatened by it, no matter our race, age, class, sexuality, or life path. Surviving Transphobia is unique in giving us both deeply moving memoirs of transphobia from brave trans pioneers-and their strategies for dealing with it. Far from being a book of tragic endings, each and every chapter of this first rate collection sees transphobia conquered, and lucky us-we get to learn from the best how to do it for ourselves. A truly important book for both scholars and for every transperson facing transphobia. -- Kate Bornstein, Author, Gender Outlaw