Debunks the twenty-one most common myths and misperceptions about transgender issues
From Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner to Thomas Beatie (“the pregnant man”) and transgender youth, coverage of trans lives has been exploding—yet so much misinformation persists. Bringing together the medical, social, psychological, and political aspects of being trans in the United States today, “You’re in the Wrong Bathroom!”: And 20 Other Myths About Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming People unpacks the twenty-one most common myths and misconceptions about transgender and gender-nonconforming people. Authors Laura Erickson-Schroth, MD, a psychiatrist, and Laura A. Jacobs, LCSW-R, a psychotherapist, address a range of fallacies:
Trans People Are “Trapped in the Wrong Body”
You’re Not Really Trans If You Haven’t Had “the Surgery”
Trans People Are a Danger to Others, Especially Children
Trans People Are Mentally Ill and Therapy Can Change Them
Trans People and Feminists Don’t Get Along
“The writing is clear, honest, and sensitive to the transgender population...A timely and worthwhile purchase for libraries as well as middle- and high-school counseling offices, community centers, and places of worship.”
—Booklist, Starred Review
“This timely publication addresses much of the misinformation about the trans community that persists despite increasing media coverage both popular and serious. The authors scrupulously present the range of different positions on each issue addressed, so anyone hoping for easy cut-and-dried answers will be forced to think again. The book, which will enlighten both general and specialist readers, includes a full range of documentary references, conferences, organizations, and sources of funding for the cause.”
—The New York Journal of Books
“Erickson-Schroth and Jacobs tackle misinformation head on, and by providing an explanation as to how and why this happens, they humanize the issue.”
—The San Antonio Current
“This is an ideal book to dispel many pernicious myths that prevent otherwise well-intentioned people from fully understanding the trans experience.”
—School Library Journal
“This insightful and instructive primer clears up many common falsehoods about what it means to be trans or gender-nonconforming, without relying on dense political jargon or dry, specialized academic lingo. The book’s clear, direct language and compassionate, no-nonsense approach helps dispel the confusion and bigotry that often overshadows public perception of transgender issues. . . .Buy this book and share it with our whole family.”
—Bust
“A breath of fresh air. This book provides, with equal measures of scholarship and humanity, thoughtful pushback against the most common misconceptions, misunderstandings, and just plain lies about trans people and the people who love them. A book for everyone, You’re in the Wrong Bathroom will open hearts, change minds, and save lives.”
—Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of She’s Not There and Long Black Veil
“Amid all the misinformation about trans lives and people, this is a refreshingly accurate book that covers the most pernicious myths and also has the virtue of being written accessibly. Everyone from therapists and teachers to parents and young people will find the book invaluable.”
—Carol Bernstein, former president of the American Psychiatric Association
PART 1: IDENTITY
MYTH 1: You’ve Never Met a Transgender Person
MYTH 2: All Trans People Want to Be Either Barbie or Ken
MYTH 3: You’re Not Really Trans If You Haven’t Had “the Surgery”
MYTH 4: Trans People Are “Trapped in the Wrong Body”
MYTH 5: Trans People Are Secretly Gay
MYTH 6: It’s Rude to Ask How You Should Address Someone
MYTH 7: “Sure, I’d Love to Talk About What’s in My Pants”
PART 2: SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS
MYTH 8: Most Trans People Are Sex Workers and Have HIV
MYTH 9: Trans People Hate Their Bodies
MYTH 10: Trans People Are Trying to Trick Others
MYTH 11: Most Trans People Can’t Find Partners and End Up Lonely
MYTH 12: Trans People Are a Danger to Others, Especially Children
PART 3: HEALTH AND SAFETY
MYTH 13: “You’re in the Wrong Bathroom!”
MYTH 14: Trans People Are Mentally Ill and Therapy Can Change Them
MYTH 15: Getting Hormones and Surgery Is Easy
MYTH 16: Testosterone Makes You Angry and Estrogen Makes You Emotional
MYTH 17: Laws Support Trans People
PART 4: HISTORY AND COMMUNITY
MYTH 18: Trans People Have Existed Throughout Time
MYTH 19: Certain Cultures Universally Embrace Trans People
MYTH 20: Trans People and Feminists Don’t Get Along
MYTH 21: The LGBTQ+ Community Is United
Acknowledgments
Resources
Notes
- Truthout, Q&A, 12/17/2017
- Truthout, excerpt, 12/14/2017
- Windy City Times, review, 10/17/2017
- C-SPAN/Book TV, filmed Baltimore Book Festival appearance, 9/23/2017
- The Washington Blade, review, 8/4/2017
- Education Week, commentary piece, 7/10/2017
- The San Antonio Current, review, 7/3/2017
- Ravishly, listing in reading roundup, 6/22/2017
- TheBody.com, Q&A, 6/19/2017
- HuffPost Queer Voices, adaptation and slideshow, 6/6/2017
- Lambda Weekly (LGBT radio for North Texas), interview, 6/5/2017
- Bitch, listing in reading roundup, 6/5/2017
- AlterNet, excerpt, 5/30/2017
- Out.com, Q&A, 5/30/2017
- Salon.com, excerpt, 5/30/2017
- New York Journal of Books, review, 5/29/2017
- School Library Journal, review, 5/9/2017
- Cosmopolitan.com, excerpt, 4/7/2017
- Bustle, excerpt, 2/23/2017