Depictions of trans activism in contemporary literature.

[Whatisthisfuckery]

I have been getting back into reading lately. I used to read lots up until about three years ago, but then didn’t read much for a while. I have always read a lot of contemporary fiction, but never came across anything about trans activism or transgenderism. I’ve been reading a couple of books written in the last couple of years and it’s come up.

The first was last year’s Mann Booker prise winner, ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Bernardine Evaristo, tracks the various lives of several women, all loosely interconnected in some way. There are two older black lesbians, one of whom is a theatre lovey living in London, and one who moves to America to live on a female only commune with a woman who turns out to be abusive. There are also the younger cohort of studenty young women, mostly second or third generation immigrants.

One of the younger student women decides they are non-binary and embarks on a twitter campaign about trans rights. I don’t want to give too much away but she causes a lot of trouble for the older black lesbian who lives is America for holding a female only event.

The second, the one I’ve not finished yet is another Mann Booker entry for 2019, ‘Middle England’ by Jonathon Coe, in which a lecturer of art history has complaints made about her for transphobia by an upper class white student.

I haven’t got to the end yet so I don’t know what happens yet, but I’m quite surprised, a, that the subject has been explored; and b, that it’s not all wokeness and that the stories of the black lesbian and the uni lecturer are told in such a way, and not in a ‘you’re a hateful bigot’ kind of way.

It’s testament to how prominent a subject transgenderism has become that just three years ago I didn’t encounter it, yet now it seems to be making an appearance, and what’s more,, it is being dealt with quite thoughtfully by the authors I’ve been reading at least.

Have people come across the subject of trans activism and transgenderism in any other novels and if so, how was it approached?

I know I only have a sample size of two, but they have very different backgrounds. If anybody has any more suggestions of books I might read I might have a nice literary project comparing and contrasting the different ways the subject is handled, eg if women write about it differently, or if age and ethnic background is a factor.

I’d be interested in any thoughts people have About books they have read, and books I might read.

Sorry for rushed posting, I’m being mithered by DS for more food.

Of those I’ve only read Girl Woman Other and thought it was clear BE has limited time for some of this agenda although she does dedicate the book to a whole heap of people including LGBT identities or womxn or something. Can’t check as it’s gone to Oxfam already. Thought it was ok but not better than ok.

The other one that springs to mind which is not at all contemporary is Radcliffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness in which lesbian protagonist describes herself as an invert - and lives as a man called Stephen. It’s years since I read it and it’s terribly sad. I thought at the time how sad it was that 100 years ago lesbians had to take on the identities of men to get by and be tolerated but at least now we know better. Didn’t see the current ideology coming that’s for sure.

Identity Crisis by Ben Elton

I could offer two films: Psycho and Silence of the Lambs.

Perhaps not an entirely fair sample?