Due to a passing in the family a few years ago and my subsequent health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for years after the bereavement. Thank you for the opportunity.

3 Stars

I have had this book for five years at least and I am trying to get to reading all of them. Honestly this a bit too much on the philosophy side of things. Not bad but hard to hold my attention.

An interesting read that explores the presentation of trans people across a variety of media forms. The book grew a bit thick for me and the narrative didn't compel me as quickly as I could like but it is certainly worth the read

Transgressive is a great book that discusses think pieces in a way that makes it understandable to everyone, whether they identify as Trans, or they are unsure, or they just want to learn more about the community. It is a collection of essays that discusses subjects that are important and whom the Trans community has time and time again brought to the forefront to discuss.

When my daughter came out as transgender, I searched high and low for books to help me learn more about what she would face. Reading Rachel Anne Williams's collection of essays about her experiences as a transgender woman gave me more insight into how difficult this path can be. Ultimately, I enjoyed the essays and gave me more to think about.

Transgressive (Rachel Anne Williams) collects a series of blog posts written during the author’s transition. These posts were part of the author’s attempts to understand their emerging identity. We, the reader, are encouraged to engage critically with the text and gain our own understanding of these issues. Its central themes are the fetishization, medicalisation and simplification of the transgender identity. Its central purpose is to create a nuanced picture of that identity.

This is a smart, well-researched collection of short essays. As other reviewers point out, the collection is adapted from Williams's blog, and as such her writing often uses a casual tone/language, which I think makes the concepts discussed a bit more accessible. I was familiar with much of the work Williams refers to (my academic background is in gender studies), but the ways in which she contextualizes theoretical concepts by writing about them alongside her own life and the lives of other trans women, especially trans women of color, made it feel fresh.

Rachel Anne Williams’ Transgressive delved into the life and experience of trans women through the lens of queer theory and lived experience. She’s also delivering her thoughts as an ex-philosopher which provides an interesting background. The text itself is intended to be read as the reader wishes rather than in a linear fashion; Williams appreciates that you might not necessarily require everything that her book offers.

Each chapter is around 1000 words, and they read much like blog posts. They are short and to the point, but some could have done with a little finer tuning as it was clear that they had just been copied and pasted from her blog rather than re-worked.

At times, Williams is blunt. She will not pander to her readers, and I appreciate this. There are far too many Trans 101 texts that fail to acknowledge the harsh realities that can come with being transgender, particularly being a trans woman or trans woman of colour.

Williams is willing to be completely transparent about her journey, and through the text you can see her finding her feet and her voice. Some chapters are more captivating than others, and I thoroughly enjoyed chapter 6 ‘Being an Angry Tranny’ where she explains that academics, and in particular ‘white cis straight males’, have a ‘tendency to treat pressing social problems as curious thought experiments.’ I have known female scientists to take a similar stance and view my life as a live experiment that will unfold in front of them over the next few years. That was more than uncomfortable, and I had to take time to assess whether I wanted to keep them in my life and how to convey the severity of the things that they had said.

Her views on non-binary people were disappointing, and she states that ‘many trans people themselves, view the non-binary movement with scepticism and disdain.’ Her personal stance is that the movement is ‘neither good nor bad. It is simply the evolution of modern queer culture. It’s a fact. It’s happening. I see it happening all around me. As I see it, we have three options. We can: (1) Fight it (2) Promote it or (3) Be neutral.’

The chapter is concluded by her saying that her ‘promotion’ of the movement ‘is merely the logical conclusion of neutrality: this is where things are heading and I don’t want to be on the wrong side of history.’ It’s disheartening and potentially damaging.

Throughout the book, we also see Williams suggest that trans men have an easier existence, often because she considers them to pass more easily. It’s exhausting for this argument to continually crop up in books on the trans experience, especially when there is such a lack of depth to the argument.

I think that Williams should have written a more extended piece on both the non-binary identity and the privileges experienced by trans men, as it is difficult to have a well-reasoned discussion in a thousand or so words; it’s far more nuanced than that. In her introduction, she states that she is open to discussion surrounding anything contained within her book, so I might contact her for clarification.

Delving further into the book, I wondered if I should complete it as her opinions had sparked genuine anger and frustration. I decided to continue in the hope that more of her arguments and discussions would resonate with me. It was a mixed bag.

Writing about herself and her experiences with gender and identity are the strongest areas of the text. Later in the work, Williams explores the concept of ‘gender agnosticism’ which ‘is the refusal to claim certainty that I know what my “true sex” or “true gender” is.’ This chapter was a refreshing read, and echoes sentiments by Juno Roche in Trans Power, who identifies as trans rather than trying to contort into an identity that doesn’t fit. Williams doesn’t attempt to overwrite the identity of others and understands ‘that many trans people take solace in gender gnosticism, the certainty they feel in knowing their gender.’ I won’t say that it was a flawlessly articulated argument, but it can act as an opening to discussion, which is what this book is about.

One of the final chapters, ‘Queering Personal Finance’, argues that ‘There is a tendency in queer/leftist circles to think that personal finance is for rich white conservatives and no one else.’ Williams goes on to suggest that a ‘$5 Starbucks’ will destroy our budgets, and that you should have an emergency fund that covers 3-6 months and should be at least $1000. The way she presents this is heavy-handed and judgmental.

Williams is effectively guilt-tripping readers as she writes ‘you are essentially saying the risk of financial ruin is worth the latest chef’s offerings.’ Statements like this are vile and vilify poor people who wish to make small purchases with the disposable income that comes their way. I’m one of those people who is forced to live month to month, and saving isn’t an option. I’m not bad with money, I just don’t make enough. So, if I find it in my budget to eat out, I’m going to. I’d much rather have that experience than be desperately gathering pennies for an emergency fund and living miserably. Also, $1000 in London is barely going to cover a month of rent and utilities, I’d need at least $3000-4000, and that’s impossible on my salary unless I saved for years.

Whilst I do agree that ‘We need to normalise frugality, budgeting, retirement, and investing in queer/leftist circles’, this is not the way to convey your point. It’s reads as hastily written and provides very little guidance as to how you can get to a point where saving is viable. There are people in far worse situations than I, and this should have been an opportunity to guide rather than scold.

Overall, Transgressive is an interesting read, but it’s not the first book that I would recommend. You might enjoy this if you’re seeking more accessible pieces that you can dip in and out of. Whilst I might not agree with everything Williams has to say, her arguments are, for the most part, well constructed and her views on gender and identity are genuinely interesting, and I am curious to see if gender agnosticism resounds with others.

This book was not written for me. It does, however, help build empathy for an identity I do not share. This is a great read for trans women specifically and may help them navigate to their own beliefs and stances.

The author has collected essays written about trans women and their experience, which she wrote on her blog. She says she only decided after her wife left with another man, to really come out and transition; however I can't help thinking that the 'ton of pot' she admits to having smoked in college won't have done her any good. The author swears, at almost random times, during this book, and altogether comes across to me far more aggressively than women do.

Different readers will give different ratings based on how relevant the book feels to them, or how much their own experiences are reflected. I found some parts more interesting than others, and the author talks about her dysphoria and other psychiatry terms without giving simple definitions, which might be helpful for younger readers. The author says she 'gave up the male gaze' which she had enjoyed through developmental years; in other words, instead of being a man who could look at and sometimes intimidate women, she was now a woman who felt nervous when being looked at by a gang of men. She says she never paid the 'pink tax' and 'played with the cool toys' but as a girl who refused to do girlish things like makeup and play with dolls, I can say that this is more a reflection on her consumer society than gender roles. She doesn't mention (that I saw) the horribleness, expense and inconvenience of having to have periods, which she avoided. And given she says she's among 'half a percentage point' how come she claims all men have seen trans porn? Maybe only in America would this happen?

I don't get her point about personal finance. Saving money, and not wasting it on the most expensive coffees, or stupidest perfumes, is good for everyone.

I would have liked an exploration of online society with 'Gamergate' and chatrooms rather than just a nod to the randomness and scariness of net dating and the claimed (with no stats) unpleasant trolling of gay or trans people online. Overall I would have liked to see more statistics and less philosophising. The book also seems to reflect a life of self-obsession and non-useful college courses, and doesn't mention getting involved in charity work, student unions or environmental cleanups, for instance. The author has written her own views and tells us that everyone will have a different experience. I would hope everyone would have a good experience. I expect this book will be helpful to some people.

Further reading P258 - 263, notes 264 - 269. As initials were used I am unable to say how many women are quoted.
I downloaded an ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this review copy in exchange for an honest review!

I was very happy to be able to review this book, because I am always actively seeking out new voices and especially marginalized voices that I feel desperately need to be given light in our world today. This book and others like it are extremely important for our society and I hope that it is able to reach a wide range of audiences.

I went into this book hopeful to learn and increase my knowledge and I received so much more than that! Even though Williams has an extensive background in philosophy and theory, I really appreciated the writing style and did not ever feel lost or like it read too academically. On the contrary, I was delighted with the refreshing honesty and articulate way in which the essays were written. I especially enjoyed reading the essays that particularly related to the author’s experience transitioning such as the essay titled, “Giving Up My Male Privilege.” Another essay I really enjoyed was, “There I Go Again, Thinking I Have a Basic Right to Exist in Society,” which discusses transgender bathroom access. I really appreciated this essay because I unfortunately live in a state that has been dealing with bathroom access and horrible exclusionary bathroom laws, and too often I find that I get in arguments with people about why these laws are not okay and cannot succinctly convey or get through to people what I am trying to say. Williams’s essay achieved this very well and I found myself nodding “yes!” throughout the whole thing.

If you are looking to expand your knowledge, read intelligent and well-written essays on trans experience, politics, and feminism, then Transgressive is the perfect collection of essays for you!

Transgressive: A Trans Woman on Gender Feminism and Politics by Rachel Anne Williams
Williams collection of essays on the experiences of transwomen is interesting. There are certain essays in this collection that I found extremely enlightening and well crafted. One of the problems that I had was overtime the collection got repetitive with some of the same topics being hashed over and over again. One of the things I really appreciated was that Williams made it a point to stay in her lane and to repeatedly state that she was trying to stay in her lane and was only going to share specifics on her own experiences. I also liked that she was willing to examine her male privilege and what it felt like to shed that privilege. I was disheartened by the fact that it took her transitioning to realize to the extent that minorities were affected by the systems society has in place but I acknowledge how important it is that she now recognizes it. I also appreciated the steps Williams takes to educate the reader and spread information. This collection will give people a chance to learn more about transitioning, the trans community and the experiences of transwomen through Williams’s experiences.

As the author suggests in the prologue, I kind of cherry-picked my way through these essays, reading ones that I thought were most interesting and most politically engaging. Williams is a philosopher and so speaks in very academic language and while easier to understand, is not the most accessible. However, I did enjoy the essays I picked out, particularly when she examined the social and political aspects of what it's like to be a trans woman in the world and what we as a society can do to change our incredibly prejudiced thinking. I agree with some reviewers that this book is a little detached- the essays are short and taken from a blog so there isn't much in the way of connection between them. However, the essays are great are dissecting big issues with an individualism that makes it, for the most part, endearing.

I very much enjoyed reading Rachel Anne Williams essay collection.

In my experience so far, of reading other books and articles/blogs/commentary on social media, writing around the subject of being transgender tends to be either personal or theoretical. 'Transgressive', written by a woman with academic credentials, who is also transgender herself, combines both of these aspects beautifully. The author writes passionately, from personal experience, but she also writes very well, producing rational reasoning and theoretical argument to produce an excellent balance within her work.

There are numerous new works being published on this subject now, many dealing more with basic explanations and defining terms for the less academic reader or one who is new to the subject matter. Rachel Anne Williams on the other hand provides the depth and quality of writing here that I've been finding lacking. Highly recommended reading.

As an intersectional feminist, I actively seek material that will expand my understanding of the world and all the diversity within it. Rachel Anne Williams crafted an important book in "Transgressive" that should be in every gender studies classroom and on every feminist's TBR.

Trans issues are complex because every person is different. As a trans woman who happens to also be highly educated, Williams uses her point of view to examine gender identity, sexuality, social justice, and philosophy simultaneously. She took essays from her blog and repurposed them into book form. This transfer from blog to book is often very apparent when the narrative becomes repetitive (the same quote is used three different times to make the same point) and the same terms are defined repeatedly, but in slightly different words.

The structure of the book is pleasant to read. The short, topical essays make for a quick jaunt into Williams's world whenever you have time to dive in. While she states that she wants the book to be open to the uninformed reader, I find that due to the complexity of many of the topics, and the fact that they are not yet mainstream ideas that the general public will already have familiarity with, casual readers will be frustrated by the academic language and philosophical concepts.

The most interesting part of the book is her fight against the "born this way" idea of transgenderism. Not all trans people identify with this feeling and Williams's voice is a welcome change of pace. I wish more of the book was written autobiographically as her story is fascinating and important. The chapter I enjoyed the most was "Giving Up My Male Privilege" and appreciate the honesty with which Williams approached each of her topics, especially this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Highlights

every chapter is a short essay

great insight

deep thoughts on difficult subjects 

Overall

This was a very interesting book to read. Firstly the entire book was an ensemble of essays the author has partly published on her blog. Secondly, she has also studied philosophy and can go quite deep into her thoughts on different subjects while still being openminded. 

The Essays

There are 41 essays in total divided into 6 subjects including feminism, politics, transitioning, and autobiographical notes. I clearly enjoyed some subjects more than others, but I enjoyed pretty much all the essays. I'm in general not a big fan of politics. Below are my opinions on some of them.

Transfeminine Blues

1 Trans Porn, Trans Woman and the Fetishization of "T-Gurls"

A heavy start! But a very fascinating insight into what this is and why it even exists. The way the author explains why she thinks this even exists perfectly fits in with my thoughts on a stereotypical American straight cis-gender male. It's about a third sex/gender and about taboo. The amount of transphobic violence, especially in the states, can quickly be explained the way the author has done it, but I also think there is something about the male stereotype and how boys are being brought up in the states which also has an underlying factor in the change of attitude after sex. But that's just my theory. Americans are all pretty fucked up anyway...

4 Becoming the Woman I Never Was

Explaining the acorn vs butterfly theories, and the effect of nature and nurture in transgender. I found it very fascinating to read the author experience. As she stated in the preface, she is staying in her own lane and is saying that her experience is not universal but individual. Her story is a new version to me. I have only heard of the acorn type transgender, not of butterflies.

5 Embracing Ambiguity

Transitioning from one gender to the other doesn't happen overnight. There is a stage in the middle and during where ambiguity might be more pronounced. People tend to forget this. To be somewhere in the middle of the binary genders. The author talks about how coping with being ambiguous help dealing with her transition. When my friend transition she had been a female outside work for a few months and was struggling with being a male in the office. But by having a gap she could get used to being in female clothing and to gain more experience with makeup and what fitted her. People still asked me if she would come in as a fully finish woman, which to me was ridiculous. Things take time!

Feminist Musings

7 Trans Feminism Is Real Feminism

I've never heard of the term intersectional Feminism, but I have now and I'm all for it!

8 The Paradoxical Duality of Catcalling As A Trans Woman

I despise catcalling. Absolutely hate it! I don't need people I don't know to share their opinion on my looks/body. I don't want recognition from people I don't know! They can keep their thought to themselves. Maybe that has something my sexual orientation as Demi/asexual or maybe it has something to do with my confidence. Either way, I see the importance of passing as the author highlights in this essay. I understand.

11 Why I Was Not Borne In The Wrong Body

A very lovely and philosophical view on who she is. The author is clear that if she was born female she would be a very different person and she likes who she is now. It's similar to the way I feel about my uni choice: it didn't get me a job but I wouldn't change it for the world.

12 The Inherent Superiority of Softness

The author philosophies around stereotypes and gender abolitionist and what her gender utopia would be like. I agree with her gender utopia. It sounds amazing to me but yes difficult to gain. Images having an adjective (eg soft) where you can't assign a gender stereotype for because there is none! 🤯

13 Nobody is Trans Enough

An essay looking into the human need to create power hierarchies depending on what I am vs what everyone else are. But power comes when we group together. The term transgender is an umbrella term for gender non-conforming, transsexuals, crossdressers, drag queens, etc. There is power an in multitude if you can look past the power hierarchy you create and look past peoples differences.

14 The Three Waves Of Trans Feminism

I didn’t know about the three waves of feminism but now I do. I also didn’t know about the three waves of trans feminism but now I do. And I agree. We are entering the third wave now which includes a lot of non-binary rights and equality.

Life in Transition

15 Let Us Grow

This essay took a while for me to read. Not because it was difficult or hard-hitting, but it made me think so much. Total brain workout! Basically what the author is suggesting is that people judge too quickly and too narrowly. She looks like a female, must be a female. But trans people are judged harder and it unfair. Just try and imagine a world without stereotypes, without trying to fit into the norm, with no boxes to be placed into. To be treated for the individual you are, not what you look like. That's what I want. It sounds like utopia.

16 Early Days of Transition: The Phenomenology of Change

A very interesting account of the author's personal experiences. I recognise several aspects from following the progress of my friend from work.

17 Learning To Say "Fuck It" To Passing

This is the first time in this book were "stay in your lane" attitude gets involved, on my part. I completely agree with not giving a fuck about what strangers think. But for my friend who suffers from anxiety, giving a fuck is all she does. I can't do anything against that apart from telling her on occasions that's she's made stuff up or it's ridiculous what she just said. She'll accept that usually with a giggle at my directness.

Gender and Politics

20 Is The Very Concept of Passing Problematic?

#TransIsBeautiful

24 Gender Hacking, Bio-sex, And The New Identity Politics.

A very fascinating view on the near future and how we are going in that direction if only we could stop others from stopping us. Very interesting.

26 There I Go Again, Thinking I Have a basic Right To Exist In Society

This essay is basically a list for all that go against trans and their right to exists. I knew of a lot of them but some I didn't. As with any hypocritical person I dislike several of them and I felt the author did a good job of debunking them.

27 Sacred Bullshit; A Rebuttal to Dan Harries.

This is an angry essay, but its an empowering essay too. well worth the read no matter how upset or frustrated I feel with the author. Can we just eliminate Dan Harris from this planet, please? The author is debunking the entire Dan Harris article, and the points she makes are good ones. I don't think I could ever read the Harris article without wanting to burn it, and him.

Metaphysics and Epistemology

29 Trans Without Transition? A Critique Of Gender Identity

Very interesting. I’ve never thought of desire as being so intertwined with identity in people who are not binary. I knew both were important but not that much. Well put.

30 How Do I Know I am Trans

Again a very interesting to get an insight into what it feels like to know your trans. The author does a good job bringing it down to cis-understandable levels. Thanks 😁

33 The Promise and Failure of Gender Nihilism

A very interesting essay on gender nihilism which is didn't know anything about. The author paints a very pretty picture that I am very interested in buying and hanging up in my wall. A world where gender is a multidimensional system and not just two boxes.

34 Sex Change

As a cisgender person, I did not know there were so many ways to look at a person's sex. I learned a lot and it was all logical and fitted perfectly into my world view.

Autobiographical notes

35 Giving Up My Male Privilege

The author goes through her experiences with Male privilege and lists all the privileges she has now lost by being a transgender woman. Some of these things had never crossed my cisgender female brain. Again I've learnt something.

39 T4T

I agree with the author on this essay. It would be nice for anyone on the margins to have a community online for hookups, dating or to find friends who are in similar situations or positions. It could create a feeling of belonging and not constantly being on the outside of society. 

Writing

I really enjoyed the authors writing. In the prologue/preface, she asks us, readers, to read the book critically and she your thoughts with her as she is genuinely interested in them. She is interested in creating a debate about the issue without the aggressiveness this sometimes might have. I'm not good at reading critically, to be honest, but I've tried to read with the view of comparing my views and my experience with my friend's transitioning process here in the UK. It was very interesting. 

The essays seem to flow into one another creating more of a chapter feel than a new essay feel. I thought it was nice but some might not. 

Summary

I recommend this for anyone who is interested in the topic of anything transgender-related and anyone interested in philosophy.

It can be a brain workout, but it's a good one.

This is a really interesting and well written book of essays and blog pieces about being a transgender woman. It is something I am ignorant of, and also the vitriolic debate on the subject in social media meant I was looking forward to understanding the view of someone living the situation and writing as a philosopher. However, I did find the book a little disjointed and I don't feel I "knew" the writer much better after I'd finished. I did learn interesting things about the general topics of gender and feminism. I feel the author wanted to be dispassionate and argue the case as an academic but I wanted more passion or something to show how this mattered to her. The ability to dip in and out of this will make me come back to reread some of the pieces and do some further research. It is well worth the time invested to read a view from the heart of the debate.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Really interesting read on being a trans woman. It was very informative and eye-opening, and should be required reading for everyone

Williams has done a good job with this collection of essays. Her ideas and arguments are interesting, important, and well developed. However, I do think it comes from a far more academic place than the average person is able to easily grasp. Williams' educational background is evident in her writing style. This is not a bad thing, but it doesn't make it a very approachable book for many people.

I didn't read every essay but what I read was interesting and challenged me to think about things I hadn't thought about before - primarily because I was not even aware of them until this book taught me about them.