Trans and Disabled: An Anthology of Identities and Experiences, edited by Alex Iantaffi, reads like being in a room surrounded by countless vulnerable conversations, each distinct from the next yet bound by the realities of life within an intersectional identity so often suppressed by the world. This anthology will no doubt change - and likely save - lives. I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to read, review and share my love for it.
‘If you’re reading this as a trans and disabled person, I hope you find pieces of you in these pages, no matter how small, and if you feel lonely or isolated, maybe these pages might help you feel a little less so’ (from the introduction).

As a non-binary disabled person, I certainly found small pieces of myself scattered throughout these pages, particularly within reflections on a neuro(queer) identity and on the central theme of the cruciality of community. Within many essays, I undeniably saw traces of others in my community and, beyond that, I found myself learning so much from the range of experiences and identities so vastly different from my own.

Within this collection, you will find reflections on plurality and liminality, all the way through to rejection and defying binaries. Though this is undoubtedly a difficult and heart-wrenching read at times, I cannot recommend it widely enough. Collections such as this are how we grow and learn individually, yes, but more importantly, together. Essays such as these are a vital part of how we come together to build a safer, freer future for all.

I will end with a quote from Shanna Katz Kattari that perfectly encapsulates this book.
‘Despite all of the struggle, there is still such beauty in knowing who you are. In finding the words that slide over you and perfectly click. The labels that fill every nook and cranny, eliminating the void of being unknown to yourself. When we find ourselves, in language and in community, it feels like coming home’.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

CWs/TWs:
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Mental illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Transphobia, and Medical content

“Personhood is conditional; monstrosity is a bed you sleep in for eternity.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! This collection releases on January 21st, 2025 in the US from Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

There is a raw, undeniable power in Trans and Disabled: An Anthology of Identities and Experiences, edited by Alex Iantaffi. This collection of essays offers a deeply personal and politically urgent exploration of what it means to exist at the intersection of transness and disability, a space where visibility is both necessary and dangerous, where care is often conditional, and where survival itself is an act of defiance. Through lyrical prose, philosophical musings, and candid reflections, the contributors dismantle binaries, reject imposed hierarchies, and carve out space for identities that refuse to be neatly categorized.

One of the most striking themes of the anthology is the pervasive sense of unbelonging—both in medical settings and within broader social structures. Many of the authors grapple with the ways cisgenderism and ableism work in tandem to deny them adequate care, understanding, and legitimacy. The essays expose the exhausting reality of having to “prove” one’s gender and disability to systems that fundamentally distrust lived experience. Impostor syndrome, the burden of masking, and the relentless pressure to conform to normative expectations weave through the narratives, illustrating how trans disabled people are often made to feel as though they are fabricating their own realities.

Yet, amidst this struggle, there is also a profound celebration of fluidity. These essays embrace the shapeshifting nature of identity—of gender, of ability, of self-perception. The authors resist the pathologization of their existence, instead offering a vision of transness and disability as sites of expansive possibility rather than limitation. Through metaphors of galaxies, bending light, and the tension between structure and movement, they articulate the beauty of liminality, of being in constant conversation with oneself and the world.

H Howitt’s essay stood out to me in particular, offering a deeply resonant meditation on the relationship between queerness, neurodivergence, and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). As someone who shares those intersections, I found their exploration of hypermobility as both a physical and existential state profoundly moving. The way they frame EDS as a neuro(queer) identity—one that resists rigidity while still yearning for stability—perfectly encapsulates the paradox of existing in a bodymind that is simultaneously boundless and fragile.

Trans and Disabled is not just an anthology—it is an offering, an act of defiance, and a testament to the resilience of those who live at the crossroads of transness and disability. It is a necessary read for anyone seeking to understand, and more importantly, to affirm and uplift these voices. In a world that so often insists on erasure, this collection insists on presence. And that, in itself, is revolutionary.

📖 Recommended For: Readers who appreciate introspective, lyrical prose; those interested in the intersection of transness and disability; anyone who values personal narratives on identity, community, and resilience; fans of Eli Clare and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha.

🔑 Key Themes: Medical Neglect and Institutional Barriers, Masking and Impostor Syndrome, Fluidity of Identity, Community and Mutual Aid, Resistance to Binaries and Hierarchies.

Content / Trigger Warnings: Medical Trauma (minor), Pandemic (minor), Mental Illness (minor), Racism (minor), Child Abuse (severe), Suicidal Thoughts (minor), Sexual Violence (minor), Transphobia (minor), Self Harm (minor), Medical Content (minor), Suicide Attempt (minor).

A great compilation of writing on a very important topic! Needed a little more editing but generally fantastic!

This book offers a valuable range of voices, shedding light on the intersection of gender and disability. While the stories are heartfelt and informative, the uneven quality of contributions and lack of deeper analysis left me wanting more cohesion. It’s a good starting point, but it needed a stronger editorial guidance and more cohesive writing from the contributors to be fully effective in it's messaging. Ultimately, the contributions were not written in a waythat kept me engaged and wanting to read more

Trans and Disabled is a collection of varied, multifaceted and vivid writings about not only the struggles faced by trans and disabled folks but also the joy and the hope and the pride and the pain and the love and the euphoria. I found some chapters educational and thought provoking, others incredibly moving - I would definitely recommend reading this.

I particularly liked the range of contributors, I am ashamed to say I was unaware of plurality before this book and had also not seen much worked from older trans artists, activists and authors so this was a great start for me.

I adored this book. I wanted to start again from the beginning as soon as I finished it.

What an incredible selection of essays and writings from within the trans and disabled community. I am disabled and non-binary, but even then, I didn't expect to see so much of myself in others' stories. I felt so seen and held by the people who shared vulnerable and personal parts of themselves in this book.

I got something valuable from every single segment, but my favourite was definitely Bender by H. Howitt.

This is a really well-put-together anthology of testimonies, and I would highly recommend it.

3.75 stars

*eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

this anthology had a lot of really informative perspectives about the intersection between transness and disability, with a variety of forms like essay, poem, play, and drawing. it had a diverse range of contributions in many areas but it was lacking in transfeminine/trans women contributors which let it down a little. also it was fairly US-centric, and i didn't get a very distinct narrative voice from lots of the contributors. i appreciated especially in Meg-John Barker's essay (but also others) explaining academic frameworks of disability accessibly. a lot of the book didn't resonate with me, but i really liked specifically Shanna Katz Kattari, Finlay Games, Lee K Hulme, and Milo Cooper.

Trans & Disabled brings together a collection of insightful, raw and moving stories, essays, plays and poems sharing the intersection of trans and disabled identifies. A must-read for anyone who identifies as trans and/or disabled, or those wanting to expand their understanding.

As with any anthology, some pieces resonated with me more than others. I’m cis and disabled with low support needs, and there was much I could relate to as well as new-to-me knowledge and perspectives. I devoured it over the course of a weekend but will definitely return to some of my favourite pieces to savour them in more detail.

While there is diversity amongst the contributors, there’s unfortunately a disappointing lack of pieces by trans women.

This book is an anthology of essays written by members of the disabled and trans (and other) communities, about their experiences as souls and bodies living in the intersection of these two identities in a society that fails to accommodate either.

Perhaps what I most enjoyed was the informal, friendly, casual nature of the language that was used in a lot of essays, making it more intimate and more accessible, like a conversation between friends. Some essays were of a more literary style, both profoundly and beautifully written. Whatever the style employed, they were all a refreshing insight into a community, or group of communities, that are so often overlooked.

This is a beautiful, insightful book. I recommend it to everyone to read. I truly believe you will be better for it.

I learned so much from this book, encountered new (to me) identities, and gained a sense of community. As a queer disabled trans person I needed this book. And I believe I will continue to need this book for the rest of my existence. A constant reminder that I am not alone in my identity or my pain.

As a trans (not quite disabled, but also not quite not disabled - still figuring it out) person with many trans and disabled friends I knew I had to pick this book up and I knew it would make me cry. I also did tear up a bit already reading the introduction, which especially mentions the way oppression grew during the Covid-19 pandemic as certain lives where once again declared “expendable”. As someone who finally dove into Disability Studies during exactly this time, this is a sentiment I have already seen reflected all around us and so it just started off very strong and emotional for me.
I truly love the cover and I was super excited to dive into this anthology. As a very personal collection of works by and for trans and disabled creators this certainly delivers an interesting collection of short memoirs, essays, poems and artwork of creators who are both transgender and disabled. While the quality of the pieces differs, as does the length and genre (we have some poems that are barely a page long and some rather academic essays in here as well as some very personal musings on the intersection of systems of oppressions) there weren’t any pieces I actively disliked. There were some where I couldn’t take as much with me as I had hoped I would, but most of them described quite interesting experiences and either left me thinking about it or felt relateable to me. I also enjoyed how many different disabilities where features in this anthology (from various neurotypes and plurality to invisible disabilities like ME/CFS to diabetes and various mobility aid users there’s a lot here). My favorite pieces where Loving with defiance: breaking a binary, not a b1n0ry by Kitty Lu Bear, I am transgender and my disability is not a cautionary tale by Finlay Games, Mimicry by Jonathan Eden, What are we worth? by Lee K Hulme and Who fights for us… by Lior Effinger-Weintraub.
Unfortunately, this book missed a crucial opportunity by not including the voices of disabled trans women and only featuring one person that identifies as transfeminine. Discussions of transmisogyny and how it related to medical mistreatment of disabled trans women was thus not featured at all, which I feel is a great oversight, as that is a field of medical misogyny that is rarely examined and should have rightfully belonged in this anthology. All texts that focus on medical maltreatment focus instead on afab transgender people and while this form of sexism in medicine needs to be examined, it does not feel right to me to read an anthology that claims to provide an insight into the experiences of transgender people, when a huge percentage of them doesn’t even get a place to speak. I also think a deeper examination on race and its compounding effect on marginalizations could have been intriguing, as that was only mentioned in very few pieces. This has cost it a star in my rating and so only manages to achieve a 3 star rating.
All in all, I enjoyed this anthology despite its shortcomings and I do hope for more examinations of the overlaps of being transgender and disabled and how these two aspects of identity can compound oppressions we face.

Plural, trans and disabled by Meg-John Barker: The first essay is both very academic and very personal, examining the way different and overlapping disabilities can make it hard to differentiate certain symptoms and aspects of disabilities. It also draws parallels between being plural, trans and disabled and functions as a really interesting introductory text to this anthology.
Embodying (in)valid identities: balancing betwixt and between being “enough” by Shanna Katz Kattari: A short text examining the author’s existence as an autistic nonbinary trans fat femme, with a focus on joy through fashion and self-expression and the overlap between autistic joy, trans joy and disability accessibility of certain types of clothes. It was really interesting and something that I sometimes witnessed for the disabled femmes in my life.
Intersectionalities by Jeong Eun Park: This essay explores various the discriminations faced as a disabled, agender, Asian person and how varying levels of (in)visibility influence their daily life. It is very personal and very interesting in giving a short view into Jeong Eun Park’s life, but it doesn’t manage to really tie the various parts it brings up together and so felt unfinished to me.
Ordinary by Atlas Oggún Phoenix: This piece features both an introduction to and the actual text to a piece of performance art about identity and skin. I really enjoyed reading this and I really enjoyed imagining the way it must look performed.
I can’t keep meeting me like this by Coltan J. Schoenike: This essay explores uncovering new parts of yourself, grieving for the time you lost by not realizing it sooner, but also embracing it and looking to the future with hope.
Beast of Burden by Silas Bourns: A short poem about a transmasculine person/trans man, about personhood and how it can change by leaving the societally instructed role of womanhood. Intriguing, but it is only a single page long and I wish there had been a bit more.
*FAV* Loving with defiance: breaking a binary, not a b1n0ry by Kitty Lu Bear: A really interesting and personal text about being trans and disabled in a multitude of ways. I found the part about using they/them pronouns especially to express plurality fascinating, but I also quite enjoyed this text otherwise, the way it plays with language and incorporates mathematics and just feels delightfully transMad in its use of language. Definitely one of the highlights of this anthology for me!
Self-portrait by Mya Saracho: A short text about identity and embracing yourself, including a stunning self-portrait for the author.
Liminal by Alex Iantaffi: This text explores the author’s identity, particularly their gender and disability and I especially found their inclusion of their experience with fatphobia interesting and important.
Do no harm by Eddy Samara: A heartbreaking poem about misgendering in a medical context and the balance act disabled trans people have to thread when you have to choose between being respected and receiving medical care.
*FAV* I am transgender and my disability is not a cautionary tale by Finlay Games: In this text the author examines the way people sometimes blame a trans persons’ disability on the choices they made to transition. I also enjoyed how he examined the various things cis people have said to him to discredit his gender, while examining the extra risk trans people face in medical settings and the way transphobia makes trans people more likely to develop chronic illnesses.
TW for discussions of suicide and self harm
Swimming westward away by Lawrence Lorraine Mullen: a very short poem
Bathroom buzz cut by Liz Moore: A text about changes in hairstyle as influenced by queerness, gender and disability, the joy and grief of it.
What I remember by Maxwell Colletti Vonraven: In this essay the author examines his experiences post brain surgery and how he and his partner were (mis)treated by the medical system. This is an absolutely enraging text and I just felt so happy to read that at least the author had his partner by his side a lot of times. As someone who knows the trans broken arm syndrome already, I am glad that this text also explained the syndrome to people who may not be familiar.
New disease by Nova Larkin Schrage: A really intriguing poem about gender and disability and falling outside of binaries
COVID-19, self-revelations and the resilience of intersectional online community by Jac of Gendermeowster: This essay explores the ways people formed online communities during the beginning of the pandemic, various coming outs during the initial lockdown and the way online spaces are often uniquely accessible to disabled and queer people.
Deeply plussed by T Boris-Schacter: In this essay the author explores growing up with Diabetes Type-1 and how their aversion to technology to handle it due to bad experiences when they were a kid have finally started to change as well as their steps towards gender affirming surgery.
Do I qualify for love by Atlas Oggún Phoenix: In this essay the author examines their experience of childhood abuse and their experiences with love. This was really heartbreaking.
TW: suicide attempt, childhood abuse
*Fav* Mimicry by Jonathan Eden: This essay examines the cost of trying to fit in, the reasons for doing so, but also the dangers of having to engage in mimicry as the author calls it. There’s also some really cool art in this piece and I enjoy the exploration of the overlapping experiences of having to pass as cis and non-disabled.
Give us our roses by Ollie Millerhoff: As a person who still masks in order not to get sick while having to work retail this is a deeply relatable essay. It examines being disabled now when most people have taken off their masks and the topic of early death with both disproportionally affects transgender and disabled people.
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian by Root Holden: A short look at an art piece of Saint Sebastian and a reclamation of him as a figurehead for queer and disabled people. Interesting and I enjoyed the art.
*Fav* What are we worth? by Lee K Hulme: This is mostly a love letter to the caring and supportive partner of a trans and disabled person and I think it is an incredibly touching essay. A relationship like that should be common, but obviously, way too many trans and disabled (and especially if it overlaps) people are told they are too much or otherwise undesirable, so reading this was very lovely.
A love story by Milo Cooper: A love letter to a future self, very emotional and touching and sweet
Bender by H Howitt: A short essay examining the overlap of EDS, AuDHD and being transgender. I found it very interesting to consider EDS as a potential form of Neuroqueerness due to how often it overlaps with queerness and neurodivergence.
*FAV* Who fights for us… by Lior Effinger-Weintraub: This essay examines the (in)accessibility of many protests, especially now past covid and how draining it can feel to try and be active against oppression when various oppressions intersect and make certain forms of activism inaccessible for you.

Wow, This is a breathtaking and informative anthology on what it means to be transgender and disabled. Everybody's story is so impactful and well-written. As a disability advocate who is chronically ill and NOT TRANS, I related to this. There were some uncomfortable parts that I skipped. However, I was so thankful for trigger/content warnings. I also appreciate the beginning note that states that this anthology is also for able-bodied and cis gender reads.

This was a very important book to read and really eye opening as someone who is both trans and disabled. It helped open my eyes to my own struggles and helped me feel less alone. It was great to get so many different perspectives and differing art forms to tell these tales. The cover is also absolutely stunning.

This was such an eye opening read and very interesting. I think non fiction books are not always something for me but this subject interests me so I was happy to read this. Every story and voice is so different yet it works well together. I loved reading about everyone's thoughts and experiences and I think a lot of people should read this book.

* I received an arc from the publisher and netgalley and wrote this review voluntarily.

Books exploring the intersection between transness, disability and neurodivergence are super important right now and reading from different voices and experience on this topic was really interesting. I also liked the inclusion of poetry as well as more academic essays. Wish there had been a trans women contributor. Overall an amazing collection of contributions

As all anthologies, some contributions resonate more than others. Still, the overall collection challenges conventional narratives of normalcy, and serves as a reminder that those who exist at the intersection of transness and disability deserve to exist fully, expansively, and unapologetically.

A set of strong, resilient essays, monologues and poems by people who are trans and disabled along complex continua, often not in a gender binary identity, often with invisible disabilities, always threatened by intersectional misunderstandings or worse. I was moved to see in these reviews that people living similar lives felt seen and represented by these pieces, and they also offer a valuable learning experience to those of us who are cisgendered and not (yet) living with disabilities.

While the lived experiences are varied, there are some overarching themes - the fear or experience of not being trans enough or disabled enough, a lack of interest or understanding from others, a horrible tendency of those in medical professions to either blame disability on trans status or to take unecessary details (the piece where someone who was undergoing complications after brain tumour surgery was asked about their gender affirming surgery not their brain surgery was horrible), but also good communities and positive lives, which is why I've used the positive quotation above. Powerful and moving and an important contribution.

Reviewed on my blog: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/01/05/two-netgalley-reads-caryl-phillips-another-man-in-the-street-and-alex-iantaffi-ed-trans-and-disabled/

DNF @ 64%

So the reason I DNF'd the books is because I'm back at uni for my final year of my undergrad degree and it's just consumed me. but from what I read (and what i can remember), I liked that it brought together different experiences of being both trans and disabled despite not fully relating myself as I'm cis

A really beautifully written anthology that explores topics extremely close to me. As a trans and disabled reader, I felt extremely seen when reading this.

What an incredible collection of works showing the diverse range of experiences trans and disabled people live through. As with most collections like this, there were definitely pieces I enjoyed much more than others (unfortunately a lot of the ones I didn't resonate with as much seemed very frontloaded, which meant it took me quite a while to work through this book). The middle and last sections were my favourites!

I particularly loved "Loving with defiance: breaking a binary, not a b1n0ry" by kitty lu bear, which is filled with mathematical metaphors and beautiful, flowing writing. Other stand out works include "Bathroom buzz cut" by Liz Moore, "Mimicry" by Jonathan Eden, and "Self-portrait" by Mya Saracho.

I recommend this book to any trans and disabled readers who feel alone in their experiences. I recommend it to able bodied, cis people who want to understand more about the intersectionality of gender and ability. Really, any readers would take away something from reading this, whether it's a new understanding or a feeling of not being so alone in their experiences.

Thank you to Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the eARC!