Branded T [Paperback]

Rosalyne Blumenstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 2003

This is a true story about a teenage runaway, her contact with suicide, gender identity issues, drug addiction, and the sex industry. This is also the anecdote of how recovery opens the door to a healing process and alters the subjugators, one day at a time. 350pp with 70pp of expertly integrated historical graphic design interwoven with explicit, thought provoking, progressive text This is what some folks have said about Rosalyne Blumenstein and her book 'BRANDED T' "Blumenstein pulls no punches and neither did her life on the mean streets." -Loren Cameron, Photographer, Body Alchemy "It is a tale of sheer enduring spirit. She takes us from the flesh bars of Broadway to Graduate School, from New York to LA, from shame to self-confidence. I hung on every word." -Dallas Denny, Editor, Trans gender Tapestry magazine "I loved this book! What an incredible journey! Not only is this the story of Rosalyne's life, but also the story of so many people whose lives would have gone undocumented until now. Another fabulous aspect of the book is how it chronicles the history of a very exciting era in New York City. The perspective is fresh and enlightening, unique and empowering. It'll make a great movie!" -Ru Paul, Performer/Author 'Lettin it all hang out'

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A must read for teachers, counselors and therapists and anyone else who knows and loves someone dealing with trans issues." -- -Suzanne Iasenza, PhD; Associate Professor, John Jay

"I loved this book! What an incredible journey! unique and empowering. It'll make a great movie!" -- Ru Paul, Performer/Author 'Lettin it all hang out'

"This expansive, raw memoir offers a glimpse into the struggle for individual survival. It’s a story that must be heard." -- -Leslie Feinberg, activist and author of ‘Stone Butch Blues, Transgender Warriors, and Trans liberation’

"from the flesh bars of Broadway to Graduate School,from shame to self-confidence. I hung on every word." -- -Dallas Denny, Editor, Transgender Tapestry magazine 2003

Blumenstein’s account of her life interwoven with the dynamics of her experience are riveting in an age of fly-on-the-wall entertainment -- Dr Tracie O’Keefe DCH 2003/ clinical hypnotherapist, psychotherapist & counsellor and the co-editor of Finding the Real Me: True Tales of Sex & Gender Diversity.

From the Publisher

There are many books now about the ‘transgender experience’ by queer activists, writers and people from the trans communities.

But there is no book like this, ever!

BRANDED T crosses that line from sensationalism and the queer genre to main stream society.

BRANDED T intersects an informal education with academic attainment. It reviews and re-thinks the hierarchy of oppression as well as entertains utilizing language that is understandable and intimate.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (October 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410772411
• ISBN-13: 978-1410772411
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,139,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspirationaltransition story, September 1, 2004

By 

David N. Parker "pflagtnet" (Colfax, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Branded T (Paperback)

Here is an unusual book. In simple terms, it is a personal transsexual experience. But it is so much more. It is the story of the transsexual experience on the streets of New York from the early 1970s through the beginning of the new millennium. It is the story of the sleazy side of New York during the same period, seen through the eyes and experiences of a transsexual. And, it is an inspirational story of a courageous transsexual person surviving the streets to become a highly-respected professional social worker and political activist.
Rosalyne Blumenstein was identified male at birth. She was introduced to shame by five years old when she dressed female with dress-up clothes provided in kindergarten. She left school and home at age 13, and spent the majority of her next 18 years working in New York's famous (infamous?) sex industry. She experienced life on the street as a prostitute, drug user, and peep-show girl.
Then she overcame her drug addiction. She returned to the peep show business clean for another seven years, supporting herself through college and graduate school with her earnings and scholarships. She was an early participant in the Gender Identity Project within Mental Health and Social Services at the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center of New York. By March 1996, she became the first ever Director of the project.
The book is somewhat disjointed, making it difficult to read straight through. It is best read in segments, and is organized in a way to facilitate reading in that fashion. Life on the streets and in the clubs is related in great and intimate detail. Some will find both the language and discussions offensive, but it reflects the environment where Ms. Blumenstein spent much of her life. No one without this experience can really understand what it was like or what strength and courage it required to survive and overcome it.
As a volunteer at the Center, Ms. Blumenstein realized how out of touch she was without a formal education. She also realized that most of those she worked with were truly out of touch without her informal (street) education. Her collegiate success built on her transsexual experience to make her uniquely-qualified for her varied mental health and social services, especially for the marginalized members of our gender communities.
"This book is about pain, it's about celebration, it's about taking risks, its about going crazy, and it's about being fabulous and adventurous" It is an inspirational success story of a young woman originally designated male overcoming this incorrect designation, overcoming drug and alcohol abuse, and overcoming her life on the streets of New York to become a leader in HIV/AIDS prevention, education and outreach to all LGBT, and many other services to various marginalized communities.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rosalyne Blumenstein's Secret Journey, November 16, 2003

By 

Dallas Denny (Pine Lake, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Branded T (Hardcover)

I knew Roz Blumenstein during the 1990s, when she was Director of the Gender Identity Project of the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of New York. I didn't know, until she asked me to read a pre-release copy of her book Branded T, that she was simultaneously working in the peep shows on Broadway. In print, I saw a different side of Ms. Blumenstein-- a side that was struggling with issues of self-worth and self-discovery. I had thought she had it SO together!

It takes great courage to tell the world of our secret struggles, our insecurities, our private fears, our little pockets of craziness. Ms. Blumenstein has that courage. She has given us a book that transcends her gender issue and speaks to the human spirit. As one reviewer at Amazon has said, it's sad, and funny, too. It's an amazing read.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unflinching bravery, May 2, 2005

By 

Andrea James (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Branded T (Paperback)

Transsexual autobiographies often tend to recount events and experiences, but rarely do they delve deeply into the underlying issues. Such is not the case with this fine book, which gives a glimpse of what it was like to transition on the urban streets in the bad old days (which sadly hasn't changed much in the ensuing decades).

The reason I recommend this book so highly is not just the style or the thoughtfulness Rosalyne has put into this, but also because it shows that there is a way out of even terribly hopeless situations. We can stop the downward spiral of despair and self-medication, of anger and self-hatred, but it requires introspection, support, and most of all perseverance. I wish every drop-in house and shelter that services young trans clients living on the street and/or engaged in survival sex had this book available. Rosalyne is a survivor, and her example can give others strength in moments of weakness or times of great adversity.