Customer Reviews

Sex Changes: The Politics of Transgenderism

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Pat Califia's "Sex Changes: The Politics of Transgenderism" is a bold step forward towards the right to self-indentify, of not just trans folks, but af all persons. I'm astounded that some reviewers came away with an impression that Califia felt transexuals should not exist, or should not pursue surgery. She merely states many of the potential hazards of taking that big step. As a preoperative transexual woman, who has every intention of having GSR, I want all the information available, not just the info I want to hear. But I also felt that she was under the impression we're all going to get breast implants? Many of us are quite content with our hormone grown, and very sensitive breasts, thus all her talk about nipple insensitivity left me confused. The highlight of the book is how she counters J.Raymond and his ilk of hatemongering seperatists. While Bornstein tries to placate this group in her works and Wilchins challenges, but with "puppy eyes," Califia makes no apologies for referring to Raymond as "pigheaded" and shows Raymond to be little more than a well educated fanatic with a clear agenda of hatred. The comparison of Raymond to Anita Briant is perfect. The only problem I had with the book was too many long quotations from previous TG authors, whose works many readers, like myself, are already very familiar. Pat Califia has done a great service to the TG and particularly TS community. We should be proud to have her as an ally.

Ms. Califia approaches the history and politics from the viewpoint of what many would call a radical feminist lesbian dyke. While all of these terms do apply to Ms. Califia her book provides insight and compassion not found in similar works. Her outlook on the politics of transsexualsim and her treatment of the subject shows she has spent a lot of time with transsexuals. Her doubts about her own gender identity might be one reason for her outlook. That isn't important. What is important is the way she treats the "transphobic" and the medical community at large. I hope to have the chance to meet her one day and say thanks for understanding and caring. This is a definite book to add to your buy list.

This is a great book on transsexuality, and to a lesser extent, on transgenderism. While Califia spends (understandably) a lot of time on the loudest and most transgressive transsexuals, she gives everyone a fair hearing in a way that most reviews of the subject don't. I did not feel she had an axe to grind in any direction, but was motivated by honesty and a fierce protectiveness. This is the first book on gender politics which I felt I could give to anyone of fair mind who was new to the subject

Pat does a really great job at evaluating the literature written by and about the transsexual over the years.

She starts with the well-known early transfolk who pushed the limits so that everyone else would have an easier time, such as Christine Jorgenson, Jan Morris, and Mario Martino - and highlights the differences between each autobiography. She heads through material written by the first doctors involved, and manages to show how it's both forward-looking and stereotype-promoting at the same time.

Of course, she can't leave out the backlash against transsexuality promoted by people such as Janice Raymond - and deals with them sharply, in the process, showing her own evolution from being in the trans-hating group, to being supportive. She even gives reasons why the trans-hating feminists may be undermining their own movement.

She then looks at how gay historians have downplayed the role of trans folk, and then hits the next generation of biographies, such as Renee Richards and Mark Rees, and shows how they are written differently, emphasising points not covered in the first wave.

Her attempt to deal with literature on the partners of the transgendered suffers from the lack of literature in this area - forcing her to deal with a book on the partners of transvestites. She might have done better to just avoid this, since it doesn't really match the rest of her book.

Then current and future activism is covered, mentioning reactions to tragedies such as Brandon Teena and Tyra Hunter. Her look into the future only handles Kate Bornstein's Gender Outlaw, however, and doesn't get a true variety of literature as in other chapters.

Overall, a high quality book, worth reading, with a few hiccups in it.

Literally read the entire thing in one sitting. A good, balanced view of transgender and the gender community at large. My partner is now devouring this book, cover to cover.

Patrick Califia's Sex Changes was written some 10 years ago (although reprinted and given a new preface in 2003). Since originally writing the book, Califia has emerged from the dyke community as a transman (perhaps more trans than male identified). In the 90s, it seemed as if he identified more as a butch or transmasculine female (don't think they had that term then, but...) The book offers a thoughtful overview of various aspects of trans experience. He deconstructs some key autobiographies of 50s-70s trans people: Jorgensen, Morris and Martino and gives an interesting take on how these contrast with people from the later 70s like Rene Richards (who he pretty much excoriates as a nutcase) and Mark Rees. My favorite section of the book is his discussion of Janice Raymond's Transsexual Empire and the issues Lesbian Separatists had, mostly with Transwomen, but also with Transmen. Califia, being very close to that community (yet always apart by virtue of his involvement with BDSM) has some interesting takes and deconstructions of Raymond and her supporters. As usual, Califia has a cogent, clear writing style that make it easy to slog though all the academic ranting these arguments entailed. Moreover, he includes a highly moving section about how he evolved from a trans-fearing lesbian to someone who opened his heart to the trans experience and, most importantly, to himself. He also includes a valuable section on transactivism, but leaves out of a lot of the work that was done in the 70-80s by transwomen and focuses on people like Riki Wilchens. It's certainly a book written by someone who's come into 'trans consciousness' during the 90s.

The only place I thought the book fell down was in the chapter on partners of trans people. It includes some highly inaccurate descriptions of all the bad outcomes of MTF SRS yet really offers no real source for this information. He states more transsexual women are choosing not to have SRS because of all the problems. Well, no Patrick, I would say transsexual women continue to get SRS and, overwhelmingly, are not having either health nor sexual problems because of it. Much of this chapter felt like unsubstantiated assertions and here say, not researched material. There are transgender women who choose to not have have SRS, and that's mostly because they are comfortable with their genitals as is and they aren't transsexual. He's comparing apples and oranges and trying to say "more and more fruit are orange in color".

I also have some issues with his description of where the transgender movement (if you can call it that) is going. While I do like his in depth critique of Kate Bornstein and many of the assumptions she makes both about transpeople (how they would be somehow better off identifying as genderqueer) and how the many segments of society (including gay men and women) would react negatively to her 'let's dismantle gender' imperatives. Still, he seems to suggest it's evolving more into non-binary gender, genderqueerness, androgyny, etc. from people who were binary identified and transsexual. Again, Califia compares apples and oranges. Transsexual people were, are and will continue to be transsexually experienced because that's who they are. Androgynes, non-ops, GQs and 2-spirits will continue to be who they are. It's not as if one really 'evolves' politically into another. Just because we've been placed under a politically expedient umbrella, doesn't mean these definitions and key identities can be blurred. I also feel Califia continues to have a continuing discomfort with transitioners who identify as women (and not transsexuals) and who wish go through SRS. Believe it or not, overwhelmingly, people go through it for themselves and not due to societal pressure to fit into the binary as Califia suggests.

I wish Califia had added a longer addendum to the new edition, but he's always a joy to read regardless of the age of the material. In all, taken the book is a decade old and you, perhaps, read something like "Whipping Girl" by Julia Serano to give perspective on some of Sex Changes weaker spots, it's still a valuable and thoughtful addition to anyone's gender library.

Highly recommended. Patrick Califia writes:
"What would it be like to grow up in a society where gender was truly consensual? If the rite of passage was to name your own gender at adolescence, or upon your transition into adulthood? What would it be like to walk down the street, go to work, or attend a party and take it for granted that the gender of the people you met would not be the first thing you ascertained about them? ... If these questions frighten, offend, or annoy you, you are one of the people who stand to benefit from transactivism - although it probably doesn't feel like your benefactor. And if these questions amuse, engage, and challenge you, you're probably a transactivist already. Welcome to the genderevolution."

I found the book well written, accurate, and eye-opening, and it's the ideal book for a gender crosser to put in the hands of her gay and lesbian friends--or enemies. The hostility that a minority of readers feel towards it is hard to understand. Most people, like me, love it.

Written when Patrick Califia was still Pat Califia, this book is a good overview of both what it means to live in the gender binary and a discussion of transgender politics of the last 50 or so years. I especially love it for two things: 1) a feminist eye, and 2) accessible writing. S/he doesn't get bogged down in jargon, and his extensive background as a feminist sex radical informs a lot of the opinions expressed.

Having worked in transgendered support and lobby groups in Australia, I found it refreshing to read a book that accurately sums up not just one position/theory, but several, and opposing ones at that.

Pat Califia also demonstates more than just a dash of common sense in dealing with the issues too, which in an age of extremism is a welcome change. There may be no solutions presented in this book, but at least we can understand the problems better.