Trans Basics

This page is dedicated to resources which explain the basics of gender, oppression and privilege. Please feel free to message me if you know of a link that should be added to this list.

To start off, a few of my own pieces (not because I think they are the best resources out there, but simply because in them I made points that are important to me personally in the most effective manner that I knew how): Not Your Mom’s Trans 101, The T Word, and Word Of The Day: Cis.

Erin’s Awesome Trans Glossary is awesome for basic terms.

Amber wrote a brief but eloquent statement about respect here and also collected a huge number of useful links to basic trans information.

Char C weighs in on what misgendering is and why it sucks.

Dreki’s Trans 101 For Trans People is moving and everybody should read it. They also have a page of definitions.

And here’s something of Dreki’s For Parents.

Now, onto the hard part– stuff about privilege.

First of all, check out The National Transgender Discrimination Survey to find out what trans people in America are up against.

This Cisgender Privilege Checklist is pretty comprehensive. Dreki’s Privilege 101 kicks ass.

If someone says you are derailing you may find this helpful. If you are starting to get defensive, read this. If you are about to protest how good your intentions are, don’t. And think again before you call anyone “politically correct.”

If you can’t understand why trans people don’t want to be in your study, this may shed some light.

For gay cis men trying to figure out how gay trans men fit into the world of homos, I recommend this essay by J. Macey. It should dispel some of your misconceptions, which I know from experience are many.

Check out Transphobic Tropes at Questioning Transphobia, especially # 1: “Really A Man/Woman,”  # 5 The Man In A Dress/Stealthy Deceiver double bind, # 6: Transition Is Mutiliation, and # 7: Socialization As A Child.

As far as print books go, I cannot recommend “Whipping Girl” by Julia Serano highly enough. Everyone should read it. It is an essential text for both feminist and transgender studies. It will turn your head right around and change the way you see the world.

“Transgender History” by Susan Stryker is likewise essential, and a quick read. “The Transgender Studies Reader,” edited by Susan Stryker and Stephen Whittle, is a less quick read, but is also indispensable.

More to be added.