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Every book Dr. Julia Serano recommended on podcasts
Dr. Julia Serano appeared on Behind the Bastards to discuss her own writings and other foundational gender theory texts. Throughout the episodes, she reflected extensively on her own book Whipping Girl, noting the initial audience she had in mind in the mid-2000s and observing how the book reached far beyond feminist and LGBTQ+ communities. She explained that the book introduced and popularized the concept of trans misogyny, established a framework for understanding different types of sexism and cis sexism, and drew on ideas from a blog post by another activist. In addition, Serano discussed her essay collection Outspoken, clarifying how an essay regarding cis and trans terminology fit into her broader activist work. While discussing the intellectual context of her writing, she also referenced Judith Butler's Gender Trouble, clarifying how Butler's theories regarding performance and gender were often interpreted, and connected the themes of societal sexualization in Whipping Girl to her other books.
Books recommended by Dr. Julia Serano
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Whipping Girl
Whipping Girl by Julia Serano is a foundational feminist text that examines transmisogyny, the intersection of trans issues and traditional sexism, and the cultural policing of femininity.
Discussed“And the book, this is something that a lot of times people who pick up the book now in like the 2020s don't necessarily realize is that nobody was reading anything about trans people outside of feminists and LGBTQ plus communities.”
Where to get it
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Outspoken
Outspoken by Julia Serano is a collection of essays and writings exploring transgender identity, feminism, and cultural perceptions of gender.
Discussed“So, I don't think that those terms need to necessarily be like I don't think there's anything bad about those terms per se in and of themselves, but I think sometimes they can be used in ways and part of why I reference this the cis and trans essay that I wrote many years ago.”
Where to get it
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Sexed Up
Discussed“And that was not only a huge part of uh Whipping Girl, but that's become a part of a lot of my other books, like incl um how society sexualizes us and how we can fight back.”
Where to get it
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Gender Trouble
Gender Trouble by Judith Butler is a foundational work of feminist and queer theory that challenges traditional assumptions about sex, gender, and identity.
Discussed“So in in kind of I was writing the book in the mid 2000s and so the 1990s is when um Judith Butler publishes Gender Trouble which Butler never said all genders performance or all genders drag.”
Where to get it
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The Transsexual Empire
The Transsexual Empire by Janice G.
Discussed“And this is one of the things that you know weapon girl for example there are a lot of bad ideas about trans people that had been circling lading for a long time especially with the culmination of Janice Raymond's book the transsexual empire in the 19 late 1970s 1979 I think”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| It Could Happen Here Weekly 158 | Behind the Bastards | 2024-11-30 | 3 |
| It Could Happen Here Weekly 119 | Behind the Bastards | 2024-02-24 | 13 |