TRANSGENDER
He has Brown Hair, and He’s Transgender, and Gay
Two of my favorite gay trans representations in books
How many fingers does it take to count to not many?
Trans representation — and go! How many books, movies, performers, etc. can you think of? And I’m talking about real representation, not an interpretation of transgender people as told through a cis-hetero-normative lens reiterating incorrect assumptions. I’m not talking about the presentation of harmful stereotypes or gender inappropriate casting. Doesn't leave a hell of a lot, does it?
Now, what about trans masc representation? And what about gay trans masc representation? Good luck with that, right? Well, luckily, as a writer, I’m always on the search for representation in books and it thrills me to bits when I find character representation written by writers who are, themselves, members of the community.
This post is in response to Queerly Trans’ call for queerly trans representation in the media.
What if I’d seen ME?
I’m constantly on the hunt for trans representation, and specifically gay trans masc representation, because seeing or reading something like that when I was younger may have saved me 40-plus years of so perfectly creating a cis-hetero-normative mask that I didn’t even know I was wearing one. It’s disturbing that I never saw any true representation until I looked for it and even more disturbing that though my egg cracked barely more than a year ago, I’ve already run out of gay trans masc media to immerse myself in. I’ll never run out of movies to watch that represent a cisgender heteronormative experience, but when it comes to gay trans masc experience, I had a very short list of things to refer to.
What am I missing?
I want to see more representation. I want to read every book, watch every movie, listen to every podcast. For now though, let me share with you my favorite queerly trans representation in book form. Actually, I have two to share: Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas and The Changeling Prophecy by Lionel Hart.
We never find out his deadname and isn’t that perfect?
Dead boys deserve love, too
Cemetery Boys by publicly out trans man Aiden Thomas is as adorable as it is, at times, heart-wrenching. You’ve been warned. I’m not giving away any spoilers and I’m not doing a review (maybe I’ll come back to that), but the representation of the main character, a trans boy, is so complete and beautiful. We never find out his deadname and isn’t that perfect? There is often no need to know a trans character’s deadname — the curiosity belongs to cisgender people, in general. And for me, as a trans writer, reading a character with no reference to their deadname is validating on so many levels. I don’t know the deadnames of my own trans characters in my books because I’d never be disrespectful enough to ask them.
It’s never too late to rule the world
The Changeling Prophecy by Lionel Hart is a great read for fans of fantasy. Lionel is a recent author who I stumbled across/met through TikTok. He’s an out and proud gay trans man who writes high fantasy MM romance. He has another series with an orc and an elf that is deliciously smutty and so much fun, but it’s his representation of a young trans man in The Changeling Prophecy that got my attention.
Oh, by the way, he’s trans…Moving on!
Both of these books are so beautifully done because the characters’ trans identities are not the focus! There is no questioning or doubt about their gender, it’s just, fact. There is the occasional mention of what others think about it, struggles, misunderstanding, or dealing with their own dysphoria, but for the most part, gender is just a component of who they are. Like their eye color.
Their gender identity is not the central aspect of their characters.
Their gender identity is not the central aspect of their characters. And isn’t that the problem with most misrepresentations of trans individuals? Movies, books, TV shows, etc. that focus on transgender individuals, typically hone in on their gender as being the focus of who they are. As if gender is a personality trait.
This is why I love these two books and their authors. The characters are just trans characters. They might just have brown hair. They may just have a fear of heights. The characters are just trans; it’s not who they are. Being trans is merely a small part of their experience.
It’s all about connection
I’ve spoken to both Aidan and Lionel on TikTok and both are lovely men who are willing to interact and share their stories. It fills me with so much hope as a writer myself to see not only books sharing respectful representation, but books written by proud trans men who through their characters invite connection and community. Who show the true experience of being transgender — that it’s just one aspect of our experience.
Fiction can change the world because it’s not about the words but rather the emotions and the connections.
And now what?
Soon, I hope to add my own books to this list. The First Strike series has several characters that are trans and non-binary and my Streamlined series follows Ash, a trans man going away to college. Watch this space, I guess. But in the meantime, I did a thing! I adapted the prologue and first two chapters of Treading Water (Book 1 in the Streamlined Series — previously, Personal Best) and created a fictional podcast. This is the pilot episode. Enjoy!