Beyond Binaries

Mike Perez is associate professor of humanities and communication at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.John C. Lamothe is associate professor of humanities and communication at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.Rachel Friedman is associate professor of aviation administration at California State University at Los Angeles.

• Chapter 1: TransForming Society?: Examining the Pros and Cons of the Trans Celebrity SpokespersonChapter 2: Popular vs. Personal: Transgender Narratives in Public Media CultureChapter 3: Schrödinger’s Dick: The Transgender Reveal Trope in Boy Meets GirlChapter 4: The Trans Baby Boom: Framing Male Pregnancy on TelevisionChapter 5: Where’s the ‘T’? RuPaul’s Drag Race and Transgender In/ExclusionChapter 6: How to Define Fair?: Examining Transgender on the ‘Level Playing Field.’Chapter 7: Gender Identity in Transgender ComicsChapter 8: Transgender Talk and Conservative Christians: Framing a Persuasive ConversationChapter 9: Transgender and Transracial Identity: A Cultural Examination of “Passing” Chapter 10: Transition to Neverland: Exploring Trans Boyhood through J.M. Barrie’s Peter PanChapter 11: Hijras and the Indian Caste SystemChapter 12: A Nonbinary Letter: From Camp Epicene

Beyond Binaries provides insight into how sex and gender are negotiated, as well as how these negotiations are portrayed, for better or worse. It also makes visible how social institutions such as the media, sports regulatory agencies, and the medical community enforce and gate keep norms, while also highlighting how acceptance and visibility are growing in these spaces. Notably, "authorship includes scholars who identify not only as transgender but as gender-fluid and non-gender conforming” (p. xi), so this title will appeal to libraries looking to expand #OwnVoices in their collections. Chapters 1 and 2, which are an excellent introduction to the rest of the text, discuss intersectionality, beauty standards, current statistics, and the importance of media and celebrity in modern culture. Students may be especially interested in the chapters about RuPaul’s Drag Race (Ch. 5) and strategies for conversations with conservative Christians (Ch. 8). Transgender self-representation is on the rise in both traditional and new media. Although the transgender community has made enormous strides in the past decade, the statistics provided reveal that much work remains to be done, especially related to acceptance and opportunities for BIPOC and poor transgendered people. Essential.