Gender Euphoria

by Laura Kate Dale (Editor)

Overview

GENDER EUPHORIA: a powerful feeling of happiness experienced as a result of moving away from one’s birth-assigned gender. So often the stories shared by trans people about their transition center on gender dysphoria: a feeling of deep discomfort with their birth-assigned gender, and a powerful catalyst for coming out or transitioning. But for many non-cisgender people, it’s gender euphoria that pushes forward their transition: the joy the first time a parent calls them by their new chosen name, the first time they have the confidence to cut their hair short, the first time they truly embrace themself. 

In this groundbreaking anthology, nineteen trans, non-binary, agender, gender-fluid, and intersex writers share their experiences of gender euphoria: an agender dominatrix being called “Daddy,” an Arab trans man getting his first tattoos, a trans woman embracing her inner fighter. What they have in common are their feelings of elation, pride, confidence, freedom and ecstasy as a direct result of coming out as non-cisgender, and how coming to terms with their gender has brought unimaginable joy into their lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781800180567
Publisher:	Unbound
Publication date:	04/19/2022
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	174,568
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Laura Kate Dale works primarily as a video game critic, and she has also written about LGBT representation and disability accessibility for the BBC, the Guardian and Huffington Post. Her memoir, Uncomfortable Labels: My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman, was published in 2019. She is based in Surrey. @LauraKBuzz

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Becoming Prom King: How My Classmates Showed Their Support for My Transition Oliver Jones 7

Gender-Creative Parenting and Me Halo Jedha Dawn 18

The First Signs Hormones Were Working for Me Laura Kate Dale 33

My Mr's Mr: Ensuring I Got a Gender-Affirming Wedding Miles Nelson 40

Escaping the Monochrome Closet at Pride Jane Aerith Magnet 53

Loving My Deep Voice as Performance Rather Than Default Laura Kate Dale 60

The Euphoria That Lies in Revolt: Loving Myself While Living in Brazil Júlia F. Cândida 67

The Gender of Language: Finding a Pronoun for My Identity Teddy Sweet 82

Mentally Rewriting Life Before Surgery Laura Kate Dale 92

Reflections: A Bridesmaid on Beauty and Letting Go Mia Violet 99

Life at the Trans-Intersex Intersection Mari Wrobi 111

Gender Affirmation Through Girly Sleepovers Laura Kate Dale 123

Clippers and Clarity: Cutting My Own Hair for the First Time Parker Armando Deckard 131

The Tipping Point: Getting Correctly Gendered Without Making an Effort Laura Kate Dale 142

Punks Against Gender Conformity: Being Agender in the Punk Scene Koda Strider 149

Playing Roller Derby on an All-Girls Team Laura Kate Dale 160

Fashion, Gender and Not Knowing You're Non-Binary in Nigeria Olu Niyi-Awosusi 168

The Myth of the Yak: Learning to Love My Body Hair Yas Lime 176

Growing to Appreciate Myself in Photographs Laura Kate Dale 184

The Gates to Jannah: Balancing Transitioning and My Faith Jaden Hameed 191

Exploring Gendered Presentation in Online Gaming Worlds Laura Kate Dale 203

Adrenaline Fix: Turning Masculine Pursuits Into Feminine Identity Samara-Jade Sendek 211

The Empowering Magic of Affirming ID Laura Kate Dale 222

Epidermis: Tattoos and Transmasculine Selfhood Emmett Nahil 230

Feeling Safe and Welcome, and Seen by My Teen Idols Laura Kate Dale 242

Transition in Lockdown: Shaving and Growth William Keohane 250

Drunken Compliments and Body Positivity in the Club Laura Kate Dale 260

The Radical Vulnerability of Trans Sex Katherine Cross 267

Being Daddy: Sex, Gender, Kink and Everything In Between Mxtress Luna 278

Acknowledgements 287

Supporters 288

Editorial Reviews

02/14/2022

Joy gets the spotlight in this candid and empowering collection from journalist Dale (Uncomfortable Labels). Pointing out that the popular narrative surrounding trans experiences is one of discomfort and dysphoria, Dale aims to feature examples of “people doing small actions and grand gestures that made them feel radiantly themselves and wonderfully at peace.” “Becoming Prom King” sees Oliver Jones being elected prom king in a gesture of gender affirmation by his classmates. In “The Gender of Language,” Teddy Sweet considers how to choose the right pronouns, and “Reflections” features Mia Violet finding confidence after wearing the perfect bridesmaid dress: “Glamorous bridesmaid, visiting the city from my coastal home.” Dale contributes almost a third of the essays, reflecting on triumphs such as the joy of finding a community in roller derby and of getting a correctly gendered passport. Even though the focus is on positivity, things aren’t all sunshine; traumas do creep in: “To talk about my experiences of euphoria properly, I need to contrast the good with the bad,” Júlia F. Cândida writes. The writing is a bit uneven from essay to essay, but the collection’s power lies more in its testimony than its literary finesse. Readers who have had their fill of trauma narratives will find this a breath of fresh air. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

This anthology of personal reflections turns the often-discussed idea of gender dysphoria on its head, instead exploring the feeling of gender euphoria that is experienced when one comes out as non-cisgender and embraces their true identity. It includes moving reflections by 19 people, including trans, non-binary, agender, gender-fluid and intersex writers.” — INMagazine

“​​Joy gets the spotlight in this candid and empowering collection." — Publishers Weekly

“A welcome text in which trans, nonbinary, and intersex writers can reveal their true selves.” — Kirkus

From the Publisher

2022-01-22
The title of this collection aptly describes its unique contribution to the canon of writing on nonbinary issues.

Editor Dale collects pieces from noncisgender writers who describe only their joyful trans or nonbinary experiences. None of the essays feature the psychological trauma that can accompany gender dysphoria. “I’m not going to pretend that the world isn’t sometimes a bit miserable for non-cisgender people,” writes Dale. However, she continues, this book “is about people doing small actions and grand gestures that made them feel radiantly themselves and wonderfully at peace.” The positive editorial focus works well as the organizing theme. Rather than detailing victimization and suffering, these reflections find the very real delights in nonbinary experiences, as contributors examine how being trans, "enby" (short for nonbinary), or intersex contributes to their bliss. Most of these euphoric moments arise when the writers are finally able to present themselves in public as their true-felt gender (or nongender). Appearance is often important, whether it involves clothing (Jane Aerith Magnet’s "Escaping the Monochrome Closet at Pride"), makeup, tattoos, or body/facial hair. We feel the joy when Oliver Jones, an 18-year-old trans man from England, writes about an unexpected role as prom king or when Miles Nelson, an autistic and trans man, revels in a "gender-affirming wedding." Dale, the author of Uncomfortable Labels: My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman, writes about when she first noticed that her hormone replacement therapy was working, felt “my new breasts bounce,” and attended her first "girly sleepover.” Parker Armando Deckard, a Filipino American nonbinary trans man, shares his happiness at cutting his hair supershort to look "like a boy," thus "reclaim[ing] part of myself." The contributors also demonstrate the importance of other subcultures and practices, including the punk scene, erotic role-playing in online gaming, cosplay at anime conventions, and BDSM sex work for trans and gender-nonconforming clients.

A welcome text in which trans, nonbinary, and intersex writers can reveal their true selves.

Kirkus Reviews