what media coverage of online "transvestigators" & the Imane Khelif ordeal get wrong

Hi everyone, I just published a brand new essay: Why Does "Transvestigation" Happen? On Gendering, Ungendering, and (Mis)Perceiving Trans People! 

I have read and viewed numerous solid articles and videos about both the online "Transvestigator" communities that focus on ungendering celebrities, and the recent JK Rowling/Elon Musk/Fox News ungendering and harassment of Olympian Imane Khelif. But I worry that they set up a false dichotomy, where these groups are imagined to view gender “abnormally” or “incorrectly,” while the rest of us who are not in these groups (including the majority of cis people) supposedly perceive gender and trans people “normally” or “correctly.” 

And frankly, nothing could be further from the truth! 

So this essay is a deep-dive into how we (mis)perceive & (mis)interpret trans people and gender more generally. It draws from research I carried out and insights I forwarded in my books Whipping Girl and Sexed Up. It is a "long-read", but I believe it communicates many aspects and nuances of this story that most people are currently overlooking. You can read it at:

Medium (friend link): https://juliaserano.medium.com/why-does-transvestigation-happen-d2c19847afb9?sk=dfabc9bd0962eaab89b54d03097cee28

or Substack (no paywall): https://juliaserano.substack.com/p/why-does-transvestigation-happen

As always, please share widely and give it lots of claps and likes and such! 

my Medium Day talk on Debates About Gender-Affirming Care and Trans Youth

Happy to announce that I will be giving a virtual talk this Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 2–2:30pm Eastern time (11–11:30am Pacific) as part of Medium Day – you can register (for free) to watch it & the many other talks they have at mediumday.com.

My talk is entitled Making Sense of Debates About Gender-Affirming Care and Trans Youth. In it, I will highlight the unconscious biases, unstated presumptions, and the underlying forces and dynamics that are driving the ongoing moral panic about this issue. Hopefully, the talk will provide audiences who are relatively new to this subject with the necessary background to make sense of these debates.

Since there is far too much to say about this subject, I made the above Resource Page, which includes links to over a dozen essays I've written related to this issue over the last 8 years. You can read it (no paywall) on Medium (at the link above) or on Substack. Please share widely and give it lots of claps and likes and such! 

I'm very proud of to have finally compiled all my writings on this important subject in one place, so that I (and perhaps you) can readily share it with others who have questions or concerns!

As always, this resource page was made possible by my Patreon supporters  – if you appreciate that I make pieces like this freely available online, please consider supporting me there!

Maintenance Phase podcast on "Social Contagion" and "ROGD"

One of my favorite podcasts, Maintenance Phase, just released an episode entitled "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria" (available on all major podcast platforms). In it, they draw upon my Origins of "Social Contagion" and "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria" timeline, originally posted here in February 2019.

While a lot of work went into constructing the timeline, what I did was basically simple: I searched for the earliest instances of "transgender social contagion" and "ROGD" on the internet. I discovered that these ideas originated in 2016 on three websites run by, and catering to, reluctant parents of trans youth who were looking for justifications to deny them gender-affirming care (this has since grown into a full-fledged anti-trans parent movement). My timeline also shows how these ideas were quickly taken up by conservative outlets, gender-disaffirming doctors, and other groups who now form the backbone of the current anti-trans moral panic.

Any journalist could have easily carried out the same investigation and uncovered what I had, but none did. Whether this was due to a lack of curiosity or intentional bias on their parts, I cannot say. While other people have cited this work, Maintenance Phase is the first to share the full narrative with the general public, so I'm excited that it will finally reach a larger audience!

Since Michael and Aubrey were kind enough to link to my "Origins" post and my Patreon in their show notes, some of you may be new here – welcome! I mostly write about gender, sexuality, science, and social justice, with an emphasis on trans, LGBTQIA+, and feminist issues. Lately, much of this work has been focused on countering anti-trans science-denial and disinformation (since there's so much of it lately). If you enjoyed this Maintenance Phase episode, here are a few recent related essays you may also appreciate:

• Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth Is Neither New nor Experimental: A Timeline and Compilation of Studies
• All the Evidence Against Transgender Social Contagion (Plus Thoughts on Why People Continue to Embrace This Zombie Theory)
• Spotting Anti-Trans Media Bias on Detransition
• Why Are “Gender Critical” Activists So Fond of Gametes? (plus my new video “Trans People and Biological Sex: What the Science Says”)

No-paywall links to many many more essays can be found on my writings webpage. If you like what you read, please consider supporting me on Patreon for as little as $1 per month!

Whipping Girl 3rd Edition to Be Released in March!

I'm happy to announce that a 3rd edition of my first book Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity will be coming out this March — you can pre-order it here!

I just published an announcement post for the book, which you can read on either Medium or Substack). It's only a 5 minute read, but here's a brief synopsis: It's basically the same book as before, but with a new Afterword on trans youth and moral panics (aka, responding to the current anti-trans backlash). It also has a new cover (as you can see to the right) — I describe the thinking process behind the cover in the announcement post as well. 

In addition to the book's release in March, I have a series of essays and videos related to Whipping Girl planned for the coming months, including a transmisogyny explainer video and spoken word performances of some of the chapters. So be sure to follow me on YouTube, Medium, and/or Substack if you’re interested in those.

As always, I will be spreading the word on social media — that link provides a comprehensive list of all that platforms I am currently on if you wish to follow me there too...

My Best Writings of 2023

I thought I’d begin the new year with a quick recap of my writings from 2023. All these essays are on Medium and have been demonetized. If you appreciate them, please consider supporting my work on Patreon!

Several of the essays were my definitive responses to major anti-trans talking points: They are thoroughly researched (citing sources all along the way), comprehensive, and well-argued—so if you only read one or a few, I encourage you to make it these:

• Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Youth Is Neither New nor Experimental: A Timeline and Compilation of Studies
• Understanding the Anti-Trans Parent Movement
• All the Evidence Against Transgender Social Contagion
• Explaining Assigned Sex Ratio Shifts in Trans Children
• Spotting Anti-Trans Media Bias on Detransition

Here are the other essays I’ve written this year. I am proud of these too, but they were less intensive research-wise (and are often shorter as a result):

• What Is a Woman? (a response)
• On “Male Socialization” and the “Trans Masc Versus Trans Fem” Discourse
• Did Lisa Marchiano Invent “Transgender Social Contagion” and “No Transition Before Age 25”?
• Masculinity, Femininity, and Meanings
• KOSA: A Nationwide Anti-Trans/LGBTQ+ Bill in All but Name (And What You Can Do to Stop It)
• History of the Word “Transgenderism” (and why “eradicating transgenderism” = eradicating transgender people)
• Anti-Trans Op-Ed & News Story Bingo

Finally, since years are an admittedly arbitrary time-frame, I will end with two essays that I wrote at the very end of 2022. Both distill some of the main take-home points of my recent book Sexed Up: How Society Sexualizes Us, and How We Can Fight Back and apply them to our current anti-trans moral panic and what drives transphobia and biphobia within queer and feminist circles:

• Penises, Privilege, and Feminist & LGBTQ+ Purity Politics
• Anti-Trans “Grooming” and “Social Contagion” Claims

I have lots of essays in the works for 2024, so stay tuned—they will all be cross-posted on both Medium and Substack, with alerts and links sent to my Patreon supporters. I am also working on a talk-length video entitled “Transgender People and Biological Sex: What the Science Says,” so subscribe to my YouTube channel if you want to be notified as soon as it comes out...

Kat Cataclysm and NaNoWriMo 2023

Some of you who are newly following me may not know this, but in early 2020, I released my debut novel, 99 Erics: a Kat Cataclysm faux novel. The narrator/protagonist, Kat Cataclysm, is a polyamorous bisexual woman and absurdist short fiction writer. And 99 Erics is a humorous account of Kat’s experiences writing a book called 99 Erics, which is about her experiences dating ninety-nine different people named Eric. It is more surreal than slutty. Not that there is anything wrong with slutty.

Despite not being able to promote it as much as I would like due to the pandemic, 99 Erics is the only book I’ve written to date to have ever won a book award: It was the winner of the Publishing Triangle’s 2021 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction, an Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) 2021 silver medalist in LGBT+ Fiction, and one of Kirkus Reviews’ Best Indie Books of 2021.

The reason why I’m telling you all this now is because, after much deliberation, I think I’ve finally found a worthy premise for the next Kat Cataclysm novel. A few days ago, I sat down and started typing and the words just flew out of me! Unlike my nonfiction books and essays, which come together in a slow and methodical manner, I’ve found that my best fiction arises when I just let my unconscious mind loose and let improvisation take hold.

Given the good start so far, I’ve decided to take part in NaNoWriMo this month. For those unfamiliar, that acronym stands for National Novel Writing Month. The idea is that you try to write every day in November, hopefully coming out the other side with a fledgling first draft of a novel in hand. While I highly doubt that I’ll finish a whole first draft (especially since I have other commitments), I figured I’d give it a go and see how much progress I make!

In the meantime, rather than inundate y’all with those super-rough drafts, I thought I’d share all the publicly available excerpts of 99 Erics, to hopefully whet your appetite for an eventual second Kat installment.

My favorite chapter of 99 Erics—which I believe offers a great sense of both the character and the book—is “Posers.” A video of me reading from the entire chapter can be found on YouTube and a smaller excerpt of the first part of the chapter can be found on Medium.

more evidence that Lisa Marchiano invented "transgender social contagion"

cover image for my recent Medium post
about Lisa Marchiano

In February 2019, on this very blog, I published Origins of “Social Contagion” and “Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria,” which investigated the history of when these terms first appeared online and how they spread. The main finding of that piece was that the concept of “transgender social contagion” appears to have been invented by someone who went by the handle “skepticaltherapist” in a comment posted on February 20, 2016, on the anti-trans parent website 4thwavenow. I was not able to determine who exactly skepticaltherapist was, but I provided evidence that they went on to become one of the founders of the anti-trans website youthtranscriticalprofessionals.org (YTCP).

A couple days ago, I published a follow up piece on Medium entitled Did Lisa Marchiano Invent “Transgender Social Contagion” and “No Transition Before Age 25”? It was based on recent findings that Marchiano ran YTCP (which has since been confirmed; see also below) and that she possibly invented ROGD too. Based on this, I proposed that Marchiano was also likely skepticaltherapist — aka, the person who invented the notion that “social contagion” is turning kids transgender. 

In this post, I provide further evidence that this is indeed the case.

my latest email update

My latest email update is out – you can read it here. Highlights include: 

• Signed Books for Sale! (for the holidays or otherwise)
• Two new essays: Penises, Privilege, and Feminist & LGBTQ+ Purity Politics and Anti-Trans “Grooming” and “Social Contagion” Claims Explained (both no-paywall links)
• More news about my latest book Sexed Up: How Society Sexualizes Us, and How We Can Fight Back, including a September book interview on the podcast Vox Conversations (now called The Gray Area)
• A podcast interview about Whipping Girl for This Queer Book Saved My Life
• New social media platforms I'm on (including Mastodon, Post.News, Tumblr, and TikTok).

If you want to receive my email updates directly into your inbox (never more than once every few months), you can sign up here: http://eepurl.com/CxWWf 

Signed Books for Sale! (for the holidays or otherwise)

photo of Julia with her two most
recent books: 99 Erics & Sexed Up

It's that time of the year again, when you may be considering presents to get your friends and family (and perhaps for yourself as well). Which means it's time for me to shamelessly peddle my wares!

If you know someone who appreciates my past books, I bet they'll like my latest (and IMHO best) book Sexed Up: How Society Sexualizes Us, and How We Can Fight Back. It is currently available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook — those links will take you to the Seal Press website, which offers a variety of outlets to choose from. Alternatively, you can (and should!) pick up a copy at your local independent bookstore — if they don't have it in stock, just ask them to order a copy for you!

While I'm not able to sell signed copies of Sexed Up at this time, it is possible to get signed copies of any of my other books — here's how:

I have two self-published books – 99 Erics & Outspoken – which you can purchase signed copies of directly from the "stuff to buy" page of my website for $25 (PayPal or credit card), shipping included (instructions via that link). The shipping will be through USPS Media Mail, which they say takes 2 to 8 business day to deliver – this means your mailing address must be in the U.S. to do this (if not, see alternatives below). Here's more about each of those books:

Penises, Privilege, & Purity: a new essay about LGBTQ+ intra-community debates

So my latest Medium essay just dropped! 

It's entitled Penises, Privilege, and Feminist & LGBTQ+ Purity Politics. It's a longer read, but worth it, as it explains many intra-community debates. This includes lesbian stereotypes about bisexual women (such as the myth that we are "perpetually heterosexual privileged"), how those relate to "gender critical"/TERF stereotypes of trans women, plus recent debates between trans male/masculine and trans female/feminine communities. Basically, I show how all these sentiments stem from sexual stigma and our culture's bizarre patriarchal and heteronormative beliefs about sex and penises.

I think this is the best thing I've written since... well, since my latest book Sexed Up, I suppose. In fact, it's the first piece I've written that really builds upon some of the ideas that I introduce and flesh out in the book, including the Predator/Prey mindset and how sexual stigma shapes many popular stereotypes about queer people.

Here is the no paywall link, so you can readily share it with others: https://juliaserano.medium.com/penises-privilege-and-feminist-lgbtq-purity-politics-bafd1f25fe3e?sk=5098f46767404745b65d298b79aa8066

If you're on Twitter, here's a whole thread about it.

And if you like it, please give it lots of "claps" (up to 50, I think) so that other Medium users will see it.

This essay was made possible by my Patreon supporters. If you appreciate that I make writings like this available for free online, please consider supporting me there.

new book readings, talks, interviews & debunking pseudoscience

I just published my latest email update, chock-full of new news. you can read it online here: https://mailchi.mp/64d1973d6b99/new-book-readings-talks-interviews-debunking-pseudoscience

and if you want to receive my email updates directly to your inbox, you can sign up here.

It is a fairly long update, so I won't reiterate it all here. But highlights include:

1) links to several recent interviews (in print, podcast, and YouTube forms) with me about my new book Sexed Up: How Society Sexualizes Us, and How We Can Fight Back – this includes two of the book events I did back in July. These interviews, as well as all the book excerpts, reviews, etc., can also be found on the Sexed Up webpage I just linked to.

2) On September 22nd, in honor of, Bisexual Visibility Day, I will be reading a few bi+ specific passages from Sexed Up at Fabulosa Books (489 Castro St, San Francisco, CA). The event begins at 7pm; masks are recommended but not required. Here is the Facebook invite for the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1091569688453976 – please come out if you can!

3) Just in time for the 2022-23 academic year, I've updated my booking webpage to include a bunch of new presentations, some Sexed Up-themed, others covering trans, bisexual, LGBTQIA+, and feminist issues I often write about. If you are part of a conference or college organization that's looking for speakers, definitely check it out!

4) Debunking anti-trans pseudoscience, in two parts:

First, J. Michael Bailey and his protégé Kevin Hsu recently published a study in Archives of Sexual Behavior that attempts to refute the existence of “autogynephilia in women.” Jaimie Veale and I wrote a response that the journal just published: Autogynephilia Is a Flawed Framework for Understanding Female Embodiment Fantasies: A Response to Bailey and Hsu (2022) [PDF link]. In it, we point out numerous methodological and interpretive flaws with their study—including how their results are incompatible with Blanchard's original taxonomy—and make the case that “autogynephilia” is a flawed framework for considering both trans and cis women's sexual fantasies and desires.

Second, some of you may recall my 2019 Origins of "Social Contagion" and "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria" post, which is essentially a timeline of all the major events regarding the invention and dissemination of these ideas within anti-trans activism. I just updated the timeline with a newer entries, many of which are recent studies that undermine or outright disprove the basic tenets of these theories. All those new entries can be found in the Post-Publication Note toward the beginning of that post.

So that's what's in the update – please check it out!

newly added Sexed Up book event and interview!

Hello everyone! I've already mentioned that tomorrow (Thursday July 21st), California Institute of Integral Studies is hosting an online conversation between me and Abeni Jones entitled On Sexualization and Society. We will be talking about my latest book Sexed Up: How Society Sexualizes Us, and How We Can Fight Back. It will take place at 7pm PDT (10pm EDT), suggested price of $10 but pay what you can. Info about registering for the event and accessibility accommodations can be found via the link. Please come out!

But if you can't make it, I'm happy to announce that one more Sexed Up book event has just been added: On Thursday, July 28th, I will be doing a Conversation with Carol Queen in which we will talk about Sexed Up. The event is FREE and will take place at the Berkeley Good Vibrations store (2504 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702) from 5:30 - 6:30pm PDT—there is very limited seating, so you must pre-register via the link if you wish to attend in person (masking required). But you can also watch it online (and for FREE) on Good Vibes’ Instagram Live.

Whether you can make it to these events or not, you should definitely check out the latest Sexed Up interview (by Marcie Bianco) that just came out in The Advocate: Author Julia Serano Separates Sex From Stigma in Sexed Up. It discusses how the book came to be, some of the topics it covers, how me being a biologist influenced my writing, and more! 

virtual book events! plus a new book excerpt!

Hi folks, lots of news to share!

First, I just published a new excerpt from my latest book Sexed Up: How Society Sexualizes Us, and How We Can Fight Back – it's from a section of the last chapter entitled Sexual Dystopias and Utopias. While not explicitly discussed in the piece, it grew out of my concerns with “no kink at Pride” discourses, but it’s also pertinent to recent “don’t say gay” bills and claims that LGBTQIA+ people “groom”/“sexualize” children by merely existing. Here is the no paywall link. And if you like it, please give it lots of "claps" (up to 50, I think) so that other Medium users will see it!

For even more Sexed Up-related excerpts and writings, please check out my just-released July 2022 email update.

Second, I have two Sexed Up virtual book events coming up in the next couple weeks. Both will have ASL interpretation and require pre-registration – here are the details:

On Thursday July 14th, I'll be reading from Sexed Up and engaging in conversation about the book with Jude Doyle at a virtual event hosted by the NYC bookstore Bluestockings. The event is from 7 - 8:30pm EDT (4 - 5:30pm PDT), tickets are $0 - $15, and you can register for the event here.

Then on Thursday July 21st is On Sexualization and Society, a live online conversation about Sexed Up between me and Abeni Jones, hosted by California Institute of Integral Studies. It will take place at 7pm PDT (10pm EDT), suggested price of $10 but pay what you can. Info about registering for the event and accessibility accommodations can be found via the link.

As always, you can learn more about the book – including praise, reviews, excerpts, interviews, plus links to purchase it – at the Sexed Up webpage.

reviews & an excerpt from my new book Sexed Up!

My latest email update just came out. If you want to receive these sorts of updates directly into your inbox, you can sign up here. Since it's chock-full of reviews, excerpts, and info about my new book Sexed Up, I have transcribed it here in its entirety...

In last month's update, I announced my new book, Sexed Up: How Society Sexualizes Us, and How We Can Fight Back (Seal Press), and encouraged y'all to pre-order it. It officially came out a week ago, so hopefully many of you have your copies by now and are diving in!

If you haven't picked up the book already, no worries, you can do so today! It’s available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook – those links will take you to the Seal Press website, which offers a variety of outlets to choose from. You can also go to your local bookstore or library and ask them to order a copy for you. 

If you are hesitant, this email should have what you need to convince you to pick up a copy of Sexed Up!

For starters, last week I published Sexed Up: a chapter-by-chapter preview of my new book on Medium. As the name suggests, it describes all the sex, sexuality, and sexualization topics that are covered in the book, and which chapter(s) you'll find them in.

The Guardian image that accompanied my excerpt

Also last week, The Guardian published an excerpt from Chapter 3, "Unwanted Attention." Their version is entitled What I learned about street harassment after I transitioned. While most people who have navigated the world being perceived as female will likely relate to some of the experiences I describe, my interpretation differs somewhat from that standard feminist "sexual objectification" explanation, and provides insight into forms of street harassment faced by other marginalized groups.

In my last email update, I shared praise the book has received from other authors. Here, I will share a few of the early book reviews that have come in so far:

“Serano succeeds in explicating a wide range of complex ideas about gender, sexuality, and identity, and offers incisive new frameworks for reckoning with some of the most discussed issues in contemporary feminism and queer culture. The result is a nuanced and approachable guide to ‘making sex more equitable’.”
—Publishers Weekly (full review via link)

“Sexed Up doesn’t just identify a common problem; it identifies a common ground for solidarity and resistance. ”
—NBC News (full review via link)

“A feminist argument about sexism and patriarchy from a fully trans- and queer-inclusive point of view... When Serano introduces a concept ... I expect the idea to pervade and permeate feminist thought.”
—Liber: a Feminist Review (full review via link)

“Sexed Up: How Society Sexualizes Us, and How We Can Fight Back gives every bit of [Julia’s] usual rigor as it interrogates the ways that people who hold stigmatized identities are desexualized, hypersexualized, sex-shamed or sex-policed. ”
—Xtra (full review via link)

“An engaging and thoughtful addition for any library’s popular human sexuality collection.”
—Library Journal (full review via link)

I will be adding new reviews, excerpts, and interviews to the Sexed Up webpage as they arise. There, you will also find links to order the book in hardcover, ebook, or audiobook formats. And if you enjoy the book, please spread the news far and wide, and leave it a good review on Goodreads, Amazon, and elsewhere!

Pre-order my new book: “Sexed Up”!

My latest book, Sexed Up: How Society Sexualizes Us, and How We Can Fight Back, will be published by Seal Press on May 17, 2022 – three weeks from today! I believe that it is my best and most important book (fwiw, I have not claimed this about any of my other post-Whipping Girl books).  

I highly encourage you to pre-order it now if you can, as this really helps to convince bookstores to carry it. It’s available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook – those links will take you to the Seal Press website, which offers a variety of outlets to choose from. You can also go to your local bookstore or library and ask them to order a copy for you. 

While Sexed Up covers a lot of ground (see description below), it is especially timely given the recent conservative/GOP onslaught of accusations claiming that everything they oppose (e.g., LGTBQIA+ people, critical race theory) is tantamount to “grooming” or “pornography.” Sexed Up explains why these sorts of sexualizing charges resonate with so many people, and how we can effectively challenge them.

Praise for Sexed Up:

“Julia Serano continues to be one of the most remarkable feminists writing today. Sexed Up is a must-read for anyone who cares about feminism, misogyny, and how we talk about sex.”
—Jessica Valenti, New York Times-bestselling author of Sex Object

“A brilliant tour de force on an under-theorized topic – sexualization – and the havoc it wreaks on so many lives, especially the most marginalized. I can't wait to discuss this book: it's essential reading.”
—Kate Manne, author of Down Girl

“Julia Serano brings us the incisive, clear-eyed analysis of today’s culture wars that we so desperately need. Thoughtful and deeply researched, Sexed Up provides a more compassionate way of dealing with our cultural programming around sexuality.”
—Annalee Newitz, Lambda Award-winning author of Four Lost Cities

“How lucky we are to have Julia Serano – a writer who brings razor-sharp analysis to the most challenging issues we face today. Sexed Up is another worthy addition to the canon, brimming with the unique patience, care, and clarity Serano brings to untangling our sexual preconceptions.”
—Jude Ellison S. Doyle, author of Trainwreck

Book description:

Feminists have long challenged the ways in which men tend to sexualize women. But pioneering activist, biologist, and trans woman Julia Serano argues that sexualization is a far more pervasive problem: it’s something that we all do to other people, often without being aware of it.

Why do we perceive men as sexual predators and women as sexual objects? Why are LGBTQ+ people stereotyped as being sexually indiscriminate and deceptive? Why are people of color still being hypersexualized? Serano confronts these presumptions head-on, showing us how they arise from unconscious biases rather than reflecting reality. While many view sexualization as a mere component of sexism, racism, or queerphobia, Serano persuasively argues that liberation from sexual violence comes through collectively confronting sexualization itself. She then reveals powerful new ways to resist, providing numerous strategies designed to foster sexual equity without sacrificing sexual diversity in the process.

Lively and provocative, Sexed Up provides a breath of fresh air for seasoned activists and newcomers alike. Once again, Julia Serano proves that she is an unmatched voice leading us toward necessary change.

More praise, plus early book reviews:

“Fascinating, comprehensive, and clearly explained, Sexed Up leads the reader through a radically sensible analysis of what sexualization is and how it happens. (Hint: You're soaking in it!) As we work to create a sex-positive culture, we'll reference this vitally important book again and again.”
—Carol Queen, PhD, Author of Exhibitionism for the Shy and co-founder of the Center for Sex & Culture

“Julia Serano acutely speaks to many nuances in gender and sexuality that unjustly dictate the safety, value, and autonomy of marginalized genders. Immersive and precise, she traces enduring stigmas to their illogical roots.”
—Koa Beck, author of White Feminism

“Julia Serano has done it again, taking an idea you thought you understood and unfolding depths to it you never knew were there. Sexed Up is the sexualization rethink you didn't know you needed.”
—Jaclyn Friedman, author of What You Really Really Want

“Julia Serano is a razor-sharp observer and a generous, compassionate, and liberatory thinker. Sexed Up is a wise, nuanced, and unapologetic guide to understanding what goes on under the hood of sexualization in American culture.”
—Dr. Hanne Blank Boyd, historian and author of Straight

“Serano succeeds in explicating a wide range of complex ideas about gender, sexuality, and identity, and offers incisive new frameworks for reckoning with some of the most discussed issues in contemporary feminism and queer culture. The result is a nuanced and approachable guide to ‘making sex more equitable’.”
—Publishers Weekly (full review via link)

“An engaging and thoughtful addition for any library’ s popular human sexuality collection.”
—Library Journal (full review via link)

More information about the book (including the Table of Contents) can be found at my Sexed Up webpage. And once again, here are the links to pre-order it in either hardcover, ebook, or audiobook formats.

crowdfunding for Japanese translation of Whipping Girl

Some good news to share: The Tokyo-based publisher Thousands of Books has made an arrangement with my publisher (Seal Press) to translate my first book Whipping Girl into Japanese!

The translation is dependent on their ability to raise money for this effort via crowdfunding. So if you (or someone you know) are excited about this prospect, here are the links where you can contribute. They also share further information about the publisher, project leader, and translator for the book.

This is the main crowdfunding link; it is in Japanese, but many browsers can translate the page for you:

https://greenfunding.jp/thousandsofbooks/projects/5658

And here is a supplemental crowdfunding page on Indiegogo, which is in English and in USD currency:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/japanese-translation-of-whipping-girl#/

Like I said, please feel free to share these links, as they have until mid-April to raise the necessary funds for the translation.

99 Erics on Kirkus Reviews' Best Indie Books of 2021!

Earlier this year, I was happy to announce that my first foray into fiction, 99 Erics: a Kat Cataclysm faux novel, was the winner of the Publishing Triangle’s 2021 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction, and an Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) 2021 silver medalist in LGBT+ Fiction.

On top of all that, Kirkus Reviews just released their "Best Books of 2021" issue, and they included 99 Erics on their Best Indie Books of 2021 list! The entire list can be found via that link (you'll have to scroll down for 99 Erics, as the list is alphabetical by author last name). 

The full Kirkus review of 99 Erics is available online; here is an excerpt:

“Serano has written about gender identity and feminism in her nonfiction books Whipping Girl (2007) and Excluded (2013); she explores many of the same ideas in her debut work of fiction. The writing is conversational in style, and though Kat claims to be uninterested in banal descriptions, the scene-setting in various California locales works well. Kat recalls the Manic Pixie Dream Girls so often used in male-oriented stories, but she’s decidedly more warts and all in her presentation, almost too quirky to function, and enthusiastic about her role as ruler of all the Erics. The result is a lovable composite of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1966) and a less murder-y version of Marvel’s Deadpool, using absurdism and humor to break down the fourth wall and the very idea of ‘normal,’ with all its silly little boxes and prejudices. If that makes the book sound serious, it isn’t — and that might be the most effective way it makes its readers think about identity. Knocks down literary conventions, sexual stereotypes, the fourth wall, and more in enthusiastic defense of the weird.”

As always, for more reviews, excerpts, details, virtual book readings, and where to purchase the book, please check out the 99 Erics webpage!