Abstract

Leading activist and essayist Brynn Tannehill tells you everything you ever wanted to know about transgender issues but were afraid to ask. The book aims to break down deeply held misconceptions about trans people across all aspects of life, from politics, law and culture, through to science, religion and mental health, to provide readers with a deeper understanding of what it means to be trans.

The book walks the reader through transgender issues, starting with "What does transgender mean?" before moving on to more complex topics including growing up trans, dating and sex, medical and mental health, and debates around gender and feminism. Brynn also challenges deliberately deceptive information about transgender people being put out into the public sphere. Transphobic myths are debunked and biased research, bad statistics and bad science are carefully and clearly refuted.

This important and engaging book enables any reader to become informed the most critical public conversations around transgender people, and become a better ally as a result.

Equality and progress for our transgender neighbors and loved ones begins with overcoming misconceptions, misunderstandings, and ignorance about everything from health care to military service to the difference between sex and gender. With thorough research, extensive evidence, and personal experience, Brynn Tannehill guides readers through the complex challenges and the basic issues transgender people confront every day.
Joseph Kennedy III, U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district
This is a multifaceted book that welcomes the reader to explore basic terminology and the daily challenges faced by transgender people in American society. Brynn presents a holistic and integrated view of the transgender experience by combining fact based, peer-reviewed evidence with a discussion of the complex issues, myths and misconceptions experienced by the transgender community today. Whether you are transgender, cisgender, an ally, or simply someone who wants to become more educated about gender identity, this one of a kind book is appealing to general audiences and academics alike.
Dr. Michelle Dietert, Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M University

Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Trans (But Were Afraid to Ask) is a tremendously engaging and accessible resource that not only answers questions that people want to know, it informs about topics that we need to know. There is not another book on this topic that is as well-researched, comprehensive, clear, and vitally-needed.

If you want to educate yourself and others about trans people and issues that affect trans communities -- as well as stimulate lively conversation -- use this in your book club and in college classes. I challenge readers to ask a question that Brynn Tannehill has not answered - and answered exceedingly well.

Christine Robinson, Professor of Justice Studies, James Madison University
Brynn Tannehill is definitely not afraid. In Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Trans (But Were Afraid To Ask), she bravely takes on the pernicious myths and outright lies about transgender people that otherwise circulate unchecked in American culture. With passion and humor, she intervenes in debates over science, religion, law, politics, and popular culture, bringing clarity to what can sometimes seem an unnavigable morass of unsubstantiated opinion. She also gives readers the tools they need to do their own myth-busting. This book is an essential introduction to transgender identities and politics for the uninitiated -- I can't wait to assign it in my "Introduction to Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies" class -- but it is also a great resource for transgender people and their friends and families. Tannehill does not shy away from warning us that the future could be bleak for trans folks in the United States. But she provides us with the truth and reminds us that with knowledge comes power.
Jennifer Putzi, Associate Professor of English and Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies, Director of Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies Program, College of William and Mary
Brynn Tannehill is the explainer-in-chief of the trans movement. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Trans (But Were Afraid to Ask) is a one-stop shop for anyone with questions about this historic fight for equality. Informative and accessible, this resource is exactly what we need.
Sarah McBride, National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign
This book is a must-have resource not just for transgender people but also for all of those who parent, educate, employ, serve, treat, love, and play, pray, work, or live with transgender youth and adults. It is beautifully written, painstakingly researched, sophisticated in its treatment of a wide range of topics, and destined to become a classic. Brava to Brynn!
Anthony Varona, Professor of Law and Vice Dean at American University Washington College of Law
Brynn Tannehill is a leading trans activist and essayist, and has written for The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Bilerico, Slate, Salon, USA Today, The Advocate, LGBTQ Nation, The New Civil Rights Movement, as a blogger and featured columnist.
Based on decades of research and real world advocacy on behalf of transgender people, this gem of a book offers unvarnished, informed, and extremely accessible answers to just about every aspect of transgender life, law, and politics. Brynn has an impressive ability to explain complex legal issues in simple but accurate terms, and her deep knowledge of the military gives her an unparalleled insight into the transgender community's ongoing struggle to be able to serve openly in our nation's armed forces.
Shannon Minter, Legal Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights