Why Are Faggots So Afraid Of Faggots?
In the review you’re about to read, I make reference to the death of Mark Aguhar, Chicagoan queer artist. I don’t do it well–I am blind in it to my white privilege, and I think to my privilege over male-assigned trans folks as a female-assigned trans person, which is a very particular sort of privilege that I’m trying to work out a way of talking about. I was called out on this, and have debated for a long time as to how to rectify the problem. Ultimately, I arrived at adding this paragraph. I don’t want to edit my mistake out completely, because I want to be accountable, so go ahead and read, but do note my mistake and consider it a mistake coming from a white guy trying and often failing to unlearn whiteness (and guyness).
I’ve spent the last week reading Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s latest editing effort, Why Are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots, and I have to tell you: it is a good book. But before I begin to explain why it’s such a good book, what I think it’s trying to accomplish and why I think it succeeds, I should make something clear: Even though up until this point, I’ve only given positive reviews, I’m not trying to to. This is because I get to choose what I’ll be reading and reviewing, so I pick books I already know I want to read, with authors whom I already know of, and luckily enough they haven’t disappointed me. I just wanted to let you know. Don’t worry, eventually my reading list will run out and I’ll have to read some vile young adult book about a brave and special young trans man who inspires everyone in his rural but surprisingly accepting rural village, or something. Then I’ll be real mean.
Now that I’ve excused myself– faggot time.
