“What does the word ‘Trans’ mean to you?“. This is the opening line of the new book Trans Like Me: A journey for all of us by the excellent writer and opera singer C N Lester. C N Lester is appearing at a special event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival with fellow trans writer Juno Dawson. Juno is celebrating the release of her brilliant new memoir called The Gender Games: The problem with men and women from someone who has been both and both these exceptionally talented writers are in conversation with the director of literature at Arts Council England Sarah Crown.
The event begins with C N reading an extract from Trans Like Me and from the chapter subtitled ‘Could You Just…Not Be?‘. This chapter deals with the ill-informed statements that people give when looking to explain what the term trans means. A list of eight common statements is eloquently read out by C N. These include – ‘1. That I’m a freak of nature, 2. That I’m desperate for attention, 3.That I’m mentally ill‘ . The biological debate around trangender people is discussed during the hour and Juno Dawson mentions that ‘Biology is a stick I have to be clobbered with‘ and that being labelled a ‘Freak of nature‘ is a common insult on twitter.
Juno gives an engaging reading from an early chapter in her memoir. Here the issue of gender identity as a child is highlighted. Juno is keen to point out the The Gender Games is not a misery memoir. It is a book that presents her own perspective and experiences with gender and shows that Juno has talents beyond her popular young adults novels.
The conversation between Juno and C N could have lasted for hours. They are both passionate writers with informative opinions and an unabashed ability to express themselves through their words. This passion is obvious onstage at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and obvious in their exciting and engaging books. Chair Sarah Crown concludes the event by asking the question ‘Do you think we are on our way? Are you hopeful for the future?‘ C N Lester responds by stating ‘It depends on the day‘, thus highlighting that there is still a lot that needs to be done and the debates will continue.