tineke
asked:
I work at a library, and we had a member of the public asking about this book. She claimed it had p*dophilic aspects & described child abuse -didn't state whether the abuse was being promoted or being described by a victim. After looking through a large number of reviews here, I couldn't find any mentions of the things that she brought up. Can anyone validate her claims? Or was she pulling at straws to be transphobic?
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Beyond Magenta: Transgender and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out,
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Jeanne
I just finished reading that section, and while I agree it's important to respect people's personal narratives, I think the author/interviewer could have done a better job at contextualizing it. I as an adult could understand that their actions were a result of the many ways our society fails our most vulnerable, but teens reading this might not have that context. The author editorialized at the start of the book quite a bit, explaining things the first interviewee said that a reader might not know. I though this section had very little of that, and I think it would have been helpful. The reality is that trans people are often at a higher risk for being targeted for sexual abuse, and I think giving some information/stats about that would have put the personal narrative in a larger context that highlighted an important issue.
I wouldn't say that abuse was being promoted (the narrator explicitly calls certain acts abuse or identifies pedophiles with whom she was afraid of). However, as a result of various circumstances, the narrator also describes certain behaviors they engaged in as a young child that I am pretty sure qualify as sexual assault, which they don't seem to be aware of. They also seem to think that very sexual exploration in very young pre-puberty children is normal (like 8ish years old), which makes sense given her own personal history but I don't think is universal (and it seemed to groom her for future more explicit abuse).
I think there was a way to frame this narrative in a truthful and respectful way that also provided the context to understand it, but the author did not do an effective job at this. Since this is a book geared towards teens who may have limited understanding of the topics represented, such contextualization is extremely important, and I've found it lacking as the book goes on.
I wouldn't say that abuse was being promoted (the narrator explicitly calls certain acts abuse or identifies pedophiles with whom she was afraid of). However, as a result of various circumstances, the narrator also describes certain behaviors they engaged in as a young child that I am pretty sure qualify as sexual assault, which they don't seem to be aware of. They also seem to think that very sexual exploration in very young pre-puberty children is normal (like 8ish years old), which makes sense given her own personal history but I don't think is universal (and it seemed to groom her for future more explicit abuse).
I think there was a way to frame this narrative in a truthful and respectful way that also provided the context to understand it, but the author did not do an effective job at this. Since this is a book geared towards teens who may have limited understanding of the topics represented, such contextualization is extremely important, and I've found it lacking as the book goes on.
Line
she's right... sex, including oral sex, with a six year old is pedophilia, as you know. Pedophilia is being promoted when the boy describes his oral sex experience at the age of six, as something he liked.
Ian Kertis
Anyone who says this book is in any way promoting pedophilia or sexual abuse would have to be either deliberately twisting words or just not thinking at all.
In one chapter, one of the interview subjects describes multiple instances of sex abuse and sexual behavior from an early age. It is uncomfortable reading, but it is ostensibly an honest account of that person's experiences from their perspective. That particular interview subject is clearly presented as having a history of mental health problems and a very unstable background. Events that happened are not celebrated but are acknowledged, and as the chapter is meant to be from that person's point of view, it says what the person claims to have felt and thought about such experiences when they took place.
It's worth noting that none of the narratives presented in this text get heavy commentary or responses from the author... the point of the book is to let the teens talk, and occasionally, they say disturbing things. The teens interviewed in the book range from very healthy, balanced individuals with stable lives to those who have many serious issues aside from being transgender. It's important not to sweep any of these stories under the rug. If anyone thinks the author is encouraging sexual abuse, imho, they're not a very discerning reader. Is it problematic? Heck, yes--and that's the point.
In one chapter, one of the interview subjects describes multiple instances of sex abuse and sexual behavior from an early age. It is uncomfortable reading, but it is ostensibly an honest account of that person's experiences from their perspective. That particular interview subject is clearly presented as having a history of mental health problems and a very unstable background. Events that happened are not celebrated but are acknowledged, and as the chapter is meant to be from that person's point of view, it says what the person claims to have felt and thought about such experiences when they took place.
It's worth noting that none of the narratives presented in this text get heavy commentary or responses from the author... the point of the book is to let the teens talk, and occasionally, they say disturbing things. The teens interviewed in the book range from very healthy, balanced individuals with stable lives to those who have many serious issues aside from being transgender. It's important not to sweep any of these stories under the rug. If anyone thinks the author is encouraging sexual abuse, imho, they're not a very discerning reader. Is it problematic? Heck, yes--and that's the point.
Signme Uplease
"Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out is an explicit book which is being promoted in the youth sections of local libraries.
The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old.
Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours.
“From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.”
The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal.
Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions."
The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old.
Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours.
“From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.”
The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal.
Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions."
tineke
Note: I acknowledge the difference between books where abuse victims can speak about their past, and books where abuse is glorified/promoted. This person made it sound as though the book promoted p*dophilia. Promotion is bad. Victims speaking about past experiences can be both a healthy form of closure for them, as well as a way to give other victims hope, or allow non-victims to feel empathy.
Jennifer
There is an anti-transgender site that posted about this and they posted a pic of the offending paragraph:
https://www.binary.org.au/transgender...
https://www.binary.org.au/transgender...
Lilac
One person who clearly had a really messed up childhood describes kissing and performing oral sex from about the age of six. I don't think it was clear whether that was with other kids or with adults, but it's certainly disturbing (as is much of their story)
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