Ian Kertis answers “I work at a library, and we had a member...”

tineke asked this question about Beyond Magenta: Transgender and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out:

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?

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 …moreAnyone 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.(less)

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