Ronan answers “Is this book transphobic?”

A Goodreads user asked this question about Frankissstein: A Love Story:

Is this book transphobic?

Ronan This depends upon your understanding of both transphobia and of the story, which is as much an allegory as the original Frankenstein's Monster.

The te…moreThis depends upon your understanding of both transphobia and of the story, which is as much an allegory as the original Frankenstein's Monster.

The term transphobia is traditionally defined as an irrational fear or hatred of, or an emotional disgust toward individuals who do not conform to society's gender expectations (Hill & Willoughby, 2005). The book does not seem to me to express or seek to propagate any of these things. Perhaps you might illustrate your question with some examples that made you ask the question.

The book assembles a cast of characters whose roles are as much symbolic as personal. Ada Lace, who defied gender norms by becoming a mathematician and inventing the first programming language in the history of science is paralleled by Ry, whose deliberate realigning of their body to fit their soul, so to speak, does not simply address transgender issues but also the society in which body altering surgery performed on women is hugely profitable. We are not asked to consider Ry as a contemporary transgender person but to consider the social, ethical, cultural and scientific forces in which the characters play out their lives.

That makes it sound as if it's a dull but worthy book. In fact, it's one of the funniest pieces of observation I've read in a long while. YMMV.(less)

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