AFTERLAND. The Announcement.This book is being described as "a world without men" because...nearly everyone with a prostate dies. *deep breath* So most trans women are dead and...trans men just don't exist, I guess? Because it's a world "without men"? I'm especially hurt because I saw several cis authors praising the book earlier and they're people I thought were trans allies. But I guess we're an afterthought when those folks aren't on Twitter.
I can't get past "cosmetic beard stubble". Prescription testosterone is made from soybeans and yams and plants. Did they get wiped out by the prostate plague??? Folks could be growing their own beards, but instead they're using eyebrow pencils to dot one on?!?!
The problem with these Gender Plague books by cis people isn't that they aren't "inclusive enough" because of social justice! The problem is that their total ignorance about gender issues makes the world-building laughably bad. You can't solve the problem by wiping out trans women via protates or trans men via uteruses and be like "see? I love trans people enough to know they exist!" Like, first of all, don't do that. It's harmful. Second of all, you still need to research this stuff.
I can't begin to understand why you would play up cis women in drag in this scenario, but ignore that huge numbers of trans men would likely come out if men are so prized. Or that we'd expand our ideas about gender and what is a man, resulting in even more out trans men. I'm bringing this to the table as a mostly-closeted trans man, ffs. If suddenly it were not only acceptable but outright *lucrative* for "cis women" to transition to maleness, I'd be out and on T in a Texas minute. Enjoy my new and glorious Riker beard, ladies.
Absolutely none of this is fixed by killing off all/most trans women because someone remembered many of them have prostates. I don't know why cis people are so proud of gender plague choices that make sure to inclusively kill trans people. "I remembered your biology isn't the same as cis peoples', so I made sure my plague killed you" isn't the slam dunk allyship a lot of folks seem to have. I really wish cis people would stop writing Gender Plagues.
I'll talk to Kissmate and see what he thinks before I buy and read this new one. He's the one who has to live with me if I go and trigger myself again. Also: I am being informed by multiple sources that cis women have a prostate too, and can get prostate cancer (rare, but happens), so this virulent Prostate Cancer Plague should kill everyone. This is a big problem with Gender Plagues: we're not separate species.
Apparently this plague only affects prostate owners with a Y chromosome, which I found out thanks to this thread, which is a doozy. The thing that really gets me is that if you Google "sleeping beauties trans issues" (the most recent of these Gender Plague offerings), there's plenty of ink on why this is bad!
[Transphobia, Death of Trans Women, Flippancy]
I feel sick. I follow(ed) authors who praised this.
[More Transphobia, this time directed at Trans Men]
The only other page with "trans" on it. "Are you a real boy, or are you looking for a blue fairy to make you into one?"
There are amazing books by trans authors who will never receive a tenth of the marketing push that this got. I'm so tired. Okay, Kissmate says he's down for us to do this so I guess we are.
Note: This book was originally slated to be called "Motherland".
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