Trans Men in the South - (Breaking Boundaries: New Horizons in Gender & Sexualities) by Baker A Rogers

About the Book

Through the voices of 51 trans men, Baker A. Rogers analyzes what it means to be a trans man in the southeastern United States. Rogers argues that the common themes that pervade trans men's experiences in the South are complicated by other intersecting identities, such as sexu...

Book Synopsis

Through the voices of 51 trans men, Baker A. Rogers analyzes what it means to be a trans man in the southeastern United States. Rogers argues that the common themes that pervade trans men's experiences in the South are complicated by other intersecting identities, such as sexuality, religion, race, class, and place.

Review Quotes

Rogers (Georgia Southern Univ.) explores the lives of trans people with a study of "51 diverse trans men in the south," utilizing the term "queer methodology." Based primarily on in-depth interviews, this study brings to light the lives and concerns of trans men living in the southeastern US. Dominant narratives of queer and trans people tend to focus on coastal cities rather than rural locations, as the author notes, which effectively centers "metronormative" narratives and histories. Rogers seeks to expand the discussion through seven chapters that explore topics such as religion and spirituality, "discord within" the larger queer community, and sexual violence and harassment. The author situates analysis within the larger landscape of literature on the topic, supported by robust citations that contextualize the work in helpful ways. The book also contains instructive tables, including ones that define terms used frequently in the text. Readers will come away with a more nuanced understanding of trans men. This volume will interest sociologists and scholars of gender and sexuality. Recommended for all college and university libraries. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals.

Becoming Men is a great read for anyone interested in trans experiences, but it is Baker A. Rogers' focus on geography and the context of that geography that will make this book a must-read for queer and trans scholars. In a "region where 'what church do you go to?' and 'Who's your family?'" are common questions, Rogers' "outsider within" perspective gives us more than a story of trans men's experiences of the Southeast.

Trans Men in the South: Becoming Men takes the reader into the everyday lives of Southern trans men, describing their experiences of discovery, belonging, and violence. This research on how trans men authentically become themselves while navigating complicated environments challenges what scholars know about trans men's lives to date and asks new questions about the trans experience. Baker A. Rogers takes the reader outside the typical venues for trans research--big cities, the coasts--into the heart of the South and the everyday lives of Southern trans men.

About the Author

Baker A. Rogers is assistant professor of sociology at Georgia Southern University.