Literature outside the binary
To celebrate the release of Archer Magazine’s THEY/THEIRS issue, which collects the experiences of non-binary and gender-fluid folks, we asked one of the mag’s contributors, Asiel Adan Sanchez, to name their top books that broke down the restrictions of gender.
Being non-binary means we often don’t see our lived experiences represented in literature. Although that is certainly changing over the past 10 years, we are nowhere near mainstream representation. We often lack words to describe ourselves, to understand our gender or to feel a sense of belonging in the cultural landscape. These are some of the books which broke some boundaries of gender.
Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf’s Orlando is well and truly the grandparent in the genderqueer canon. Written as ‘the longest and most charming love letter in literature’, the novel traces the mystical life and loves of its protagonist over 500 years. At age 30, Orlando mysteriously wakes up a woman and continues living her epic life, as simple as that. Gender fluidity permeates Orlando’s lived experience, as well as that of his and her lovers. Revolutionary for its time, Orlando provides a unique perspective on gender which still speaks volumes today.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Middlesex chronicles the lives of three generations of a Greek family, from Bursa to Detroit and San Francisco. The narrator and protagonist is an intersex man whose gender is profoundly altered as he comes to terms with his intersex status. Although not all intersex people are trans or gender diverse, Cal/Calliope’s exploration of gender and sexuality resonates with the challenges of finding one’s authentic gender. Beautifully written, Middlesex is an expansive work of literature.
Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg
Stone Butch Blues is one of the seminal texts in genderqueer literature. Its author, Leslie Feinberg, was transgender hirself, and drew heavily from hir lived experiences. At the core of Stone Butch Blues is the experience of alienation, the struggle of identity and belonging that many queer people share. Jess Goldberg, the main character, is plagued by the feeling of not fitting in, either in her home town or in the gay bars of New York. Her search for identity lead her to become an activist and advocate for the dignity of all people. Leslie Feinberg’s work provides an insight into the real lived experiences of trans and gender diverse people.
First Spring Grass Fire by Rae Spoon
Rae Spoon began their career as an indie musician, blending folk with electronica and making documentaries about rural Canada. Their debut book is as candid as their music, describing growing up in the Pentecostal church, their father’s mental illness and discovering they don’t fit the gender binary. Music comes as salvation. Rae provides us with a much needed coming-of-age tale of what it means to grow up non-binary.
