Outside the XY: Queer, Black and Brown Masculinity

This anthology brought together a varied array of voices who fit outside of the xy spectrum. It was an interesting read and every writer approached the topic of not fitting into the typical gender spectrum in their own way, either relating their own story, creating poetry or approaching it from a more academic point of view. The way that each writer approached their own blackboii indentity was put across really well and they all articulated who they were very clearly. I'm so very glad I read this as I feel I understand this part of the xy culture much more and how people of culture fit within it.

I got this book in a hope to understand the black queer community a bit better. I was expecting a book that gave me an insight into terms and feelings. Something simple. Instead I was given complicated, intense, and a lot more than I ever expected. The pieces ranged from poetry to academic pieces. I am sad to say that the academic pieces were few and far between. The ones that did make it into the anthology were accessible and anyone who references bell hooks instantly gets my attention, so I was hooked. The poetry was interesting, but not really my thing. There were a few pieces where I was just annoyed from the beginning, but I didn't want to censor the voices so I kept reading the piece. The pieces that really stood out to me were the ones about vulnerability and confusion. Many of the people were in an area where language failed them as far as identity. Then there were the pieces about how locked into masculinity someone can be, even when it is oppressive and not the right fit. It was a wonderful area to explore and I wish more of the pieces had been on that topic. I would have feasted on the words. My main complaint about the book is that it is drastically longer than I had the attention span for. This could easily be broken into multiple books. I would have read multiple books. One book on each topic that the editors broke things down into would have been amazing. There was so much more to be said that didn't make it into this book, but there was a lot said. I found myself looking towards the end because it was so long. Give yourself a break, read this at a slow pace. Soak in the words.

Great collection of essays, poetry and short stories by trans/nonbinary/genderqueer black and brown authors and activists. Outside the XY is the intersection of gender and race, what it means to be queer AND a person of color in America. The collection is great because it incorporates different voices and lets different authors, with different experiences, a place to tell their stories. Masculinity, patriarchy, misogyny, white supremacy, racism: Willis's book touches a variety of topics. Some parts are hard to read, but I highly recommend it if you are looking for a book about gender and queerness that it is not about white people.

Wow, wow, wow, what an important read! As a trans guy, it meant a lot to read over fifty stories or creative pieces from non-cis men of color from all over the world. Masculinity is complex and not as easy to define, especially when it comes to trans identity. How a person finds comfort in their masculinity varies depending on the individual, which this book does an excellent job of portraying. That this book gathers so many underrepresented voices together is amazing, especially because of how distinct each voice is. It truly shows that while the trans community is united, every person's experience is different and beautiful.

This is such an important and fantastic novel. I devoured this novel in a few sittings and this one that will surely stick with you go a while. This is more than a story about being a lesbian and a feminist, this is a story about being true to yourself!