Nina Here Nor There

Honor Book for the 2012 Stonewall Book Awards in non-fiction The next-generation Stone Butch Blues--a contemporary memoir of gender awakening and a classic tale of first love and self-discovery. Ambitious, sporty, feminine “capital-L lesbians” had been Nina Krieger’s type, for friends that is. She hadn’t dated in seven years, a period of non-stop traveling—searching for what, or avoiding what, she didn’t know. When she lands in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood, her roommates introduce her to a whole new world, full of people who identify as queer, who modify their bodies and blur the line between woman and man, who defy everything Nina thought she knew about gender and identity. Despite herself, Nina is drawn to the people she once considered freaks, and before long, she is forging a path that is neither man nor woman, here nor there. This candid and humorous memoir of gender awakening brings readers into the world of the next generation of transgender warriors and tells a classic tale of first love and self-discovery. Discussion Guide for Book Clubs, Classrooms, and Group Discussions What did you know about transgender people before reading this book? How has your perspective changed? Did reading this book make you think about your own body, gender, and identity? In what ways? How do you feel about the way Nina treats her parents? How about the way they treat her? How would you react if your child was transgender? What role does Ramona play in Nina’s journey? How do you envision gender—a binary, spectrum, galaxy…? What are some of the benefits to our culture of gender? Some of the downfalls? How does the binary (man/woman) system help you? Hurt you? How do you relate to Nina’s experience? In what ways is her story universal? Specific? In what parts of your life do you feel you are “privileged”? Have your privileges changed over time? Has this impacted your worldview? How is this book similar to other memoirs about gender? How is it unique? How does the diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder and its classification as a mental illness affect trans people? What do you see as the main challenges for trans people in our society? Are these covered in the book, or are these from other sources and experiences? What did you learn through The Boys? How are their gender expressions and decisions similar? Different? Where do lesbian and transmasculine (trans people on the male side of the spectrum like The Boys) communities overlap? Where is there friction? What defines “women’s spaces” and in what cases, instances, or places should transmasculine people be included? Excluded? From the Trade Paperback edition.

The next-generation Stone Butch Blues—a contemporary trans memoir of gender awakening, first love, and self-discovery that “invites readers to view gender not as a binary or a spectrum but as an infinitely beautiful ‘kaleidoscope’” (Bust Magazine). Ambitious, sporty, feminine “capital-L lesbians” had been Nina Krieger’s type. For friends that is. She hadn’t dated in 7 years, a period of non-stop traveling—searching for what, or avoiding what, she didn’t know. When she lands in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood, her roommates introduce her to a whole new world, full of people who identify as queer, who modify their bodies and blur the line between woman and man, who defy everything Nina thought she knew about gender and identity. Despite herself, Nina is drawn to the people she once considered freaks, and before long, she is forging a path that is neither man nor woman, here nor there. This candid and humorous memoir of gender awakening brings readers into the world of the next generation of transgender warriors and tells a classic tale of first love and self-discovery.

Working at the intersection of psychoanalytic, queer, and transgender theories, this book argues for the need to read Lacanian psychoanalysis through a queer and trans-positive framework. In so doing, it challenges the dimensions of fantasy at play in efforts to insist on the continued validity of the binary gender system. Targeting the Lacanian concept of “sexual difference” - that desire is structured through the difference between masculine and feminine - it argues that this idea is not transhistorical, as orthodox Lacanians claim, but rather a historically contingent fantasy. As such, it argues that psychoanalytic queer theorists need to go beyond this fantasy to register truly the full range of sexualities and modes of embodiment. Examining texts as diverse as films such as Hedwig and the Angry Inch and literary texts such as Paul takes the Form of a Mortal Girl, the book enables a queer and trans- inclusive model of theorizing subjectivity in psychoanalysis, psychosocial studies and cultural studies.

"This edited volume of first-person narratives and empirical studies questions what happens when "male" bodies "do" femininity, the complexities of male femininities, and the conditions under which men engage less with masculinity and more with femininity and the consequences of these practices within a historical moment of gender binary transgressions"--

"Built on her ... Modern Love column, 'When a Couch is More Than a Couch' (9/23/2016), a ... memoir of living meaningfully with 'death in the room' by the 38-year-old great-great-great granddaughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson--mother to two young boys, wife of 16 years--after her terminal cancer diagnosis"--

This work is an autobiographical synopsis of an immigrant whose diasporic decision came crucially at a time of tribulation and despair amidst the civil war in El Salvador. In the special chapter, you will find the compelling story of a shoeless child who lived in one of the country's most depressed, conflicting areas. Chapters 1 to 4 give you an account of the discovery of America. The ensuing genocidal obliteration of the Mesoamerican civilizations and indigenous cultures at the hands of the Spanish colonizers. Chapters 5 to 13 show a brief narrative of the evolution of El Salvador from a peaceful autochthonous Maya enclave to a fully independent nation. Chapters 14 to 16 present with mesmerizing accuracy a series of events that probably helped shape my appreciation of life. Instill in me greater consciousness of my mortality and, therefore, my future in the USA. All these traumatic events, no doubt, have given me a new sense of purpose in life. Chapters 17 to 22, I exposed different perceptions and analyses of life before and after in El Salvador and the United States. Chapter 23 vividly describes the events leading to my becoming a US citizen. Chapter 24 focused on the contradictory reverse cultural shock when I traveled to my native land. Finally, in chapter 25, I formulate my honest feelings of love and patriotism toward America, its institutions, its Constitution, its Flag, and my faith in its promising democratic, republican future.

Published in 1993, this brave, original novel is considered to be the finest account ever written of the complexities of a transgendered existence. Woman or man? Thats the question that rages like a storm around Jess Goldberg, clouding her life and her identity. Growing up differently gendered in a blue--collar town in the 1950s, coming out as a butch in the bars and factories of the prefeminist 60s, deciding to pass as a man in order to survive when she is left without work or a community in the early 70s. This powerful, provocative and deeply moving novel sees Jess coming full circle, she learns to accept the complexities of being a transgendered person in a world demanding simple explanations: a he-she emerging whole, weathering the turbulence.

The only comprehensive interviewing and counseling text grounded in a strong multi-theoretical foundation Structured around CACREP standards, Essential Interviewing and Counseling Skills Second Edition uniquely encompasses both theory and practice from the perspectives of a diverse array of theoretical schools and practice strategies. While continuing to disseminate counseling fundamentals, the second edition focuses extensively on the acquisition of robust interviewing and counseling skills including special preparation for the initial assessment and counseling session. It is also distinguished by its integration of cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic therapy approaches. Throughout, the text emphasizes the importance of multicultural humility and a multicultural orientation to counseling—including challenging students to examine their own backgrounds and biases. This latest edition also addresses key aspects of telehealth that have come to the fore during the COVID pandemic. The use of case examples throughout highlights multiple theoretical approaches and illustrates how to integrate a wide range of perspectives. With an emphasis on counseling clients from diverse cultural backgrounds, each chapter focuses on strategies for working with varied populations, with an emphasis on intersectionality. The authors consider many forms of diversity including race, ethnicity, immigration, and country of origin along with age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, language, and physical and cognitive abilities. Purchase includes digital access for use on most mobile devices or computers. Updates to the instructor's resources include an Instructor's Manual, Power Points and a new test bank. New to the Second Edition: Includes a new chapter on Theoretical Integration of Approaches in Counseling New discussions on how to successfully use telehealth for interviewing and counseling Includes "Hot off the Press" boxes highlighting cutting edge research to inform strategies for counseling and professional development The entire text has been updated with the latest research and clinical references. Key Features: Includes an emphasis on multicultural competence and humility throughout the text and features a "Spotlight on Culture" focusing on specific cultural considerations in each chapter Provides a balanced, integrated theoretical and practical approach to interviewing and counseling with a focus on skills development Discusses evidence-based practice, assessment, diagnosis, and when/how to end treatment Teaches the fundamental skills of empathy, active listening, treatment planning and developing a strong therapeutic alliance with the client