‘When you are someone that falls outside of categories in so many ways, a lot of things are said to you. And I have had a lot of things said to me.’
In None of the Above, Travis Alabanza examines seven phrases people have directed at them about their gender identity. These phrases have stayed with them over the years. Some are deceptively innocuous, some deliberately loaded or offensive, some celebratory; sentences that have impacted them for better and for worse; sentences that speak to the broader issues raised by a world that insists that gender must be a binary.
Through these seven phrases, which include some of their most transformative experiences as a Black, mixed race, non binary person, Travis Alabanza turns a mirror back on society, giving us reason to question the very framework in which we live and the ways we treat each other.
"If there is one word to describe this book, it would be honest. Travis takes us on a minor journey on self inquisition. They try to shine a spotlight on the image they are confronted with in the mirror but as we progress in the book, they recognise that the mirror acts as a prism and disperses the light.
I think one of the most important realisation that Travis come to and presents to us, is the idea that gender (and society stringent compulsion to a binary) is a sacrifice that costs us all. Travis explores the intersections between pre-colonial African cultures and gender, the colonisation of racial gender expression and the brutal politicisation of gender."
"Gender non-conformity and being outside of the gender binary cannot be seen as quiet: it is seen as purposefully choosing to cause trouble. To those so wanting a life of peace, others' disruption can feel like a threat to that fought-for sanctuary."
NONE OF THE ABOVE: REFLECTIONS ON LIFE BEYOND THE BINARY
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‘When you are someone that falls outside of categories in so many ways, a lot of things are said to you. And I have had a lot of things said to me.’
In None of the Above, Travis Alabanza examines seven phrases people have directed at them about their gender identity. These phrases have stayed with them over the years. Some are deceptively innocuous, some deliberately loaded or offensive, some celebratory; sentences that have impacted them for better and for worse; sentences that speak to the broader issues raised by a world that insists that gender must be a binary.
Through these seven phrases, which include some of their most transformative experiences as a Black, mixed race, non binary person, Travis Alabanza turns a mirror back on society, giving us reason to question the very framework in which we live and the ways we treat each other.
"If there is one word to describe this book, it would be honest. Travis takes us on a minor journey on self inquisition. They try to shine a spotlight on the image they are confronted with in the mirror but as we progress in the book, they recognise that the mirror acts as a prism and disperses the light.
I think one of the most important realisation that Travis come to and presents to us, is the idea that gender (and society stringent compulsion to a binary) is a sacrifice that costs us all. Travis explores the intersections between pre-colonial African cultures and gender, the colonisation of racial gender expression and the brutal politicisation of gender."
"Gender non-conformity and being outside of the gender binary cannot be seen as quiet: it is seen as purposefully choosing to cause trouble. To those so wanting a life of peace, others' disruption can feel like a threat to that fought-for sanctuary."
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