The T in LGBT: Everything you need to know about being trans

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The best way to combat these myths is to listen to trans people and professionals directly, as the misinformation is being spread by people who have no experience with, or have never spoken to, a trans person. They just have loud voices and a platform to share it. When learning about people, or a group of people in society, we should always draw our knowledge from those people directly. I wouldn’t look to a white person to fully understand the experience of a person of colour, or an able-bodied person to understand how best to support disabled people. The same should go for the trans community.” I think the book really shined in elevating the voices of the community by bringing in several perspectives. Jaime intentionally invited people with a variety of identities to add their perspectives into the book. The biggest one definitely seems to be personality. Some people don’t want to potentially waste their time developing a connection unless they know that person is accepting, while others want to know if they’re going to develop a connection before being so open about their transness. I personally would opt to have my transness front and centre so that I wouldn’t have to come out in person, and so I’d avoid spending time with someone who might not want to continue dating after finding out I’m trans. Again, there’s no right or wrong answer.

The first book that provides an affirming and relatable account of the trans experience from the largest trans man YouTuber. As a cisgender ally to the LGBTQ+ community Juno has taught me so much. This book has made me question things about my own gender identity (I've realised there is much about myself which is gender-nonconforming), made me think about how I can be a better ally and as a parent how best I could respond if one of my own children came out as trans. I wrote the book I wished for when I was 16, and I truly hope that it resonates with those who read it.”

That being said, if you’ve spent much time in or around the trans community, this information may all be familiar to you. As someone who has been in the LGBT+ community for over 5 years and involved with the trans community for over 2, the only really new information for me was in the chapter on surgeries which had more details than I had heard before. I wanted to add something that was a combination of my personal journey mixed with the personal journeys of others. It is rare for me to re-read a book but I feel this may be one of the few exceptions, I feel that I should, and need, to read it again! Both because it is amazing and because I want to make sure I have truly taken in everything Juno has to say and understand it in the best way I can.

Dating apps are so varied. Many mainstream ones allow you to share that you’re trans publicly on your profile, if that’s something you want to do. For apps that don’t have this as a feature, some trans people choose to share this anyway in their bios. Some apps have the aim of being trans-friendly and inclusive – but do keep in mind that this doesn’t mean every individual using the app will be trans-inclusive, even if the company has this ethos. It was also great to see the beautiful and wonderful Luxeria make her appearance a couple of times. Jamie now wants to help other young trans people get support as they transition. It was the driver behind his book, The T in LGBT , which aims to detail ‘everything you need to know about being trans’. There's so much wonderful content in this book so I won't go over all of it here. Just know every chapter is intelligent and beautifully written.Her next novel is the beautiful and emotive MARGOT & ME (Jan 2017) which will be followed by her adult debut, the memoir THE GENDER GAMES (Jul 17). Written in a very colloquial and mostly lighthearted style, this book seems to aim at a slightly younger audience. This isn't a complaint -many people start questioning their gender in their teens, and a 'Trans 101' book such as this, that doesn't weigh itself down with scientific lingo, is much more accessible than most other options. In reality, trans women are women. They should absolutely have access to women’s spaces, and evidence suggests that they pose no increased risk to cis women.

I’d remind my younger self to be who I am, and to never be ashamed of that. Oh – and to Google ‘transgender’. It would have been great to have found the words to understand myself a little bit earlier!” But it really is 'Trans 101'. If you are trans and already at a stage where your precious coins are going towards reading material instead of, say, a binder or a pair of heels that come in size 43, chances are you'll know everything that's in here. But already one of my annoyances - the description here says 'for 14+' as many LGBT books do by default, but the author has already said “it’s a book of everything I wish I’d known when I was twelve” (p21) and it feels clearly aimed to be accessed by 11+ (and younger by artwork but not by language). It's one of those little things about LGBT books that publishers etc do that winds me up. I want to welcome you to The T in LGBT where you can explore and learn about so many topics surrounding gender identity: realising you're trans, starting hormones, considering surgery, and everything in between. Whether you're questioning your own identity and are looking for advice on certain stages of transition, or whether you're wanting to learn about the trans experience to support someone or understand allyship, I hope this book can be your one-stop guide to everything trans related. Sadly, most of this coverage comes from people who hold negative, and often incorrect and ill informed, views on the trans community. These articles, presented as thing pieces, often contain very open and obvious transphobia, and help to spread this by not challenging these lies, or featuring trans voices to oppose them. Just this month the BBC has stated that it doesn't feel it needs to include trans voices on programmes such as Newsnight to counter negative views on trans people.

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It was only in my teens that I found the words to express who I was and what I needed to do. Since then, I've been on testosterone for more than a decade - I know, I can't believe it either - I've also had top and bottom surgery and legally changed my sex, so I know a few things about the transitioning process and being trans! I want to welcome you to The T in LGBT where you can explore and learn about so many topics surrounding gender identity: realising you're trans, starting hormones, considering surgery, and everything in between. Whether you're questioning your own identity and are looking for advice on certain stages of transition, or whether you're wanting to learn about the trans experience to support someone or understand ally ship, I hope this book can be your one-stop guide to everything trans related.