A Story of Trying to Get Free: Jennifer Finney Boylan Discusses Her New Book Cleavage

Description:

In this special episode, we welcome Barnard College professor and accomplished author, Jennifer Finney Boylan, back to the show to discuss her latest labor of love, her book Cleavage, which examines the divisions – as well as the common ground – between the genders, and reflects on her experiences, both difficult and joyful, as a transgender American.

Jenny discusses the importance that things like nuance,imagination, patience, empathy and understanding hold in our divided world, reflecting on her experiences as a transgender woman and noting that for many, “living your best life is not necessarily a political decision, but a matter of life and death.” The ultimate thing she wants, Jenny says, is just to be left alone, to live her life and to be free.

Segments

Bless & Release: Gender stereotypes

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Thought-provoking Quotes:

Conversations about trans-women in sports are complicated and demand nuance, patience, and imagination. For us to be defined by the most difficult and controversial aspects of our existence is really unfair. – Jennifer Finney Boylan

I’m not a woman with an asterisk. At 66 ½ years old, my life has a lot more in common with other women my age than you would think. My life does not revolve around me trying to sneak into your daughter’s soccer game. My life revolves around my family, and reading, and teaching my students, and working in the garden, and things that I hope would seem very familiar to people. – Jennifer Finney Boylan

These are hard times. But we do know that hard times come and hard times go. And, whatever this moment is, is not forever. Although I can’t underestimate exactly how hard it is to be singled out by the President of the United States as a person who specifically is not deserving of love or respect or basic human kindness. – Jennifer Finney Boylan

Nobody goes from male to female in hopes of getting a better deal. – Jennifer Finney Boylan

I hope people will pick up and read Cleavage not because they want to understand more about the trans business but because they want to know what sorts of choices people can make when they feel that the world is against them and there is no room for them. I have found, against all odds, that there is room for me, that I have been loved, and, on a good day, the world is full of joy and humor. – Jennifer Finney Boylan

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us by Jennifer Finney Boylan

Mad Honey: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel by Jennifer Finney Boylan

Roxane Gay

She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan

Jennifer Finney Boylan’s New York Times articles - https://www.nytimes.com/column/jennifer-finney-boylan

I Am Cait (Caitlin Jenner Show) - https://tv.apple.com/us/show/i-am-cait/umc.cmc.38b55qpveo4xdxypnk03xfvmp

Torrey Peters - https://www.torreypeters.com/

Kate Bornstein - http://katebornstein.com/

Trans Bodies Trans Selves: a Resource Guide for the Transgender Community - http://transbodies.com/

John Barth - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Barth