November 13-19 is Transgender Awareness Week. This is more important than ever, as trans people are increasingly being used as a scapegoat for scare tactics by conservatives around the world. In the US, more trans people have been coming out, and even winning political elections, than ever before. We’re seeing trans folk in TV shows and even commercials. (Have you seen the Sprite Argentina one? Google it, if you want a few happy tears.) At the same time, anti-trans rhetoric and violence is rising.
Trans rights are not separate from gay rights. Safety for a feminine-appearing person to use the men’s room extends from trans and non-binary people to flamboyant gay cis men. The right for a trans guy to be listed as his child’s father (against the traditions of “biology”) impacts the right of two gay men to both be on a child’s birth certificate as the parents. Including trans guys in our fiction is one way to bring that point home.
So a bright spot for me is the rapid increase in M/M romances with trans guys as MCs. Particularly those written by trans authors, (although I have enjoyed books by cis authors too, and even wrote one to the best of my ability: the free novel Chasing Death Metal Dreams which can be downloaded here: http://www.mmromancegroup.com/chasing-death-metal-dreams-by-kaje-harper/ )
Among my favorite own-voices stories are all the books by Matthew J. Metzger. He writes some cis guys, but also has everything from trans characters in YA (like Spy Stuff) to hard BDSM, to a non-binary MC in Best Behaviour, and the arc of 3 trans guy pregnancies in Married Ones, Bump, and the sweet warmth of Erik the Pink. I also enjoy books by Jay Northcote who has some trans guys among the romances he writes (in Starting From Scratch and Second Chance). Our genre has quite a few trans and non-binary authors, some out and some not.
Young Adult is another place where trans characters are becoming more visible. In fact I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver, with a non-binary MC whose pronouns are they/them/theirs, is in the running for the Goodreads Choice best Young Adult Fiction of the year. (You can vote to support this book – or one of many other good choices – in the second round voting right now – https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-young-adult-fiction-books-2019)
As the genre continues to expand, we are seeing stories that give us more variety, more reality, and that introduce us to a wider range of guys. If you have M/M stories with transgender guys that you loved (particularly if written by out trans authors) and want to recommend, do leave a comment. I’m always looking for more own-voices books and the chance, for a few hours, to experience the viewpoints, pains, and joys, of walking in someone else’s shoes. My TBR list may be ridiculously long, but there’s always room on it for books that will both fill my heart and teach me something.
– Kaje Harper
November 2019
That’s a beautiful post. I’m currently living in Texas and wish I were on the west coast!
Texas is definitely not LGBTQ-friendly territory right now despite the efforts of some big cities. The GOP there is using LGBTQ people as a “threat” to bring out voters. But I believe that as the next generation grows up with friends of every gender and orientation, change will happen, even in Texas. I hope I’m right. ((Hugs))
Brooklyn Ray has an incredible series – Port Lewis Witches – with a trans MC. He takes centre-stage in Book 1, is a LI in Book 2, and is a continuing minor character throughout the other books.
Thank you – I love getting new author suggestions. I’ll check those out.