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

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Juno is a regular contributor to Attitude Magazine, Glamour Magazine and The Guardian and has contributed to news items on BBC Women’s Hour, Front Row, ITV News, Channel 5 News, This Morning and Newsnight concerning sexuality, identity, literature and education. In this extract from The T in LGBT, Jamie interrogates the topic of dating and relationships through the lens of the trans experience. Trans author Jamie Raines’ The T in LGBT is a new guide offering advice on the topic of gender identity. I genuinely thought that my only way to experience dating and relationships was to delay coming out and transitioning. I was 16 at the time, I identified as a lesbian, and had been in two relationships so far, neither of which had felt right because I didn’t feel right. They also … just … weren’t right. I really wanted to experience those ‘typical teenage moments of dating. Flirting, going on a cringey date, having that ‘do they/don’t they like me’ panic. But I just couldn’t hold off being myself. This is all sounding really sad, but I’m pleased to report that none of my fears were true. I’ve been in a relationship for the past 11 years with someone who loves me and accepts me fully for who I am.

I started Testosterone a month before I turned 18 and had top surgery seven months later. I waited several years before pursuing lower surgery, and had metoidioplasty in January 2018, and a second stage in July 2019. I had a very privileged transition journey compared to most, and it’s something I’m very grateful for.” Hey, I'm Jamie, a 29-year-old trans guy from the UK. I've been transitioning for 12 years now after realising I was trans (by accident!) at sixteen years old. I knew I was a boy since the age of four, but realised whilst growing up that I was different. What's The T? isn't just filled with breakdowns of different medical treatments, or guides on how to navigate a world where it feels like most people hate you because of how you were born, it also has stories about trans people who have survived and thrived. This 'Transgender Hall of Fame' is scattered throughout the book, and features names that will be familiar, as well as people you've probably never heard of. It features writers, artists, filmmaker, politicians, and icons. These are the people who've put themselves in the spotlight, in the cross-hairs of transphobes and bigot, yet have succeeded and found happiness. These small stories show those people in the trans community who might be afraid of what the future could hold, or if they could even have a future, that they're just as capable of succeeding, and that anything is possible. Jamie Raines writes the book that his 16-year-old self needed – The T in LGBT. Written in honest, accessible prose, Jamie helps readers to navigate the often confusing process of transitioning, using his own experience and the voices of other trans people. By finding the words to express himself, 12 years after realising he was trans, Jamie helps to empower those voices yet to be heard as well as those seeking to learn more. In an interview, he expanded on his intentions for the book. 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.Some of the most dangerous myths I hear involve calling trans women dangerous compared to cis women and saying they don’t belong in women’s spaces. Another is that kids are being pushed into transitioning/having access to hormones and/or surgery at very young ages. Juno Dawson’s inimitable style of writing is the icing on the cake, offering a contemporary voice and plenty of natural, unforced humour. She effortlessly combines authority and candour with a light touch and great accessibility. This is a book for anyone exploring their own identity, wanting to understand someone they know, or just increasing their learning about trans issues. Anyone who has watched Jamie’s journey on YouTube will not be disappointed. He has a light touch and warm charm that really shines through in this reading.

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’. 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. Jamie emphasises on multiple occassions that there is no right or wrong way to be trans and goes out of his way to highlight the experiences of trans men other than himself as well as experiences of trans women and nonbinary individuals who he himself can not speak for. This mix of voices makes the content even more validating for those whose experiences may not be conventional. 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.

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I didn't finish reading this, and for these reasons I'm about to tell you, I also won't rate it, since the rating for my personal enjoyment and what the book is intended for would be very differ from each other.