Rethinking Gender: An Illustrated Exploration - Louie Läuger

Author: Louie Läuger

Illustrator: Louie Läuger

Genre: Graphic Novel, LGBTQ+

Rating: 3.75 stars.

A book that means well, tries well, and does pretty well. But it becomes too ambitious, and I fear a part of its intent will be lost because of the complexity of its content.

Originally published in German as “Gender-Kram: Illustrationen und Stimmen zu Geschlecht” in 2020, this is the English edition due to be published in November 2022.

The author-illustrator created this book as a part of their master’s degree. I liked the way they introduced the purpose of this book as a map of the landscape of gender to help you empathise with others as well as to help reflect on your gender.

The book begins with a powerful introduction on how knowing genders is relevant in today’s age. It also covers the important concept of intersectionality, which correctly states that gender experiences are impacted by sexism as well as racism, classism and ableism. For instance, the experience of a Black lesbian woman will not be the same as that of a white woman in a wheelchair. The book also talks about how assigned genders at birth can be dangerous to a person’s gender identity as well as mental health.

Once the background to understanding the concept of gender is set, the book moves on to covering details of the various acknowledged genders. By now, many of us are aware that gender isn’t a binary but a spectrum, something the rainbow flag depicts so accurately. The book covers a whole range of possible genders, ranging from the traditional man and woman, to the somewhat more known transgender and androgyne, to the almost unknown such as maverique and graygender. Each of the genders is explained in brief, followed by a short first-person experience of people identifying as that gender.

Finally, the book moves on to what you can do with the information you have gained access to. It includes not just how to understand your gender identity but also be a better ally. There is also a list of helpful resources at the end.

There are many things to appreciate about this graphic novel, even beyond the information it provides. It stimulates you into questioning your own assumptions about gender. It throws across several thought-provoking ideas such as linking gender to societal capitalism. It is also fair to cis people also by acknowledging the roles cis men/ women are forced to play to cater to social ideas about their gender identities. (At the risk of getting brickbats, let me say that I was really grateful for this last point. Not many books on gender talk about cis identities in detail. It is like, just because we fit under the supposed “heteronormative”, we are the villains. Sometimes, we are, but not all of us are.)

Why, then, did I not go higher in my rating? The main reason is that the style of putting across the information was overwhelming. I did learn a lot about gender identities, but to be perfectly honest, I am a lot more confused than I was before. Though I took my time with this read, it was still too intense. I see how it would have made for a brilliant research paper. But if the purpose of this book was not only to speak to non-heteronormative people about how to identify and accept their gender identity but also to communicate to cis people the importance of being more aware, then it should have been more accessible to the layperson.

Just a few months ago, I had read another graphic novel on the same topic of gender identities. Rhea Ewing’s outstanding “Fine: A Comic About Gender” also spoke of the varied gender terms and people’s experiences living outside of or in between the traditional gender binary. It was comprehensive and yet I never felt like the content became too convoluted. If this graphic novel had aimed at a similar level of being approachable, it would have worked even better.

I am not denying the importance of the content. But maybe, it will click more easily if taken in small doses, a few pages at a time. The author also suggests you take in the sections that appeal to you as and when you want to read them, and not necessarily in the sequential order. As an ARC reader, I didn’t have that luxury, but I can see how that method will work far better for this book.

Overall, a resourceful book that depicts how all genders have to be understood in apposition rather than in opposition. The days of the gender binary are over. In this century, with the concept of gender being as fluid as water, such books help us to begin understanding the range of genders and shattering our illusions about what we think we know about genders.

My thanks to MIT Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “Rethinking Gender: An Illustrated Exploration”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.