Published by  | | |  | This Pride Month, immerse yourself in stories by and about transgender people… | | After decades of marginalization from mainstream publishing, transgender literature is having a moment in the spotlight. Trans literature naturally defies definition, but scholars like LaVelle Ridley, who is an English and women's and gender studies doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan, largely define it as work that thinks critically about gender as a way to process the world. Often, it's work by trans people, for trans people — but that may be changing, notes historian Jules Gill-Peterson. This shift has been signaled by the success of novels like Torrey Peters's "Detransition, Baby," which was among the first by a trans woman to be published by a major publishing house. Peters has pushed back against framing the novel as "the first trans mainstream hit novel," noting her place in a long literary tradition. But the book also presents a concept that may be new to many cisgender readers: that they can see themselves in trans characters, and that it may be useful to see the world through a trans lens. Trans writers like Peters, Kai Cheng Thom, Janet Mock, Akwaeke Emezi and Vivek Shraya have won critical praise, landed spots on popular book club lists and produced TV series. | |  | | But while trans artists and activists are figuring out how to seize this moment to advance trans liberation, right-wing factions are doing the same to restrict it by passing waves of anti-trans bills across the country. Ridley noted it's difficult to square this cultural ascension with the fact that trans women, especially trans women of color, continue to be disproportionately vulnerable to violent crime, poverty, suicide and unemployment. "We're often pushed to consider visibility as progress, when in reality, for trans women — especially trans women of color — our hyper-visibility has not improved our lives," Gill-Peterson said. "On the contrary, it's directly led to forms of backlash." | | Despite — or perhaps because of — this increased vulnerability, telling complex, diverse trans stories is more crucial than ever, Gill-Peterson said. As she put it: | "As a trans woman of color, it's really important to try and think about how to render my own life in beautiful terms, because that's not what the world does." | |  | | Ahead of Pride Month, we rounded up recent releases by transgender and nonbinary writers, including a new memoir from a best-selling Nigerian novelist, a comedic novel about sex and masculinity and a heartfelt rom-com with a transgender lead. | | | | | Three need-to-know stories | | | (Office of Ohio Governor via AP; Lily illustration) | 01.States and cities have unveiled vaccine incentive programs across the country to boost lagging rates, from free beers to college scholarships. Ohio announced its first Vax-a-Million $1 million winner last week: Abbigail Bugenske, 22, of Silverton, near Cincinnati, who is studying for a graduate degree in aerospace engineering at Ohio State University. "I thought it was a prank call," Bugenske told The Washington Post. 02.Today marks 100 years since a White mob attacked the all-Black Tulsa neighborhood of Greenwood, home to "Black Wall Street" and one of the wealthiest Black communities in the country. For decades after the massacre, there was silence about what happened, writes DeNeen L. Brown in The Post, and survivors like Viola Fletcher are still seeking reparations. Fletcher, 107, testified to Congress this month about what she experienced. 03.Oklahoma is among a wave of Republican-led states scrutinizing and seeking to reshape how teachers talk about race. Melissa Smith, an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City Community College, learned her course on race and ethnicity was canceled a week after the state's governor signed what many refer to as a ban on critical race theory in schools. Erick Worrell, a spokesman for the college, said the course is not gone, but "paused." | | | | | | | A story to make you smile | | | Emily Domenech in a selfie at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day 2020. (Emily Domenech) | | Last Memorial Day, Emily Domenech was visiting her grandfather's grave in Arlington National Cemetery when she noticed the military memorial was largely empty due to pandemic restrictions. Domenech, 36, made an offer on Twitter: If anyone was unable to visit, she would pay respects on their behalf. By the end of the day, hundreds of people — mostly strangers — had reached out with requests, and her tweet went viral. She ended up at the cemetery for six hours to honor soldiers she'd never known and share photos of their gravesites on Twitter for their loved ones, writes Cathy Free in The Post. Though most pandemic restrictions have now been lifted, Domenech said there was only one option for Memorial Day 2021: "I had to do it again." And she has help; the Travis Manion Foundation, a support organization for veterans and the families of fallen soldiers, coordinated several hundred volunteers. | | | | | But before we part, some recs | | | (Marvin Joseph/Washington Post) | Haley HamblinPhoto editor, The Washington PostHow I'm staying hydrated:At some point in the last year, I started using a plastic quart container for a water cup. Anyone who's worked in a kitchen will know this is old news, but it makes it easy to drink a lot of water every day! Pro tip: They usually come with takeout, so I replace mine every month or two when we get delivery. What's for dinner:I got "Cook This Book" by Molly Baz on preorder as a Christmas gift, and it finally arrived. Having a new cookbook to dive into has been so fun, especially as summer hits and produce is getting better. The milestone I'm celebrating:My fiance and I have officially spent a year driving across the country! We've logged more than 30,000 miles and more than 25 states. Before this year, I had seen very little of our country. As we start to transition to being back in one place, there's a lot I've learned I want to hold on to. Mainly — that I really don't need more than what fits in the back of our 12-year-old Subaru. | |  | | | |
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