One of the questions I’ve been fielding a lot lately is “will there be a sequel to GEORGE?” The short answer is NO. I’ve been meaning to blog about this for a while, but this email I wrote to a read covered it pretty well so I’m going to pilfer from myself:
Thanks for your email. I will not be writing a sequel to GEORGE. I appreciate that you’re interested in hearing more about Melissa’s story. However, the next steps in Melissa’s life are going to be very personal: they will involve therapists and conversations with Mom and important decision about how to present at school, etc.
Right now, transgender people are very “interesting” in popular culture. And while there are some good parts of that, there are also many cisgender people who are “fascinated” by transition, and being observed that way can feel like being an exhibit at a zoo. I’m going to keep that part of the story private.
If I ever return to Melissa’s world, it will be several years later, and from the point of view of a different character – possibly Rick, the bully Jeff’s main friend. It’s one thing to be bullied – it’s another to be under the bully’s thumb but apparently on his side. That story interests me a lot.
If you are interested in learning more about transgender kids, there are many non-fiction resources you can check out online. The TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation (http://www.transkidspurplerainbow.org/) is a great resource.
Thanks again for writing and I hope you understand and will share Melissa’s story anyway.
ETA: To be clear, I’m just speaking for me. Other trans writers and other trans people may have differing opinions on the topic.
Every once in a while a poem-like thing comes out of my fingers. They tend to take me by surprise, since I consider myself a prose person who doesn’t get into poetry too much. But thought I’d share what happened this morning.
That Weird Kid
You know the one.
With her nose in a book
His face has a look
She eats those strange lunches her great uncle cooked.
But there’s more to them than that, you know
Secrets they hold back, don’t show
At home or at school
It wouldn’t be cool
To drop the curtain and share what’s below.
Where they sparkle with bright fairy wings
And dance with a light step that practically sings
She bakes in her boots
He builds in his heels
Even when people say don’t do those things.
That doesn’t stop them, oh no.
It just makes them stronger, you know.
They demand to be seen
They deserve to be seen
And denial just makes the trip longer, it’s so.
And when you find this.
Or – if you find this
Tell my children that it filled me with bliss.
To see them traipsing around and about
And just in case there is any doubt
Let me be clear.
Come oh so near.
When I speak of my children, I mean you, dear.
Big and exciting news: I’m buying an RV later today! It’s a 1996 Rialta Winnebago. 22′ long, drives like a van, VW engine, full-size bed, two burner stove, fridge, heater and AC, self-contained bathroom. The works. It even has a solar panel already installed! And a back up camera! Here are some photos of a the same model, for the curious. This one is newer, but the set up is very similar.
Why am I buying an RV, you ask? Great question! I’m heading out on an epic road trip for (hopefully) a creativity-inspiring, experience-having year of wonder. Now that writing is my only job, I don’t need to be any one place. What’s more I’m supposed to be a bunch of different places this spring and summer anyway, so why not already be mobile? And I love the idea of being able to write at home but also in a beautiful different park every day. Oh, and Bay Area housing is pretty out of control, so while I’ll be around and about, I will be considering new stomping grounds. Wooing is encouraged.
I am filled with anxiety, also known as excitement, also known as a reasonable response to such glorious risk-taking. I have traveled cross-country in an RV, but not with plans to stay in it indefinitely, and not alone. At the same time, as a hardcore introvert and reluctant empath, I am excited for this chance to explore solitude away from the constant hum of other people. And I’ll be visiting lots of people and events along the way. Plus, with modern smartphones and hotspots, I’ll be connected most of the time.
I have struggled with the environmental impact of this decision (I’ll be driving a lot!) However, the Rialta gets about 18-20 mpg highway, which is better than plenty of SUVs. I have a solar power on the roof, which covers just about everything but AC & microwave (which are really only usable when plugged in.) And when I use the AC or (propane) heater, it’s a small space to maintain. What’s more, I’m not going to be connected to sewer (I’ll be dumping my tanks at designated sites), and very conscious of my other water usage. While I can’t say for sure that things will even out, it’s greyer than it might at first seem.
I have a estimated departure date of April 3. Once the trip starts, I’ll be posting about it sporadically on twitter. I’m starting off by driving through AZ and NM towards mid-April conferences in Houston and Dallas. After that, I’ll probably head towards the Midwest, New England, and family in Virginia. After that who knows? If you are affiliated with a bookstore, school, library, or community center in any of those plaecs, and you’d like me to visit, email me at alex@alexgino.com.
So yeah, that’s my plan. Next task: Get a bumper sticker that says “Go around, I’m already home!”
I’ve spoken about this in interviews and in person about my support for the singular-they as a gender neutral pronoun before, but an email I got prompted me to write a full response that I wanted to share with you all. So, here’s the question, as well as my answer.
Note: Current usage is transgender, not transgendered. It is who a person is, not what has happened to them. Think “yellow” vs. “yellowed” paper. Also, the singular-they is just that. Singular. It’s not plural.
I find it confusing to see transgendered folks refer to themselves in the plural (“they” instead of he/she). Do you suppose you could get folks onboard using the term “xhe”?
No. While language is held together by rules and standards, it is a living, breathing, ever-changing creature of endless growth and potential. The singular-they may be unusual to you, and perhaps jarring, in that sense, but I would argue that it’s extremely rare that it’s actually hindering your ability to understand the sentence it’s in. English speakers use “you” both in the singular and plural, and it seems to work out OK. In fact, we had a singular-you (that’s what “thee” is) but we dropped it centuries ago.
Many attempts at creating new pronouns have been made. They are about as successful as Esperanto. (Neniu ofendo.) I’ve tried them for myself for years before giving up and going back to gendered pronouns. I couldn’t get used to them. For myself. Having people regularly not use my pronoun felt awful. And it kept turning my gender into the focus of the sentence, which wasn’t the point at all.
On the other hand, the singular-they was a quick and simple adaptation, and judging on how people have been using pronouns around me, my experience isn’t alone. Few people consistently used gender neutral pronouns for me, and for those who did, it was nearly always a conscious action. In comparison, most people report adapting to “they” within weeks.
If a person prefers third-gender pronouns, or no pronouns at all, I try to respect that. It’s clunky, but sometimes so are our genders, especially living in a culture that blocked our paths for so long. And I know how much it sucks to ask for people to do a little something extra to respect you and have them not do it. But I do believe the most seamless way forward is by shifting the purpose of a word we already have, like language does. And for me, that means proudly taking on the singular-they, and using it when I don’t know someone’s gendered pronoun.
At the end of the day, it’s more important to respect people and how they want to be called than to be “right”. Try the singular-they for a bit and see if you can adapt. Animals make great test subjects for this practice.
As for the old-school grammarian who’s still railing, I refer them to the Oxford English Dictionary (see usage notes) and note that a Washington Post copy editor deems it just fine (after a rousing bit about hyphens). Jane Austen used it, as did C.S. Lewis. To really name drop, it goes back to writers as old as Chaucer and Shakespeare. Also note my own use of the singular they earlier in this paragraph, which, unless you enjoy pointing out errors for their own sake, you probably glossed over.
More on the history of the singular-they here:
https://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/singular-they-and-the-many-reasons-why-its-correct/
Edit: I am happy to add that I sent this to the person who wrote the question above and we’ve got another convert, friends of the singular-they. Not only are they going to start practicing with their pets, but they noticed, for themself, that they should have done their homework first. Quoting them: “Consider me a ‘they’ zealot now!” Keep spreading the good word!
Another Edit: There are lots of trans people who do use “he” and “she” and that’s also well and good and to be respected. Please don’t deny anyone their pronoun because you heard some trans person say that we’re supposed to use “they” for everyone now. That’s not what this is. Perhaps that’s obvious, but I’ve seen words twisted in weirder ways before.
Last month, I had the privilege and pleasure of traveling around New England and the Mid-Atlantic with GEORGE. I got to share Melissa’s story with children, adults, and folks in-between at:
- 11 public events
- 3 school events
- 7 meals with librarians, teachers, booksellers, and other VIPs
- 15 bookstore drop-in stock signings
I presented before my first full-school audience (thanks Monson Middle School in Monson, MA!) and joined in a Homemade Halloween parade (hi Summers-Knoll in Ann Arbor, MI!) I spoke on-stage with Leslea Newman and with an amazing panel of fresh writing voices at the Celebrating Diverse Literature conference.
And I left a trail of signed copies (they let me write in the books!!) in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia.
Along the way, I:
- Stayed in 16 hotels
- Drove over 3300 miles in 3 rental cars (rock hit the first’s windshield; the second had mechanical trouble)
- Lost a rental car key and and a hotel room key (like, the actual key kind)
- Found the rental car key while looking for the hotel room key (after having gotten a duplicate made)
Endless thanks to everyone who helped put this together, especially my publicist Sheila Marie Everett, and Scholastic sales reps Nikki Mutch and Sue Flynn. And of course, the booksellers, librarians, teachers, and principals who were kind enough to invite me into their spaces. And to everyone who came to an event, and everyone who asked questions, and everyone who thought about coming but couldn’t/didn’t make it, and everyone who read the book. You’re all fabulous!!!
A full list of events, including pictures is right here. You can also read more about my adventures by checking out #GeorgeOnTheRoad on twitter.
Until next time, sparkle on!!
Visit GayYA for my recent guest blog post, Clearing Paths In Middle Grade Fiction, about the issue of “age-appropriateness” of trans issues in children’s literature. Basically, I say “uh, yeah, it’s age-appropriate for people who are figuring out who they are to to read about other people figuring out who they are. But, like, with more words. and gravitas and stuff.
With GEORGE about to release, I am aware that many people are looking for ways to respectfully talk about this book and its author (that’s me!) Here are a few notes:
If you’re talking about the main character, go ahead and call her Melissa. She really likes it when you do. And if it sparks a conversation, great. Don’t worry about spoilers. Melissa uses that name for herself in the first chapter of the book. If you call her George from time to time, that’s understandable too. It is the title* of the book. All the same, calling her Melissa is great practice for calling folks what they want to be called. What’s never OK is using the pronoun he for Melissa. Her pronouns is she. Always.
Sometimes, you might want to talk about the fact that Melissa is transgender and that she’s the only one who knows it. Here are some ways you can say this:
- Melissa is a transgender girl who hasn’t shared this part of herself with anyone else.
- Melissa is a girl who the world sees as a boy named George.
- Melissa is a girl who was assigned male at birth, and who hasn’t told anyone otherwise yet.
You’ll notice that I don’t say “Melissa (or George) identifies as.” I say “Melissa is … who is identified as…” This small difference has a huge effect, both on clarifying that you see Melissa for who she is, and in advancing language that recognizes and honors trans people. Melissa is who she is. The trouble is in how she is seen (and unseen) by the people around her. And please avoid language about how she’s “stuck” or that her body is “wrong”. These are tired tropes that rely on pity and “other” status.
As For Me
I am genderqueer and use the singular-they as a gender neutral pronoun. You probably already use the singular-they when you talk about an undefined person: “when the guest arrives, tell them to put their things in the closet and to have themselves a seat.” It flows naturally (maybe even more so if you don’t think about it.) It looks like this:
Alex is writing some sample sentences. They don’t have anything specific to say, but they’re going to write a few things anyway so they can give a few examples of what the singular-they looks like in practice. They didn’t plan what to write, and they aren’t going to go on much longer. They weren’t impressed with their own imagination.
*About The Title
The working title for this book was GIRL GEORGE. It was a (perhaps not so) clever homage to Boy George. When Scholastic bought the book, we changed the title**. While I think the change was a smart one for increasing the range of GEORGE’s reach, I have now landed in a position where I have effectively deadnamed my main character. Deadnaming is using someone’s birth name when another name, often a name with different gender markers, has been offered.
Conveniently, Melissa is a fictional character, so she is not personally injured by my lapse in judgement. Further, there is a value in meeting folks head on with a name (George) and pronoun (she) that most people don’t expect together – that character in Nancy Drew and a few other references notwithstanding. Still, it’s important for me to acknowledge if I had the chance to do it over, I would have named my debut differently. (Regrets already. I know. What can ya do?)
** Edited 2/17. This originally said that Scholastic “lopped the title.” However, in conversations with my editor, I was reminded that it was a joint decision. My apologies for the misrepresentation.
|