whatever.odt

JD's whatever.odt is an academic memoir that brings together opposite sources -- print and web, humorous and painful, scientific and literary -- to place her personal experiences as a genderqueer individual in a larger cultural context. Offering the text for free continues her motif of opposites: "such a book would have been invaluable to me when I was growing up lost, confused, and bullied."

Combining a youthful and goofy sense of humor with insightful analysis and critique, whatever.odt is a fun and thought provoking read that sweeps across everything from Shakespeare to The Simpsons and from doctoral dissertations to Yahoo! story comments. The artistic form of the text follows its function, with its unusual title, enigmatic chapter titles, and unconventional paragraphing designed to mirror the atypical identity of JD herself.

Although it does incorporate elements of both genres, whatever.odt is neither a coming out nor a transition story. As the memoir of a genderqueer heterosexual, whatever.odt answers the call for transgender and genderqueer individuals to emerge from the shadows of shame by making their bodies seen and their voices heard. It engages in the contemporary initiative to expose and eradicate bullying by supporting and empowering those who are and who have been its victim. And it moves transgenderism and genderqueerness from the reader's newsfeed into the reader's backyard by offering a fresh perspective on the girl next door.

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