Enter to win GenderQueer: A Story from a Different Closet by Allan D. Hunter
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GenderQueer: A Story from a Different Closet by Allan D. Hunter has just been released in print and e-book versions by Sunstone Press. It is available on Amazon.com and through any bookseller.
GenderQueer is a memoir of the author's journey through the challenges of gender identity that did not fit neatly into the categories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Allan explains why he wanted to write and publish his book: "I'm one of the girls. That's my gender. I'm male. That's my sex. I'm attracted to females. That's my orientation. My experience was different from anything else I'd ever heard of. I wanted to write it down so there would be a book showing what it is like to grow up like this."
Several professors of women's studies, gender studies, sexuality, and sociology at colleges and universities across the country are currently reviewing copies for possible adoption for their courses. Many described GenderQueer as "an important book" to be added to the syllabus of their existing and new courses. While a multitude of scholarly publications and memoirs focus on L, G, B, and T, those devoted to the Queer experience are not so readily available. In addition to the interest from faculty, three dozen college newspaper editors requested review copies and some of those reviews have already been published. Schools and LGBTQ centers have expressed interest in having Allan lecture and do book signings.
Pre-publication comments included the following:
"In a world of increasingly complex gender identity issues, Genderqueer transcends labels and categorizations. It tells the story of one person's voyage outside the box at a time when there was no roadmap for the journey. This book extends a warm, open and affirming hand to people who are struggling to understand their own personal mix of gender and sexuality -- and to those who want to understand and support their quest." Susan F. Edwards, editor, author, journalist
"Having facilitated 20Something, a queer support group in New York City, for many years, I have observed many of our young members explore a variety of experiences that speak to the development of their gender identity and sexual orientation. When Allan Hunter was our guest, his storytelling and amusing anecdotes helped open conversations they may never otherwise have on their own exploration of gender. We know Allan's book will be a valued resource for many queer youth." Nicholas Tamborra, Organizer, 20Something
"Allan Hunter's story highlights what it means to find that engrained understandings of how gender was understood in the late 20th century failed to accommodate individuals that did not fit the binary standards." Ann M Peiffer, PhD, Women's and Gender Studies Program, Mars Hill University
His self-examination and his skills at research into the areas of women's and gender studies have provided him with many answers that have been incorporated into this book. GenderQueer should prove invaluable to those who want to learn about themselves, perhaps discovering that they, too, are genderqueer, as well as others studying the complex world of gender identities, whatever their personal stories happen to be.
He maintains an online blog (http://ahunter3.livejournal.com)which provides relevant material for an online course, as well as some more formal theory pieces available on his theory web site, www.genderkitten.com.
Allan received his BA in American Studies with a concentration in Women's Studies from the State University of New York (SUNY)/Old Westbury and an MSW in Social Welfare and an MA in Sociology from SUNY/Stony Brook. He is a resident of New Hyde Park, New York.
During his undergraduate days, he was an active participant at the campus Women's Center, edited the student newspaper, and wrote many articles about sex roles, gender, and feminism; he also did a psychology research project on sex-role nonconformity, where he profiled male sissies (male girls) and female tomboys (female boys), differentiating them from either sexual orientation or studies of transsexual people seeking sex reassignment. The author has often been at odds with other academics with his views on gender identity and on feminism. He has brought a fresh perspective to these discussions, which have not always been favorably received, yet they have added to the scholarship in an area that has been greatly lacking in researching and writing.
