
Rethinking Gender
An Illustrated Exploration
Louie Lauger(Author)
MIT Press
Published on 1. November 2022
Book
Paperback/Softback
226 pages
978-0-262-04723-4 (ISBN)
Description
A lively, informative, and engaging guide to gender by an author-illustrator who helps readers understand the multiplicity of answers to “What even is gender?”
Queer, cisgender, transgender, nonbinary, androgynous, maverique, intergender, genderfluid. Louie and their cat (a.k.a. “Cat”) take you on a journey through the world of gender—without claiming to have it all figured out or knowing the perfect definition for this widely complex subject. Gender is tricky to understand because it’s a social construct intersecting with many other parts of our identity, including class, race, age, religion. For a long time, people thought of gender as binary: male/female, pirate/princess, sports/shopping. Now, we’re starting to understand it’s not that simple. That’s what this book is about: figuring out what gender means, one human being at a time, and giving us new ways to let the world know who we are.
Boy, girl, either/or, neither/nor, everything in between: gender is a spectrum, and it’s hard to know where you fit, especially when your position isn’t necessarily fixed—and the spectrum keeps expanding. That’s where Rethinking Gender can help: it gives you a toolbox for empathy, understanding, and self-exploration. Louie’s journey includes a deep dive into the historical context of LGBTQIA+ rights activism and the evolution of gender discourse, politics, and laws—but it also explores these ideas through the diversity of expressions and experiences of people today.
In Rethinking Gender Louie offers a real-world take on what it means to be yourself, see yourself, and see someone else for who they are, too.
Queer, cisgender, transgender, nonbinary, androgynous, maverique, intergender, genderfluid. Louie and their cat (a.k.a. “Cat”) take you on a journey through the world of gender—without claiming to have it all figured out or knowing the perfect definition for this widely complex subject. Gender is tricky to understand because it’s a social construct intersecting with many other parts of our identity, including class, race, age, religion. For a long time, people thought of gender as binary: male/female, pirate/princess, sports/shopping. Now, we’re starting to understand it’s not that simple. That’s what this book is about: figuring out what gender means, one human being at a time, and giving us new ways to let the world know who we are.
Boy, girl, either/or, neither/nor, everything in between: gender is a spectrum, and it’s hard to know where you fit, especially when your position isn’t necessarily fixed—and the spectrum keeps expanding. That’s where Rethinking Gender can help: it gives you a toolbox for empathy, understanding, and self-exploration. Louie’s journey includes a deep dive into the historical context of LGBTQIA+ rights activism and the evolution of gender discourse, politics, and laws—but it also explores these ideas through the diversity of expressions and experiences of people today.
In Rethinking Gender Louie offers a real-world take on what it means to be yourself, see yourself, and see someone else for who they are, too.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge (Massachusetts)
United States
Publishing group
MIT Press Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
226 colour illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 252 mm
Width: 176 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
612 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-262-04723-4 (9780262047234)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2022
MIT Press
€24.49
Available for download
Person
Louie Läuger (they/them) is an illustrator and author based in Germany. They studied media education and information design. Today they work in the intersection of feminism, illustration, and education. You can find them and their work online as @tenderrebellions.
Content
1 The Basics 7
2 Sex Assigned at Birth 19
3 Gender as a Social Construct 39
4 Gender Identity 65
5 Gender Expression 167
6 Coming Out/Inviting In 199
7 Now What? 213
2 Sex Assigned at Birth 19
3 Gender as a Social Construct 39
4 Gender Identity 65
5 Gender Expression 167
6 Coming Out/Inviting In 199
7 Now What? 213