In None
of the Above, Travis
Alabanza explores the concept of gender and their place in a world
that rigidly and aggressively enforces the gender binary. Alabanza
shares seven phrases that have been directed at them throughout their
life—some deceptively innocuous, some deliberately loaded or
violent, some celebratory. These phrases act as a lens through which
they explore attitudes and misconceptions about gender, illuminating
broader issues within a culture that insists on gender as a fixed
identity. None of the
Above explicates how
these rigid ideas of gender are enforced by people—on others, but
also on themselves.
Drawing
from their experiences as a racialized queer person, Alabanza deftly
interrogates our current frameworks around identity with nuance,
openness, and humor. The result is a meditation on doubt and language
that turns a mirror back on society, and on ourselves. Featuring a
foreword by Alok Vaid-Menon, None
of the Above questions
what we think we know—and shares new ways that we might live.
