Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer is a book that is new and strange while being familiar. This is a book filled with stories of erotic encounters of people who are trans and genderqueer and the stories are as varied as the gender identities humans can have. I say it is new and strange because while I have read stories of lesbian and gay erotica before, I haven’t been fully immersed in the sex and fantasies of other non-traditional flavors. But it is also familiar because, regardless of who you are or how you identify, sex is sex and hot is hot. This book is edited by Tristan Taormino, a legend in erotica, porn, and sex education, all of various forms. In her introduction, she talks about her partner identifying as trans and genderqueer and I feel like this makes her uniquely qualified to edit this book. She has an amazing background in erotica already and has personal experience? Perfect, especially for my intro to a new (to me) erotic world.
A little about the book itself before we get further into it. It is a paperback with glossy covers and quite a bit thicker than a lot of anthologies I’ve read. Including the ‘about the authors’ and ‘about the editor’ sections, there are 292 pages in this book. There are a total of 29 stories with the shortest being 2 pages and the longest being 29 pages in length. The stories vary in theme, characters, and setting, just as in any anthology but all center on trans and/or genderqueer characters.
What is genderqueer? Honestly, I had ideas about what ‘genderqueer’ meant but I had never actually looked it up before. So, for clarification’s sake, here it is- Genderqueer is defined as:
A person who redefines or plays with gender, or who refuses gender altogether. A label for people who bend/break the rules of gender and blur the boundaries.
The other element listed in the title is ‘trans’ which is short for ‘transgender’. The best definition I found for ‘transgender’ has two parts.
Part one:
people are those whose psychological self (“gender identity”) differs from the social expectations for the physical sex they were born with.
Part two:
An umbrella term for transsexuals, cross-dressers (transvestites), transgenderists, gender queers, and people who identify as neither female nor male and/or as neither a man or as a woman. Transgender is not a sexual orientation;transgender people may have any sexual orientation. It is important to acknowledge that while some people may fit under this definition of transgender, they may not identify as such.
So there are many, many ways that the characters in this anthology can feel, look, and project themselves. Lets talk about some of my favorite stories from the book!
Now, Voyager by Rahne Alexander- This is a story about a transsexual male to female who meets a guy named Jonas at work. Jonas seems into her but she hasn’t really come out and doesn’t know how he would feel about it. She decides to ask him to go on the company holiday cruise and things get a little hot and heavy. Before he discovers more about her, she puts the brakes on and things fizzle out. A little while alter, her friend Wendy convinces her to call Jonas and talk to him about her being a pre-op transexual. Things go much better than she ever could have imagined, leading up to their first sexual encounter and one that makes her feel more satisfied than she has in a long time. Its a bit of a romantic story with the struggles of being transgender intricately woven into the story line.
Taking the Toll by Kiki DeLovely- The main character of this story has a Sudnay morning tradition that she doesn’t want to give up. But she also doesn’t want to give up her genderqueer partner who she allowed to cuddle in bed with her overnight. She decides to stick with her tradition and even incorporates her partner into it by waking her by rubbing up against her. They start to really get into it when her partner realizes that something else is playing a role in this seduction…The church bells! She is caught and exposed in her ploy to cover her normal ritual of getting off to the Sunday church bells by involving her present partner. But then her partner turns the tables on her and takes her Catholic fantasy to a whole new level that involves hastily combined costumes and props. The following scene ends in orgasms and promises of future exploration. Also a bit romantic, this story is more playful than Now, Voyager but still plenty hot.
Femme Fatigue by Anna Watson- Being in an open relationship works well for the main character of this story. She is on her husband Mitch’s book tour. Mitch is her long time partner and a post-op transexual. They have a long standing agreement about their open relationship so when Mitch sees her talking Persephone (Per for short) he gives her the ‘go-ahead’ nod knowing that the tour has taken its toll and she needs a treat. She and Per go out for a night on the town, meeting up with some of Per’s friends. After dancing and getting all worked up, the ladies head to a diner with their friends before going to Per’s place. Per lavishes her with the attention she needs and she happily (and very sexily) returns the favor. In the morning, she returns to Mitch who has breakfast waiting for her and is ready to hear all about her escapade.
Punching Bag by Rachel Kramer Bussel- Kyle has recently discovered a new love and that is feeling of being punched, dominated by another man. Kyle began his journey as a female but has since had surgery to change his breasts to pecs and joined a new gym. He is there late one night when James asks him if he wants to spar. They get into the ring and Kyle knows from the first punch to his chest that he wants nothing more than James to take him and dominate him. After a few rounds Kyle falls down to end the match and James goes into the locker room with him. And that’s when things get hot. Kyle is scared that James will reject him because physically he still has female anatomy below the waist. James doesn’t seem phased at all and treats Kyle as though he is all male, which is a relief and turn on for Kyle. James is clearly experienced at dominating and takes Kyle to places he has only dreamed of before this encounter. He ends up pressed against a tile wall, scrabbling for purchase as he comes hard from James’ attentions. This is a hot and lusty story in contrast to the other more romantic stories I’ve selected. There are several more stories that don’t center on romance in the book, but this is by far my favorite of them.
Big Gifts in Small Boxes: A Christmas Story by Patrick Califia- This is the last story in the book, the longest story in the book, and my favorite story in the book. Glenn has returned to his childhood town to help take care of his ailing father. He had moved to San Francisco years before because his parents and community were not accepting of him being gay. Now he is back and probably going to be around for a while. He seeks out a gay bar in town and finds only one called Brothers. He goes in and immediately notices how different it is compared to the places he is used to. He isn’t even dressed similarly to the patrons. Glenn is sitting at the bar trying to enjoy a drink when he sees a cute young man walking by. He immediately gets his attention because he is the only one who seems like his type. As he’s chatting Owen up, the bar tender tells him he needs to talk to him. He reveals to Glenn that Owen isn’t what he seems, that he is really a girl. This doesn’t stop Glenn, though it spooks Owen. He ends up chasing after him and then going home with him. Glenn ends up finding Owen to be a country boy who loves animals and runs his own auto shop. When they get down to the sex side of things both are scared and uncertain. Owen has confirmed that he was born female and still has female anatomy below the waist. Neither of them is sure how things will work but they end up having a very sexy and hot need-fulfilling blow job fest. Glenn stays the night and in the morning they explore each other on another front, one that is new for them both. The reason I love this story is that it explores the struggles from both sides of the spectrum, that of a gay man and that of a transgender female to male. Both face unique challenges that make them who they are and able to support one another when one is in need. Glenn is a big caring bear and he wants to care for Owen, his small sexy cub. Owen wants desperately to be seen and treated as a male and Glenn gives him that. I also like it because it is kind of romantic in how they meet and things fall into place. You get a back and forth perspective that often is lacking, especially in short stories. It was a sexy read that kept me turning pages despite its lengthy in comparison to other stories in the book.
This was really a great read and exploration for me. Some ideas and concepts were new to me, things I just had never thought of or considered before. I feel like after reading this book that my mind is broadened and more aware of all the possibilities out there. As I said in the beginning, sex is sex and hot is hot. No matter how you identify, you find and take pleasure. And it turns out that I want to read about it!
Get your copy of Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer or other erotica from EdenFantasys! They have a great selection and ship fast and discreetly. Thanks to EdenFantasys for providing this book free for an honest review.
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| This product was provided free of charge to the reviewer. | ||
