Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Outside the XY Queer Black and Brown Masculinity by Morgan Mann Willis Interview: queer collective bklyn boihood tell us about their upcoming book Outside the XY: Queer, Brown Masculinity. The bklyn boihood collective has been a strong foundation of the queer people of color (QPOC) community in NYC since their launch in 2009 with their LGBT-friendly parties, character-building workshops for healthier presentations of masculinity, and of course their infamous, annual calendar highlighting local brown bois. Now they’ll be making history as the curators for the first anthology written solely by masculine of center (MoC) queer people and transgender men of color called Outside the XY: Brown Queer Masculinity , to be published by Magnus Books and released mid 2015. TONY sat down with bklyn boihood collective member Morgan "Mo" Willis and founder Ryann Holmes to talk about their hopes for the book, the many layers of the boihood and what they’re up to today. For the record, the author of this story (me!) identifies within the boi/QPOC community and has followed and supported the collective's journey for healthy masculinity for a few years now. Ryann is also the Community Programming Director of MoCADA and is in charge of the planning for the upcoming Soul of Brooklyn Festival taking place August 17-23. You started bklyn boihood in late 2009, correct? RYANN: Yeah, a lot of the stuff from 2009 was kind of underground. Planning, gathering the team together and producing our first calendar and in 2010 we really hit the ground running from that point. Was the initial plan to have a calendar for bois of color, or did you always envision having the parties and being a touchstone for queer people of color? RYANN: Well, everything kind of just fell into place. We wanted to produce this calendar but we didn’t have the money so one of the ideas that we had that was so natural at that time, being young on the scene and really connected to everyone in our circle, was to have a party. We were good at picking music and we knew there weren’t that many spaces for us, so if felt like a win/win situation. We could raise money for the calendar project, continue to bring visibility to ourselves and also get the funds to do other things. People will pay to party if you create a safe environment and show them a really good time. So that’s what we did. MO: That's the thing-- to have our party running for even five years--it’s because people continue to show up to spread and share that love. BBH parties aren’t just about the partying; they’re about creating a space that we (the QPOC community) are still able to have in a borough that is increasingly becoming impossible to afford. RYANN: It’s like a family reunion. There are people there that I never see anywhere else. But I know them because they’ve been coming to the parties for years. I just spoke to someone that met their partner at one of our parties. In the past, bklyn boihood has been a leader in the terms of visibility for bois of color. Is your upcoming book Outside the XY: Queer, Brown Masculinity the start of a new, more literary-focused angle for BBH? Or is the book more of just a new facet to the many ways you communicate to your community already? MO: We’re making the calendar and merchandise specifically meant to make our identities visible, so the book is sort of another way to communicate that. We are all trying to do cool shit together and we all have stories and wisdom and ideas. research or essays, too. The book will hopefully anchor our visibility, in the way that only writing in books can. You’re currently accepting submissions for Outside the XY . Tell us about your thought process behind opening up submission to non-professional writers. MO: Well I think, first of all-- Our name is bklyn boi”hood.” That’s important. The “hood” part is not just a fun little thing we added. Laughs . Our work has always been centered in marginalized groups of people, and I think the thing that happens in marginalized spaces is that writing isn’t always given the same space. 'Cause when you need to pay your rent or you need to feed these babies or you need to just make it, sometimes writing doesn’t make the cut. That doesn’t mean that what you’re able to do with writing, or the story that you have is any less valuable. I love to read, and I’m more riveted and moved by writing that reflects a world outside of whatever the literary world is obsessed with; you know, the suburban angst story. This anthology is for people who may not even see themselves in a book; people that feel they may not have words that are worthy to be published, you know? That’s our work at its core; honing in the visibility of those people, our community. RYANN: We aren’t trying to perpetuate that bullshit. Laughs . It’s funny cause I feel like if we were to go that route (of using only professional writers), we would close the door on a lot of folks. And you know what’s so interesting? The people that don’t even have that experience, you know, the ones lacking confidence that have so much to say; with this book they have someone telling them they want to hear their voice. Ideally, what do you want people that have never heard of the term “boi,” or don’t know much about masculine of center people of color to take from Outside the XY ? RYANN: Well, I think for me-- I’m thinking who are those people? Laughs . But I just want people to connect with these stories on a human level, and change the way they think about shit. Undo these misconceptions you have. I feel like the more I tell my story, outside of the queer community or whatever, people do identify with stories about how you were ostracized in high school and didn’t fit in or how you need to a certain point in your life to find yourself. I feel like there are certain parts of stories that all people can connect to, and I feel like we can have our voices heard so that everyone can come to a greater understanding. That could potentially lead to less violence to people like us. And one of the other things that I really hope to see is a new take on masculinity. I want young men to read this. For masculine folk across the spectrum or however you identify to just have another example (of masculinity). I guess since we’re opening our hearts,I hope people can meet us there. That’d be dope. MO: I would say that right now there’s this one image of [bois]; this masculine woman that’s essentially getting boiled down to a woman in boy’s clothes. As a result, masculinity gets oversimplified--our stories get oversimplified, people get misgendered, ignored, misunderstood and basically getting thought of as grown-up tomboys. And if that’s how you identify, that’s wonderful, but there’s so much more, you know? So many more layers of who we are and how we identify. There are so many things to talk about other than what we’re wearing. So many other things to think about than how you perceive us. We have whole lives and whole histories and backgrounds. We exist all over the world and we always, always, always have. What sort of things can we look forward to for bklyn boihood while we’re waiting for this book premiere? MO: Ryann’s getting ready for Soul of Brooklyn week. RYANN: I changed the name to Soul of Brooklyn Festival. MO: Ooo, fun. Laughs . RYANN: It’s a week long festival dedicated to local black artists, local businesses, black vendors and community members to showcase dope events all across central Brooklyn, mainly in Bedstuy. Oh! And I’ve booked all the artists, so there’ll be a launch event at Herbert Von King Park. The group, King, three women out of L.A., will be there. Iman Omari, brilliant artist and producer who I’ve just been fan girlin’ and boi’n over, and then a lot of other dope, local folks and theater and yoga and all kind of stuff happening throughout the park to kick off that whole week-long series. So I’ve just been focused on that. And then that’ll culminate with the Black Weirdo party bklyn boihood co-sponsors, with THEESatisfaction. MO: And we have several workshops coming up. A couple of writing workshops that are to be scheduled for the first week of August for bois who want to submit to the book but aren’t really writers and don’t feel like they’re writers, or they maybe are writers but feel like they need a group writing space for sharing. And hopefully the group can help them create something or manicure something they feel like they could submit. And then in September we’re going to collaborate with one of our long-standing supporters, lawyer Jo-Na Williams to conduct a workshop for artists that want to be entrepreneurs and survive this wild ride of identity, art, and survival. RYANN: And our retreat. We’re gonna go camping. The BBH crew is currently accepting submissions for Outside the XY: Brown, Queer Masculinity from MoC queer folks and transgender guys of color who want their voice to be heard. No writing experience necessary. Outside the XY edited by Morgan Mann Willis. Outside the XY is one of those books that feels like it should have been around for years- a collection of own Voices essays on why it means to be black or brown and live outside of cis manhood- but given the nature of publishing has arrived now to give a voice to people so comprehensively shunned by the Big Five. Outside the XY is a powerful anthology; no two entries are alike and they show a real scope of experience. For someone who very much lives in the realm of white cis womanhood the book is clearly not written with me in mind but it remains an educational and thought provoking read. More importantly, for people who see themselves echoed within the writing I can only imagine how important that must be. There are so many viewpoints and topics covered; from black trans men trying to balance masculinity and not upholding the patriarchy to non-binary Native people speaking about the colonial nature of binary genders. Understandly, there are some portions that are difficult to read (TW for anti-trans behaviour aimed at the writers in their stories, domestic abuse and self harm) but overall it’s an uplifting book about learning to love yourself completely. Outside the XY. Outside the XY: Queer Black and Brown Masculinity is an anthology of more than 50 stories, memories, poems, ideas, essays and letters--all examining what it looks like, feels like, and is like to inhabit masculinity outside of cisgendered manhood as people of color in the world. Read these passionate, complex autobiographical glimpses into the many layers of identity as the authors offer olive branches to old and new lovers. This anthology is designed to be uplifting, as it considers and explores our masculine identities as non cis-gendered males, or those traditionally born with the "XY" chromosome. It is a radical act of self-love and affirmation. Outside the XY is a labor of love. Affirming Trans Books For Trans Visibility Day And Beyond. There’s no way to hide from how difficult it can be to be transgender. We are abused, assaulted, and murdered. We struggle to access life-giving healthcare. We are persecuted and torn down by the media and online. But we are so much more than how people hurt us. We have full, wonderful, meaningful lives. But it’s hard to live to our fullest without seeing ourselves portrayed positively. Collected here are trans books that celebrate trans lives, gender diversity, and queerness. Fiction. Dawn by Octavia E. Butler. The first in the Xenogenesis/Lilith’s Brood trilogy this book features aliens with three sexes/genders. Imaginary societies having a concept of gender outside of strict binaryism validates my own existence. Humanity has been saved from extinction by these aliens. Kept in the hold of a spaceship for hundreds of years, it’s now time to repopulate the post-apocalyptic earth. Peter Darling by Austin Chant. This queer trans book retelling of Peter Pan has been described as “lovely”, “hopeful”, “affirming”, and “super upbeat”. All characteristics frequently lacking from trans narratives! Peter Pan has left Neverland to grow up and resigned himself to life as Wendy Darling. But growing up has only made him realise how inescapable his identity as a man is. Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg. Not always a gentle read, this queer classic does a wonderful job at showing intersections of oppression and is lovely and positive. This is the tale of being a young butch lesbian and masculine women in the pre-Stonewall drag bars of a blue-collar town. The themes of gender exploration are heart-stirringly resonant to anyone who’s suffered for being different. F4 by Larissa Glasser. This is the horror novel about a trans woman fighting right-wing trolls the world needs. This story balances the bizarre plot with the turmoil of coming to terms with being transgender. It isn’t easy but we can still kick ass. Bright Lines by Tanwi Nandini Islam. A stunning coming of age story about so much: immigration, family, queerness, Bangladesh. But it’s the depiction of one of the characters coming out as a trans guy that gripped me. Trans folk are vastly underrepresented in literature. This makes finding words that perfectly capture my experience rare and precious. Don’t Feed the Trolls by Erika Kudish. Gaming whilst female is hazardous. One person’s solution following abuse is to pretend to be a man online. But now they’re not sure if they’re pretending anymore, if they’re really a woman at all. This book is about lies that feel truer than anything’s ever felt. Transition doesn’t mean giving in to misogyny. And there are more than two genders. Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. This sci-fi classic is set on a planet of gender and sex-less aliens. Once a month hormones cause them to develop sexual characteristics and become fertile. But they might not become the same sex next month. A brief mention is made of a feminine-presenting person fathering children. As a trans-masculine person considering pregnancy, this made me feel seen. Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee. Unlike many trans stories, this feel-good series is definitely not a tragedy. Starring a PoC trans character, here is a world where superpowers are common. Internships with supervillains; queer crushes; superhero parents; this series has it all. Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera. This novel is not explicitly trans but it is nonetheless a powerful portrayal of queerness. A young Puerto-Rican lesbian comes out and moves across the country from the Bronx to Portland to find herself. Will she be able to figure out her problems over the summer? Or is she simply running away from problems too big to handle? Orlando by Virginia Woolf. Orlando holds a special place in my own heart as the first place I ever saw singular gender-neutral “they” pronouns in print. Following the several centuries of the life of a person whose physical sex changes at random. This is a fascinating portrayal of gender fluidity. The Red Thread of Fortune by J.Y. Yang. A non-binary character by a non-binary author! This is not a fluffy read but none of the heavy stuff has to do with being trans. We have lives and difficulties outside of our transness. After the death of her daughter a fallen prophet abandons the life that once bound her. She finds herself on a quest, accompanied by dinosaurs. Comics. Assigned Male by Sophie Labelle. This is an adorable webcomic about a group of 11-year old trans kids. Following their friendships, and gender journeys, the story is interspersed with advice and facts. Extremely relatable. Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters. A group of girls are at a summer camp where they find themselves on endless supernatural adventures. Some of the girls in this comic are gay, some queer, some trans and that is celebrated. A story of acceptance and friendship to the max! The Backstagers by James Tynion IV and Rian Sygh. Another queer affirming/celebrating comic with trans characters is The Backstagers. The new kid at a private boy’s school joins the stage crew: the only ones who treat him as a friend. With these new friends, he discovers an entire magical world behind the stage curtain. Non-fiction. Outside the XY: Queer Black and Brown Masculinity edited by Morgan Mann Willis. Collected here are poems and essays about what it’s like to inhabit masculinity outside of white cisgendered manhood. The collection is passionate, uplifting, and a radical act of affirming self-love. What are your favorite trans books? Find even more of our recommendations here. Outside the XY: Queer Black and Brown Masculinity by Morgan Mann Willis. Morgan Mann Willis (she/they) tells stories and makes space. Morgan’s work lives in overlapping universes—writing, producing and working with community organizations to envision and build their best work. When she’s not in those spaces, she’s probably outside. Morgan’s producing has always championed her community’s media and brilliance. In 2020, Morgan was the Co-Executive Producer of the Black National Convention with dream hampton. For 8 years Morgan produced the Allied Media Conference and the concurrent music festival AMC @ Night in Detroit. As a writer, Morgan recently wrote the script for Changing Together: Celebrating 50 years of the March on Washington for Facebook TV, has published short fiction and has work is in textbooks, zines, blogs and anthologies. She’s been featured in Autostraddle, Razor Wire Women: Prisoners, Activists Scholars and Artists (SUNY Press), Dark Phrases Literary Magazine and other publications. She was awarded the Roxane Gay Fellowship at the first Jack Jones Literary Arts Retreat in 2017 and selected as the featured fellow at Vermont Studio Center. In 2016, Morgan was the lead editor of Lambda Literary Award-nominated Outside the XY: Queer, Black and Brown Masculinity (Riverdale Ave Books), published with their collective, bklyn boihood. Their organizational consulting has become an ecosystem of incredible programmatic partners and transformative community work. Partners include Detroit Narrative Agency, Mozilla Foundation, Eileen Fisher Leadership Institute and more. Morgan is a Black, queer sister, auntie, traveler, adventurer, petrified wood collector and playlist captain. Future old dyke. Made by DC. Lives in Detroit with a pinky toe in Brooklyn for good measure.