This Book Is Gay

a somewhat decent introduction to the queer sphere (yeah that's what i'm calling it lol), though it does show it's age in some aspects (the usage of the term "transsexual" is a hug signifier of when this book was first written). it is, however, by no means a comprehensive guide to all things LGBT+ (if it were this book would be the size of tolstoy's war and peace LMAO)

i do have quite a few nitpicks i have with the book. one is that asexuality / the ace spectrum is pretty much brushed off to the side after chapter 2, which kinda bummed me out since i feel like delving a little deeper into it wouldn't have hurt. i also wish polyamory could've been brought up in the section about dating and relationships (and no, open relationships and polyamory are not the same thing.)

some of (and by some, i mean about 90% of the slang the author uses throughout the book honestly makes me roll my eyes (which is another signifier of when this book was first written). i get the point of the whole tome is to make learning about LGBT+ things engaging and entertaining, but "cray"? "shiz"? i have literally not used these words since like 2013, couldn't the slang have been updated for the 2020s? i can imagine other people my age (or today's teens) having the same reactions as me when reading this.

there are some other qualms i have with the book that i can't articulate well enough right now, so i might come back to edit this review when i have the mental energy to. it does do a good job explaining the basics in a way a cishet person would most likely understand, i'll give it that.

bottom line, it's an okay introduction to the spectrum of things LGBT+, though it's certainly not a definite guide. i strongly recommend doing further reading (a good additional starting point would be A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer and Trans Identities by Mady G and Jules Zuckerberg [which i feel does a lot more with a lot less])

hopefully as the years pass, this gay rainbow colored book is updated to reflect the concepts and terminology (and slang!) of today.