SEXED UP

The author of the landmark manifesto Whipping Girl confronts the violent ways women, queer people, and people of color are sexualized - and offers a liberating path forward.

Julia Serano's smash-hit manifesto Whipping Girl revolutionized the way we think about gender in the very earliest days of the trans rights movement. With that movement now at the center of our cultural debates, Julia Serano returns with a groundbreaking exploration of what it means to be sexualized.

We tend to think of sexualization - that is, when people are reduced to their sexual bodies - as an issue that only affects women. But, as Serano deftly reveals, society sexualizes everyone along dehumanizing double standards, to disastrous effects. She shows how a predator-and-prey dynamic leads straight men to both admire and deride their partners, how bisexuals are stereotyped as "greedy," and how trans people are maligned as "entrappers" of cisgender people. Along the way, she unpacks why queerness is thought of as contagious, how people of color are sexualized to justify violence against them, and more broadly, how sexualization harms us all.

Julia Serano confronts these arbitrary social rules, showing us that they're not natural or innate but instead are constructed. She then reveals powerful new ways to resist, by affirming consent and redefining courtship, so that we can forge life-affirming values for future generations.

Written with an activist's passion, a scientist's meticulous research, and a bisexual trans woman's wealth of lived experiences, Sexed Up provides a breath of fresh air for seasoned activists and newcomers alike. Engaging, lively, and provocative, written with a persuasive blend of personal anecdotes and scientific evidence, Sexed Up shows us why Julia Serano remains an unmatched voice leading us toward necessary change.

Julia Serano is the author of four books, including the acclaimed modern classic Whipping Girl. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, TIME, Salon, The Daily Beast, Out, Bitch, and Ms.. Julia holds a Ph.D in biochemistry from Columbia University. A musician, activist, and performer, she runs the solo music project *soft vowel sounds*. She lives in Oakland, California.