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Trans-Inclusive Bookselling
Posted By Nicki Leone, Friday, October 15, 2021

Georgia Court

On October 7th the Midwest Independent Booksellers hosted a panel on Trans-Inclusive Bookselling featuring panelists H. Melt (Women & Children First) and Misian Taylor (A Room of One's One)

The goal of the event was to discuss both the unique experiences of trans booksellers in the book industry, and to cover some "best practices" for bookstores on recommending titles to trans customers, supporting trans staff, and celebrating trans authors.

Here are some of the suggested best practices that were discussed:

  • Make sure the "Name" fields in your customer and employee databases are editable so people can change their given name to their chosen name without hassle. Become familiar with what needs to happen in your store's procedures when that person is an employee, not a customer.
  • Normalize pronoun awareness, not by requiring staff to state their pronouns, but by making it simple for staff and customers to do so. For example: have baskets of pronoun pins available for staff and customers to use, and by leading by example by wearing them yourself.
  • Practice scenarios for supporting both staff and customers who are accidentally (or deliberately) misgendered by others.

The discussion emphasized that listening to the trans community is kit to creating a trans-inclusive space, and that stores should friend/follow trans leaders in their communities and listen to their perspectives. Both panelists noted that bookstores have to be rigorous in questioning their own assumptions -- that, for example, if you don't believe you know any trans people or don't have any trans people in your customer base, that assumption is almost certainly wrong, and an indication that trans people are not comfortable in the store. One answer to this is the same kind of self-education booksellers have applied to understanding BIPOC issues: read books by trans cultural leaders, follow them on social media, subscribe to their podcasts.

The same standards of inclusiveness also apply to recommending trans books and authors, and creating trans sections in the store. Be committed to creating quality selections, rather an just a few books. Be aware of the difference between books about trans people and those written by trans people and for trans people. And watch out for gendered language when offering suggestions to customers. You can recommend a book as a gift for a child without asking if they are a boy or a girl.

In the end, just like the process of making a store welcoming to BIPOC people, creating an identity for your store as trans-safe takes time. You are building trust with a vulnerable community, an ongoing process that happens slowly and involves many big and little steps.

Trans-Inclusive Title List From H. Melt & Misian Taylor
 (with thanks to the Midwest Booksellers Association)

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