Tabi's Reviews > This Book Is Gay

I will always critique these types of "gay guide" self-help books written for the general public on a slightly harsher slant than I do with other genres. There is a weight to writing something like this, which I recognize, but as queer writers, we have to be cognizant of the fact we are showing people how to talk about us, and this small sample stands for the entirety of the various minority communities in the LGBT+ community for people who haven't had contact with us before. As a book that wants to badly claim to be inclusive, there is a a lot in the language and tone that speaks to one part of the community.

Specifics for a revision:
p85: Where are the references for saying LGBT+ is a protected class? Where are references for any of the statistics or claims?
p108: The author chooses to shame sex work.
p180: Much like most of the book, a single viewpoint is used to show the experience of a whole. If a new lesbian reads this as their first introduction to their community, reading they will never orgasm with a strap-on, and that it's hard work, is not only inaccurate, but is off putting to being open to new experiences. Encouraging curiosity and learning, or at least including multiple voices where the author lacks knowledge would be a better way to go.
p210: Total erasure of people on the asexual spectrum.

I would love to see an updated version of this, with more thought to inclusive language and stories.