We Can Do Better Than This: 35 Voices on the Future of LGBTQ+ Rights edited by Amelia Abraham. Advance Reader Copy (eARC) from the publisher via Netgalley included. No affiliate links used. Read my full disclosure policy here.
Edited by Amelia Abraham, We Can Do Better Than This is an anthology of 35 LGBTQ+ people sharing their stories, experiences, and visions for a world where we have true LGBTQ+ liberation.
As is common with anthologies, there are a mix of well-known voices - including Beth Ditto, Olly Alexander, Mykki Blanco, Owen Jones, Juliet Jacques, and Travis Alabanza - and LGBTQ+ people whose work I wasn't familiar with before now.
What I like about this collection is that it goes beyond the UK and US, which are often the sole focus when discussing LGBTQ+ issues. By featuring essays about life in Bangladesh, Brazil, Russia, Uganda, and more We Can Do Better Than This provides a global perspective.
The inclusion of asexual and intersex people also broadens the scope and highlights the experiences of people who are regularly relegated to the + in LGBTQ+, with very little representation beyond that.
We Can Do Better Than This asks us to consider the difference between LGBTQ+ assimilation and queer liberation. It calls on us to fight for queer liberation because assimilation leaves far too many LGBTQ+ people behind.
These essays aren't always an easy read, subject-wise, but that is what makes them essential reading. Some of the topics covered include; asexual visibility, the difficulties with accessing trans healthcare, the need to end forced surgery on intersex children and people, the rise of transphobia in the UK media, the state of LGBTQ+ mental health services, the importance of inclusive sex education in schools, and why community care is vital for both LGBTQ+ young people and LGBTQ+ older people.
We Can Do Better Than This is an impressive, engaging, and important anthology. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about global LGBTQ+ communities and experiences.
The standout essays for me are Ace of Clubs by Yasmin Benoit, Transphobia and the UK Media by Juliet Jacques, Know Thyself, Or Don't by Naoise Dolan, Happily Ever After Isn't Accessible to Me by Andrew Gurza, The End of Forced Intersex Surgeries by Hanne Gaby Odiele, Queering Sex Ed by Sasha Kazantseva, Breaking Through: Centering the Needs of Homeless LGBTQ+ Youth by Carl Siciliano, Pronouns as Portal Magic by Bobbi Salvör Menuez, 'Everyone's Trans, Now What?' by Travis Alabanza, Ceaseless Struggles, Infinite Possibilities: Finding Liberation in Queer History by Matthew Riemer, Global Grassroots Funding by Leticia Opio, and Doing Better by Adam Eli.
We Can Do Better Than This: 35 Voices on the Future of LGBTQ+ Rights edited by Amelia Abraham is published on June 3rd by Vintage, an imprint of Penguin Random House. It is available in hardback, ebook, and audiobook format.