Self-assessment:

I believe I earned a 95% on this assignment. I know that you mentioned that you wanted
them about 2 pages each, but no matter what I did I just couldnt get them that long
without making them sound repetitive. I decided to sacrifice the length in order to make
them sound better. I still managed to get them to about a page and a half or maybe a
little more, but not 2 pages. Other than that, I was very thorough in making sure that I
included every point you mentioned on the file you sent out. I made sure to pull the
quotes that I thought were the best, not just the first ones I saw. Overall, I worked for
hours on this assignment to make it the best that I could, and I believe it will benefit me
greatly when it comes time to start working on my paper. The two library visits were
extremely beneficial in finding the best sources for information on the web and in text. In
the future, Ill go straight to the library website, instead of going to google. In the
process of drafting my ABs, I used critical reading to grasp the work in a more
professional way. I learned to really comprehend and digest the work instead of just
reading words on a page.

Lily Podolsky

UWRT 1104

1st annotated bibliography

AH-KING, MALIN. Challenging popular myths of sex, gender and biology. Place of

publication not identified: Springer International PU, 2016. Print.

Men and women are different biologically, and this is a proven fact. While this is true,

there are many different arguments on which gender is superior. To start things off, sex and

gender are often used interchangeably, but researchers in womens studies/ gender studies use

the term gender (as in gender identity or gender representation) as an analytical category which

has enabled focusing on the social constructs of what it means to be a woman or a man, and to

emphasize that these social constructs are changing over time and are variable across cultures.

Estrogen and progesterone are thought to be directly linked to the female reproductive process.

This proves that there are different chemicals and amounts of chemicals inside males and

females. The main ideas of this book are just arguing how society has constructed its own idea

of gender and what it means to be a boy or a girl. It even includes a list of words and records
what connotation they first have. For example, they used harassment and said that its linked

to males.

This publication is written by Malin Ah-King, and it was published in 2013, so the material

is new and up to date. It was published by the Centre for Gender Research, Uppsala University,

Sweden. It challenges public gender norms, and also compares humans biological make up

(including chemicals) to those of different animals. I believe the target audience to be anyone of

college age or up, as it is a challenging piece to read in terms of concepts and ideas. Malin Ah-

King preaches, Standard definitions of female and male when applied to humans are

problematic, as anybody studying transsexuality and transgender can attest. There is simply

too much fluidity, plasticity, and variation in human genitalia. This quote is particular interesting

to me, as it implies that gender is not only male or female, which is an incredibly controversial

topic at the moment.

Male behavior is described by using active and offensive terms (harassment,

manipulation, persistence), while female behavior is described using reactive and

defensive terms (resistance, avoidance, reluctance).

If the doctor believes chromosomes dictate sex and gender, the doctor might tell

patients they are biologically a man but physically a woman.

In the 1970s, it was discovered that androgens are converted to estrogens

before they interact with brain tissue.

This assignment was very difficult for me. I felt as if I dont have the proper knowledge to write a

thorough and successful annotated bibliography. The text wasnt very hard to read, but it had

concepts that a younger mind may not be able to grasp and comprehend. It also has very

controversial information, so it may anger some readers depending on their own personal

beliefs. Malin Ah-King has a table that typically associates males with aggressive words, and

makes them seem like the predator in the world. Also, It argues that gender and sex are
different, which many people do not believe. This source is beneficial to my paper, but it most

definitely will not be the main source. It only has a few quotes that can be carried over, unless I

broaden my paper topic.

Lily Podolsky

UWRT 1104

2nd annotated bibliography

Tsiaras, Alexander, and Barry Werth. The architecture and design of man and woman:

the marvel of the human body, revealed. New York: Doubleday, 2004. Print.

The architecture and design of man and woman : the marvel of the human body,

revealed is a deeply insightful book that breaks down the human body. This book is extremely

beneficial and informative, because it indirectly and directly states the differences between men

and women chemically and physically. Alexander Tsiaras and Barry Werth, co-authors of the

novel, wrote this to give people a deeper, more knowledgeable understanding of the human

body. Their target audience is young adults and up, because it isn't too difficult to understand

and comprehend. By including pictures, it gives a visual also, making it all easier to process. I
believe the purpose of these authors is to inform and teach others about the human body. Their

intentions were not at all bias towards transgenders, it was simply stating facts. It was nice

reading a book where the authors put their personal beliefs behind them, and wrote facts

allowing the reader to make their own uninfluenced decisions.

In the book, it says, he dismantles each system, highlights the anatomical difference

between men and women, and rebuilds the body from the molecular level on up which helps

with my argument that males and females are biologically different, and each sex has their own

unique traits. This source is applicable to my question, because it gives scientific facts that

prove men and women are not the same. Since my argument is that men generally have an

advantage over women in terms of strength and masculinity, this will help to backup my

reasoning and points. Since this book is purely scientific, it can help other students in a majority

of other topics they may be writing about. It would not be ideal for those pursuing biased

arguments, looking for argumentative pieces.

This annotated bibliography was easier for me, but I still have a few unanswered questions. I

feel bad because I know youve gone over it, but it may be beneficial to go over more examples

in class.
Lily Podolsky

UWRT 1104

3rd annotated bibliography

Currah, Paisley, Richard M. Juang, and Shannon Price Minter. Transgender

rights. Minneapolis ; London: U Press, 2006. Print.

Transgender Rights is a book that mostly focuses on legal issues regarding

transgenders and their place and rights in society. This book is especially interesting because it

doesnt talk about personal opinions as much as actual events and their outcomes. They also

form a platform for the way things are today and explain the steps and events that took place to

form modern day society regarding transgenders. I believe that the purpose in writing this was

to mainly inform, not persuade the audience, about the history of transgenders in law because

that isnt necessarily a topic that lots of people are well educated on or informed about. The

target audience is a group of individuals high school age and up who are somewhat

knowledgeable about laws and the court systems. This may seem like a narrow group, but

people who do not have background knowledge on the court systems may find the book difficult

to read and understand. Paisley Currah, the author of the book, does a great job at explaining

in depth the cases and how they turned out the way they did.

I really enjoyed how the author also included the reasons for the outcomes. For

example, they said, After years of litigation, the Supreme Court let stand a court of appeals

decision that held, Ulane is entitled to any personal belief about her identity that she desires.

After the surgery, hormones, appearance changes, and a new Illinois birth certificate and FAA

pilot's certificate, it may be that society, as the trial judge found, consideres Ulane to be female.

But even if no one believes that a woman can be so easily created from what remains of a

man, that does not decide this case It is clear from the evidence that if Eastern did
discriminate against Ulane, it was not because she is female, but because Ulane is a

transexual- a biological male who takes female hormones, cross-dresses, and has surgically

altered parts of her body to make it appear to be female.. Quotes like this help the reader to

better grasp why the cases were ruled the way they were, which helps with overall knowledge.

Another quote I found interesting was, Because of the judiciarys long practice of refusing to

recognize that transgender people is a type of gender discrimination, advocates turned to the

legislative arena for redress. I liked this quote because just with one sentence, it was able to

capture the attitude the courts held against this vastly unknown and new type of trend. It also

said, In 2006, 30 percent of the U.S. population lived in jurisdictions that have passed

transgender rights legislation. It gives a perspective on how much of the country has made

an effort to extend the rights of transgenders. I also really liked how they implemented statistics

to give a better understanding of the topic. Lastly, they bring up language used is often so

broad that it effectively eliminates, for the purpose of nondiscrimination law, any legally

prescribed relationship between biological sex, gender identity, and gender expression. This

point proves that different language can change the meaning of a law, or it can make the vote

go in a certain way pertaining to the passing of a law.

Lily Podolsky

UWRT 1104

4th annotated bibliography

Kuklin, Susan. Beyond magenta: transgender teens speak out. London: Walker

and Subsidiaries, 2016. Print.

 Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, is especially interesting

because it interviews actual transgender teens and gets their perspective, as opposed

to someone who cant write about exactly how it feels or what its like. This leads me to

believe that the information in this book is way more credible and accurate, considering

it comes from transgenders themselves. I believe that the authors purpose in writing

this book was to help bash stereotypes that surround the transgender community. It

also is to get their voices out there and make sure theyre heard as well. Since its a

relatively new concept, theres much room for false ideas to spread around. The target

audience is any male or female in middle school or above. Its an easy read, and it is

very interesting. I say middle school or above, because I dont believe that someone

any younger than that could comprehend or understand what it means to be

transgender, as well as understand some of the warning signs these teens speak of

feeling. Jessy, the first transgender that is featured in this book, recalls being very

upset when (s)he first got their period. I was never a person who said they hate their

body. I just wanted to fit more with what I felt inside. This is a great opening

paragraph, because it really sets the tone and mood for the rest of the book.

This book is unique and interesting because it does not only spew out facts, but it

also adds a personal and emotional touch as well. I loved wearing suits and neck ties.

It felt right to me. But I usually wore dresses and stuff. This is a perfect example of

how this book goes into the mind of a transgender during the beginning stages of their

transition. This book is also interesting because it includes pictures of the people before

their transition. I could tell she was a little bit disappointed. Not dissapointed- but

drawn back. This also shows support for transgenders who are going through the
struggle of coming out to their parents. My sleeping habits and dietary habits changed

also. Jessy talks about the consequences of taking T (testosterone), and how it

made him feel. Lastly, a paragraph really resonated with me as far as what my paper is

going to be about. I was still going into the womens locker rooms, until one day I

thought, wait! Im looking more and more like a man!. My article deals with the period

after the transition, and where one should use the bathroom, and if they should

participate in their original or transitioned genders sports.

Lily Podolsky

UWRT 1104

5th annotated bibliography

Girshick, Lori B., and Jamison Green. Transgender voices: beyond women and

men. Hanover: U Press of New England, 2009. Print.

Like the previous book, Transgender Voices: Beyond Women and Men includes

over one hundred and fifty interviews with transgenders who discuss their journey from

beginning to end. The authors purpose is to bring light to the transgender community

and to help others better understand it. The author says that, the most important

questions are whether we can stop assuming that genitals = gender, whether we can

overcome our knee-jerk tendency to think of masculinity and femininity as polar

opposites, and whether we can honestly investigate how our language and ideas create
and sustain two oppositional sets of identity boxes in which millions of people do not fit.

With that being said, I believe the target audience is anyone who is capable of reading

and comprehending somewhat complicated texts. I believe the authors really want to

get their word out and inform people of transexuals, their thoughts, and who they really

are. This book also goes into other sets of genders known as, gender variant, gender

gifted, and gender nonconforming. I found this quote interesting because this opens up

a whole new group of genders, which some may argue is pushing things too far. When

people can not identify as a gender, what stops them from saying they identify as an

alien? Or a cow? Theres a time to draw the line, but where is it?

Lori Girshick, the author of this book, conducted experiments to see how

transgenders felt, instead of outright asking them questions. This is an interesting

approach, because it compares the results of different studied individuals. Although

theyre different, most of their answers were fairly similar. For example, she asked the

group about a certain term, and reported that, The people in my study had mixed

feelings about the term, and then went on to specify what they prefered instead. To

specify this more, it says, several of the participants in my study identified as queer or

genderqueer. Some were not a fan of androgynous because the palate of gender

expression is much wider and wilder than the scholarly word would indicate. This is

very interesting because the reader is able to compare results from different people to

determine how they feel and what they prefer. This will really help me with my paper

when pulling in and using direct feelings and quotes from transgenders themselves.
Lily Podolsky

UWRT 1104

6th annotated bibliography

MacKenzie, Gordene Olga. Transgender nation. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling

Green State U Popular Press, 1994. Print.

This text looks into transexuals and cross dressers and what the popular media

reveals about contemporary U.S. gender attitudes. Its interesting to look into how the

media portrays transexuality to their viewers. The media is a huge part of most peoples

lives, being the way that they obtain information about current events and hot topics.

Transgender Nation states, In the early 1990s, transexuals and transgenderists have

emerged as a significant gender minority. Yet in spite of their high visibility on network,

local and cable stations across the nation, few North Americans are informed about the

reality of being a transgender in a hostile world. That quote successfully showcases

the purpose of the text. Gordene MacKenzie, the author of Transgender Nation, wrote

the book in order to expose media outlets for falsifying the idea of being transgender.

The target audience is any male or female who may have a false idea of transexuality.

The quote, The mainstream media event brought out numerous transgenderists,

transexuals, and cross-dressers, exemplifies the power that the media has on the

people. I believe the author is trying to say that the media can use their power for good

instead of to hurt the already fragile community. The text also exemplifies how difficult it

is coming up with a term for the community. There are so many that classify
themselves as different things, its almost impossible to come up with a term that

satisfies them all. Sheila Mengert, featured in the October 1992 issue of Gender

Euphoria, says, We are put in the position of having to appeal to a particular power

group, the medial professionals, in order to validate our experience. I think shes trying

to say that they want to coin their own term, so that they wont feel as if theyre a

product of the big man. While doing research, I have found little credible evidence to

use in terms of arguing against the transgender population, which is my argument. In

this text, opponents of the sexual transition surgery help me out with this issue. They

say that, unnecessary surgical procedures, such as sex-reassignment surgery, keep

skilled surgeons from attending to the sick and saving lives. This is a very valid

argument to make, considering the sexual reassignment surgery is so permanent and

risky.

Lily Podolsky

UWRT 1104

7th annotated bibliography

Feinberg, Leslie. Transgender warriors: making history from Joan of Arc to

RuPaul. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996. Print.

 This book is interesting because it entertains the fact that there have always

been people who have crossed the transexual boundaries. Transgender Warriors:

Making History From Joan of Arc to RuPaul contains many biographies of contemporary

transgendered people. The purpose of this text was to validate the fact that

transexuality has always been a thing, whether there was a light shined upon it or not. I

believe another reason that Leslie Feinberg ventured to write this text, was to attempt to

turn transgenders and the idea of transexuality into something normal. The target

audience is anyone of college age or above, due to the complexity of this book. Leslie

Feinberg, the author, is herself a transgender individual. This is interesting because it

adds a more personal and creditable aspect to the novel. I wasn't allowed to stay up

late enough to watch the television comedy hosts who tried to ridicule her out of

humanity, is a great quote that shows the pain and suffering that these people endured

on a daily basis. The author takes a positive stance towards transexuality, and is

attempting to make the reader do the same.

My greatest terror was always when the police raided the bars, because they

had the law on their side. They were the law. This helps to give a background of the

author and also the times that she grew up in. It was a crime to be transgender when

she was growing up, and now its socially accepted (for the most part), and not really

shamed at all. That is interesting because it shows how much times have changed in

such a short period of time. At one point, she includes, I couldnt find myself in history.

No one like me ever existed. By including this quote, the reader can basically look

back in time and determine when transexuality became something that was publically

shared. My life dramatically changed when I started working as a man. This quote
simply dives into the thoughts and feelings of a transgender, and how theyre treated.

This book is unique because it not only hits on past transgender news and gives many

facts, it also dives into the process of transitioning. This will help me with my paper

because Ill be able to add in testimonies, which will end up making my paper more

interesting and more credible

I completed all the requirements on the rubric and thought I was being very

specific and detailed, but I could rarely hit the page requirement. Are there any tips or

suggestions you can give to help lengthen the paper without having it sound repetitive?