Waterstones wants me to read... this?
Welcome to my review of a "fabulous, fashion-forward guide" by "transgender icons Gigi Gorgeous and Gottmik"
Recently I went to Waterstones to buy a present but ended up going home with a book on transgenderism, titled The T Guide.
I found it upstairs where there were a collection of trans/ gender books. They were placed near the entrance to the room, so that you noticed them as soon as you walked in. Clearly Waterstones was trying to say “hey, look at our progressive guides on gender identity”.
The T Guide (full name: Our Trans Experiences and a Celebration of Gender Expression—Man, Woman, Nonbinary, and Beyond) was the most eye-catching on the stand, so I had a quick look.
I kid you not when I say this was the page I landed on:
I decided to buy it. Something told me I should take it home and clue up on the contents of a trans guide, and I’m glad I did. It was very educational - just not in the way intended.
Intro to The T Guide
According to its synopsis, the T Guide provides “Real talk about transgender experiences”, covering areas such as “parenting transgender children” and “tips and tricks for more masculine or feminine features”.
Its authors are Gigi Gorgeous and Gottmik”, two “transgender icons”, according to WH Smith, Waterstones, GoodReads and every other seller which has copied and pasted the synopsis onto their website.
Gottmik
Here’s Gottmik below, introduced by Gigi Gorgeous:
Gottmik looks a bit like a character from the Japanese horror film The Grudge; it’s as if this is meant to be part of being “trans”.
It’s quite difficult to work out what Gottmik’s biological sex is because he (Gigi Gorgeous refers to Gottmik using “he/him” pronouns) also sometimes dresses like S&M’s answer to Timothée Chalamet:
Wikipedia casts a more confusing light as it turns out Gottmik is actually a drag character (woman), played by Kade Gottlieb (a trans man).
In short, I *think*, Gottlieb is a biological female who transitioned to be a man, BUT flits between female and male gender identities, and is pansexual.
Furthermore, Gottmik explains his name in The T Guide. I was going to summarise it, but decided to copy and paste for reasons that will become apparent:
So, yeah, hopefully you’ve got all that.
Gigi Gorgeous
Then there’s Gigi Gorgeous who is obviously a woman because she has make-up and long hair. Quite TOWIE vibes (The Only Way is Essex) if you ask me:
In their guide, Gigi Gorgeous and Gottmik reassure parents “If you’re reading this book, then you’re already on the right track.”
But it’s not obvious that parents are the target market. Gigi Gorgeous has previously said: “We wrote this for our younger selves and I truly hope it reaches anyone that needs it.” The bulk of the book is for those considering transition.
In ascending order of seriousness, here are the main reasons I found The T Guide very troubling:
It’s sexist
As with a lot of “trans activism”, The T Guide uses a lot of gender stereotypes to describe why someone is in “the wrong body”.
Early on Gigi Gorgeous - someone intended as a role model for trans women - tells Gottmik she has “a Barbie aesthetic”.
Liking pink and being girly is clearly a big part of why Gigi Gorgeous feels she is female (NB. I have stuck to the pronouns in the book to keep things simple-ish):
Gigi Gorgeous, who has had her “boobs done three times now”, also lets us into other clues she was female all along:
“I used to put a towel on my head and pretend that it was hair".”
“After I got my boobs, I didn’t think anybody was going to misgender me. I wore a push-up bra and the sluttiest clothes to avoid it.”
“I wore this American Apparel see-through lace dress which was definitely lingerie, but I thought since it was New York City I could get away with it. Anyway, after the party, I met Betty [who Gigi Gorgeous later describes as her “Trans Mom”] and some of her friends, and I realized for the first time that I could live my life as a woman.”
Gottmik, on the other hand, says:
"Looking back, there were so many signs for me, too. I wore the boy’s uniforms at school; I wanted the boy’s toys at McDonald’s”.
Because Gigi Gorgeous is a woman and Gottmik a man, the forward-thinking editors behind The T Guide even put their quotes in pink and blue, respectively:
If you’re still not sure what’s “female” versus “male”, Paris Hilton has also contributed a guide to the book, titled “Being Confidently Feminine”, with pointers such as “Embrace high heels because you can climb every mountain”.
Elsewhere The T Guide “Feminization Tips”, including Gigi Gorgeous’s advice that “less is MORE!”
There’s also a section on how to be a lad:
“Love yourself” - but also, get a “silicone dick” with pubes
Another huge problem with the book is how it tells readers to love themselves - but then offers an enormous amount of information on surgical and non-surgical modification.
It even has this quote below by Amanda Lepore, who doesn’t seem to be taking her own advice that “If you love yourself, then you’re going to be okay”.
Gottmik, while wearing creepy white face paint, advises readers on how to come out as their “authentic self”, and Gigi Gorgeous - in the tone of a parent telling their child they’re going to Disneyland - writes: “We’re going to tell you who are favourite surgeons are at the end of the book! Flip back there now if you can’t wait to find out.”
Behold, a snapshot of the book’s directory of surgeons:
It’s noteworthy that Gigi Gorgeous and Gottmik recommend doctors they don’t seem to have used, merely writing: “We’ve heard amazing things about these doctors, but please do the research you need to find the doctor for you.”
You might think they want to be very sure about their recommendations - seeing as they have this conversation elsewhere:
Gottmik: There’s a specific fetishisation of the trans community and sometimes the doctors are the ones with the fetish.
Gigi Gorgeous: “Absolutely. It’s a weird form of power”.
Other strange quotes on medical transition:
Gottmik (acknowledging the limitations of phalloplasty): “The vagina surgery, meanwhile, is stunning.”
Gottmik (on “silicone dicks”): You can even buy ones now with pubes on them.”
Gottmik: Sometimes when I can’t sleep I type "Bottom surgery before and after” into the search bar and scroll through pics for an hour.
Gottmik (on considering phalloplasty): “Do I want to pause to pump before having sex with my boyfriend? I’m not sure I would love that for me right now.”
Gigi Gorgeous (on her dad, who offered to pay for her “vagina”): He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that I didn’t want a vagina ASAP.
The book is very sexual
A lot of the book will leave you wanting to say “get a room!” Gigi Gorgeous and Gottmik literally can’t seem to keep their hands off each other.
It’s a raunchy read to say the least, but relatively tame compared to the Instagram accounts of its authors.
In promoting the book on his Instagram, for instance, Gottmik says: “Nothing is off limits here—you guys are gonna gag.”
Another image from the book (below) posted by Gigi Gorgeous - who describes herself and Gottmik as “devilishly angelic”:
On social media, Gigi Gorgeous and Gottmik basically look more like porn stars than “transgender icons”:
Gigi Gorgeous’s “feminine identity” seems overly related to seduction/ sexual things. In one part she says: “I’ve always dreamed of wearing women’s underwear”, for example.
Conclusions
I could go on about this book - for instance, RuPaul’s Drag Race doesn’t come out of it very well, and it’s striking that Gigi Gorgeous (and another transgender individual in the book) went to Catholic school while Gottmik came from a Christian family - but you get the gist.
In all honesty, I was just glad I hadn't walked into Waterstones that day with a child. It was my first thought as soon as I landed on the page about bottom surgery; I just had no idea that it would/ could get even worse!
Too often those critical of gender ideology are told that they are bigots and harming children. But can any of them say how the above helps?
I have in the past complained to Waterstones. I target the shop manager about the display .
It’s porn and not suitable for general display …. Adult material ..
Waterstones is a strong advocate for the queer community. You know who else is? Science. Science supports trans inclusivity, and science demonstrates that if enabled to transition, trans people have better mental and physical health outcomes.
You sound like you live under a rock. Are you angry that there's something graphic in a book? Okay, are you going to petition Waterstones and other book shops to remove Mills and Boon type books? Or educational books about sex for couples? What about scientific and surgical textbooks that are a bit explicit?
No? These are CLEARLY in the adult non-fiction area, and aren't in the children's area.
So your reasoning isn't about protecting children, you're literally just the definition of transphobic (and, uneducated).
Gottmik and Gigi aren't saying wearing pink or boys McDonald's toys make them their gender. They are saying that their gender as transgender is always there, and there are some things that they can express to feel validated and more comfortable with who they are, just like any boy or girl, who might or might not want to play with traditionally gendered toys.
As for saying Gottmik looks like he's out of The Ring? WTF? You're really reaching there, trying to compare him to a horror movie character?
What about the rich history of mimes, and Pierrots in theatre using black and white minimal makeup to convey emotion and expression?
As for you saying that both Gigi and Gottmik came from Christian famillies, you do realise there are queer people, including Eunuchs in the bible right? You realise that anyone from any walk of life, can be Christian? It's about loving God and loving other people --
Something you clearly are shit at.