Reading Allison
Media, publisher, and contact info here.
Below you’ll find guides to journalistic pieces, autobiographical tales, essays on trans issues, explanations of the transfeminine experience, a few ‘how to trans’ primers, reviews, and the occasional poem.
Ms Washington is a woman with an unusual story. A woman who was assigned as-male at birth but was raised as a girl in 1960s Europe. A girl who, in her teens , was sent to 1970s America and forced to be a ‘boy’. Who returned to Europe and tried very hard to be the man society required, and failed.
As a transfeminine person, she recovered her womanhood in the 1980s, transitioning at a time when this was nearly impossible for most transgender people. As a woman, following transition, she disappeared into the woodwork of cisgender society for a quarter-century, ignorant of the changes taking place in society around issues of sex and gender. In the summer of 2016 she suddenly and accidently found herself swept into a Trans Pride march, into the modern trans community, and became a writer, publishing more than 50 stories in her first year.
Latest Stories
The Mystery of the Brutal, Near-Death Attack on Renowned LGBTQ+ Activist Scott Long, them., July 2018.
Trans Women and the Police: Cairo, Amman, London, San Francisco, them., June 2018.
Greatest Hits
Medium #1s: Girl, Cured., Seventeen: Sex and the Trans Girl, Love and Disclosure as a Trans Woman, The Woman I Left in San Francisco.
Other most-read stories: Is Transface Offensive?, Three Times a Virgin, What He Did to Her, What’s it like to be a trans woman?, My experience during the Trans Dark Ages, Metamorphosis, I Am (Not) Native American
Medium Audio: Love and Disclosure as a Trans Woman.
Stories of Allison Washington’s Life
A full catalogue is here.
My Life in Moments — A continuously growing series of very brief vignettes from Allison’s life.
Girl — A series spanning Allison’s childhood, plus aftermath.
Seventeen: Sex and the Trans Girl — On her own at age 17, Allison sleeps with a man for the first time.
The Woman I Left in San Francisco — Driven mad by gender dysphoria, Allison does a really shitty thing to someone and disappears across an ocean.
Three Times a Virgin — A retelling of the scenes in Seventeen and Conflicted Romance, with a different focus, more background, and more sex. Published in SELF Magazine.
What He Did to Her — Allison recounts her rape.
Twined Fragments — Two transfeminine authors of different generations pass memories back and forth. An ongoing collaboration with author and artist Miriam Suzanne.
Allison Washington’s Essays and Explanations
A catalogue of selected articles is here.
‘Ask Me Anything’ — Allison answers questions from readers, at length.
Trans Women and the Police: Cairo, Amman, London, San Francisco — The treatment of trans women by law enforcement in the Middle East vs the West. The West doesn’t come off looking so great.
Pass Fail: The hell of not being seen as your gender — The conflicts and complexities of ‘passing’ as a trans person.
‘Is Transface Offensive?’ — The harm done when men dressed as women are seen to represent trans women.
About your shitty no-trans dating policy… — No, trans people aren’t obligated to disclose their trans status when dating; here’s why.
What’s it like to be a trans woman? — A small taste of what it’s like to be Allison. (هذه القصة متواجدة باللغة العربية)
‘We’re just normal, why do you call us cis?’ — The trouble with ‘normal’ and why ‘cisgender’ is necessary (and legitimate). (Además en español.)
Poetry
The Life I Deserved, This is my Body. This is Me., One Evening, Whispered to an Egg.
Reviews & Interviews by Allison Washington
Allison talks to and about other creative trans people. A full catalogue is here.
Selected Correspondence and Commentary
Allison corresponds a lot, and here is a selection of the (hopefully) more interesting bits. [Last updated February 2017. I just can’t keep up, sorry.]
Audio, Video, and Podcasts
The Alice & Mia Show
Cracked: More Tales From The Trans Dark Ages
Gender Odyssey 2016 presentation
Love and Disclosure as a Trans Woman
Information for media, publishers, and others is here.
And read About Me and My Stories.
Thank you so much for reading, and especially to all of you who have so generously shared my work, corresponded with me, and supported me financially. I would especially like to thank Jayne Tucek, Lis Regula, Beth Adele Long, Maya Stroshane, Stevie Lantalia Metke, and J. Morefield who provide major monthly financial support.❤ Allison
I make a spare living doing this. You can support my work and get draft previews and my frequent ‘Letters Home’ for less than the cost of a coffee.
