A.J. Clementine is a 25 year old content creator and LGBTQI advocate from Melbourne and in her memoir, Girl, Trans-cending, she talks about her journey towards embracing her identity as a Filipino Australian trans woman. As a content warning, her book discusses gender dysphoria, queerphobia, racism and mental ill health.
As a child, A.J. describes a sense of knowing that she was a girl, but not having the knowledge or language to express this. This changed when she was in high school, when one day in class a teacher passed her a newspaper clip about a famous transgender woman from Germany who underwent gender confirmation surgery. Despite finally having a word to explain her experience – trans – A.J. wasn’t ready to accept that she was a transgender woman, due to the transphobia she had witnessed in the media and at school. This led her to feeling trapped – as she was unable to accept that she was trans, and because this, she was unable to move forward and become the woman she was destined to be. Fortunately, she grew more comfortable with her transgender identity over time and was able to begin the process of socially and medically transitioning. Now, even though she still has some bad days, she is proud of the woman she has become.
After becoming comfortable in her transgender identity, A.J. also learned to appreciate her cultural heritage. A.J. is biracial, having a Filipina mother and a white father. Growing up, she witnessed her mother facing racism and became aware of how white culture treats Asian people in general. As A.J. felt she was able to pass as white, she said she downplayed her Filipina heritage to avoid facing racism herself. Over time, she came to embrace her heritage. This journey was complex but some factors that led to this included having positive representation of Asian women in the media, and having people in her life that celebrated their own cultural heritage.
Whilst most of the book focuses on A.J.’s own lived experience, it also includes educational segments about LGBTQI issues and mental health.
Overall, this book is fantastic as it provides the language and representation for young people to understand themselves and navigate their journey to embracing their identities. It’s a great book for any young person who is exploring their sexuality or gender identity, or for anyone wanting to learn more about what it’s like to grow up trans and biracial in Australia.
If you’d like to read Girl, Trans-cending, you can place a hold on it in our catalogue.
Jemma
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