Pregnant butch - The Library of the Uncommons

118 pages

English language

Published Nov. 8, 2014 by Soft Skull Press, an imprint of Counterpoint.

ISBN:: 978-1-59376-540-8
OCLC Number:: 852223566

(1 review)

irst pregnancy can be a fraught, uncomfortable experience for any woman, but for resolutely butch lesbian Teek Thomasson, it is exceptionally challenging.

Teek identifies as a masculine woman in a world bent on associating pregnancy with a cult of uber-femininity. Teek wonders, “Can butches even get pregnant?”

Of course, as she and her pragmatic femme girlfriend Vee discover, they can. But what happens when they do? Written and illustrated by A.K. Summers, and based on her own pregnancy, Pregnant Butch strives to depict this increasingly common, but still underrepresented experience of queer pregnancy with humor and complexity—from the question of whether suspenders count as legitimate maternity wear to the strains created by different views of pregnancy within a couple and finally to a culturally critical and compassionate interrogation of gender in pregnancy.

Offering smart, ambitious art, this graphic memoir is a must-read for would-be pregnant butches and anyone interested in …

irst pregnancy can be a fraught, uncomfortable experience for any woman, but for resolutely butch lesbian Teek Thomasson, it is exceptionally challenging.

Teek identifies as a masculine woman in a world bent on associating pregnancy with a cult of uber-femininity. Teek wonders, “Can butches even get pregnant?”

Of course, as she and her pragmatic femme girlfriend Vee discover, they can. But what happens when they do? Written and illustrated by A.K. Summers, and based on her own pregnancy, Pregnant Butch strives to depict this increasingly common, but still underrepresented experience of queer pregnancy with humor and complexity—from the question of whether suspenders count as legitimate maternity wear to the strains created by different views of pregnancy within a couple and finally to a culturally critical and compassionate interrogation of gender in pregnancy.

Offering smart, ambitious art, this graphic memoir is a must-read for would-be pregnant butches and anyone interested in the intersection of birth and gender, as well as a perfect queer baby shower gift and conversation starter for those who always assumed they “got” being pregnant.

2 editions

Literally Graphic reviewed Pregnant butch by A. K. Summers

Review of 'Pregnant butch' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

A great premise, which unfortunately fell a bit flat for me personally. Having read quite a bit of lesbian memoir, graphic novels and women's health nonfiction this year I felt like this was a sure fit for me, but no dice.

Maybe if I was more acquainted with butch culture I would have gotten more out of the book, but that's exactly why I picked up the book in the first place. To learn. While I received a few glimpses of how Teek's pregnancy might differ from any none traditional female pregnancy, I felt more then a little let down.

The situation was not helped by the fact that Teek and I are completely different people. She does not come across as terribly empathetic, and all the complaining she does seems rather childish. For example, she is very hard core about wanting a midwife birth. Having read a lot about …

A great premise, which unfortunately fell a bit flat for me personally. Having read quite a bit of lesbian memoir, graphic novels and women's health nonfiction this year I felt like this was a sure fit for me, but no dice.

Maybe if I was more acquainted with butch culture I would have gotten more out of the book, but that's exactly why I picked up the book in the first place. To learn. While I received a few glimpses of how Teek's pregnancy might differ from any none traditional female pregnancy, I felt more then a little let down.

The situation was not helped by the fact that Teek and I are completely different people. She does not come across as terribly empathetic, and all the complaining she does seems rather childish. For example, she is very hard core about wanting a midwife birth. Having read a lot about health and pregnancy of late I can understand why, but it's never explained in the story what that would even look like!

The art however is very well done, and all the elements are there for a good story. But for the randomness of some of the stories included I might have given it three stars despite my lack of enjoyment. But two it is. Not that I expect my opinion is really that important.

Subjects

Pregnant women
Lesbians
Comic books, strips