cover image No One Taught Me How to Be a Man: What a Trans Man’s Experience Reveals About Masculinity

No One Taught Me How to Be a Man: What a Trans Man’s Experience Reveals About Masculinity

Shannon T.L. Kearns. Broadleaf, $25.99 (224p) ISBN 979-8-88983-092-4

Theologian Kearns debuts with a thoughtful and intimate exploration of modern masculinity. Drawing from the experience of shaping his identity as a trans man—which involved trying on personas ranging from gentleman to “fierce protector”—he contends that modern masculinity permits men to experience few vulnerable emotions besides anger, discourages closeness with other men, and disconnects men from their bodies and minds. Meanwhile, men learn in the evangelical church that God has granted them power over their families and religious communities, but are given mixed signals about how to wield that authority—they’re told “to be loving fathers but also righteous warriors,” for example, and to adhere to purity culture, but also that they risk “being driven mad by their sexual urges” without “God’s help.” Such insights about the contradictory nature of evangelical teachings are valuable and incisively drawn, while the healthier model of masculinity suggested by Kearns—which asks men to investigate their emotions, form closer connections with other men, and eradicate “toxic behaviors”—is smart and sensible if not groundbreaking. The result is an insightful look at the complicated nexus of gender and power in the evangelical church. (Apr.)