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In this thought-provoking, timely book, model and activist Munroe Bergdorf reflects on individuality, evolution, and the ever-changing nature of identity, revealing how they have shaped her own lived experience and how society shapes-and is shaped by-each.
"Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, I ask myself this question: what if I'd just done nothing?"
When Munroe Bergdorf began to transition in 2009, her only goal was blending in. She wanted nothing more than to "pass"-to be perceived as the gender by which she identified. "I was of the mindset that in order to transition successfully I needed to change other people's perception of who I was."
More than a decade later, Bergdorf has reconsidered that thinking. "We do not all of a sudden become a whole different person upon the realization of our transness. . . . As time goes on, we all develop as people. And it struck me that none of us ever becomes someone else entirely-regardless of how we identify-but nor do we stay the same forever, either." For Bergdorf, transitioning is an ingrained part of the human experience, not just a process that only trans people go through. It's universal. Everyone changes.
Part memoir, part big idea book, Transitional explores the nature of transition, its significance in Bergdorf's life, how it impacts-and is considered and influenced by-society, and what it means for our own experiences. Bergdorf explains how she came to revise her outlook and examines how society views change in six vital areas of human experience-adolescence, sexuality, gender, relationships, identity, and race. Using an intersectional approach, she deconstructs the stigma, bias, and prejudice within ourselves and one another, and redefines what it means to be "transitional."
Ultimately, Bergdorf seeks to bring us closer to a shared consciousness. Transitional reminds us that our unique differences give us power and shows how these differences can be harnessed as a tool to heal, build community, inspire personal growth, and forge a path for progress forward together.
About the author
Munroe Bergdorf is an activist, writer, and model. She has recently been appointed as contributing editor at British Vogue and has contributed to publications including The Guardian, Grazia, i-D, ELLE, Teen Vogue, and Paper. In 2019, Bergdorf was awarded an honorary doctorate for campaigning for transgender rights by the University of Brighton, and served as a national advocate for UN Women UK. Her first film, What Makes a Woman, premiered on Channel 4 in 2018.
Summary
The wise, life-changing, ground-breaking book from writer and activist Munroe Bergdorf.
Transitioning is an alignment of the invisible and the physical. It is truth rising to the surface. It is one of the most fundamental aspects of the human condition—a part of our experience as a conscious being, no matter who we are.
As time goes on, we all develop as people. None of us ever becomes someone else entirely—regardless of how we identify—but nor do we stay the same forever. We all transition. It's what binds us, not what separates us.
In Transitional, activist and writer Munroe Bergdorf draws on her own experience and theory from key experts, change-makers and activists to reveal just how deeply ingrained transitioning is in human experience.
This is a book to help bring us closer to a shared consciousness: a powerful guide to how our differences can be harnessed as a tool to heal, build community, and construct a better society.
