--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When trying to comprehend what is…" description: "\"“When trying to comprehend what is happening to, and through, oneself, why not question the narratives one has been handed to make sense with? This is ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/mitch-kellaway-52397_gender_when-trying-to-comprehend-what-is-happen_2637110.jpg" --- # When trying to comprehend what is happening to, and… ![“When trying to comprehend what is happening to, and through, oneself, why not question the narratives one has been handed to make sense with? This is an approach increasingly utilized within transgender knowledge production, one spearheaded by transgender people themselves. It brings to light…” quote by Mitch Kellaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/mitch-kellaway-52397_gender_when-trying-to-comprehend-what-is-happen_2637110.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/mitch-kellaway-52397_gender_when-trying-to-comprehend-what-is-happen_2637110.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/mitch-kellaway-52397_gender_when-trying-to-comprehend-what-is-happen_2637110.jpg) > ““When trying to comprehend what is happening to, and through, oneself, why not question the narratives one has been handed to make sense with? This is an approach increasingly utilized within transgender knowledge production, one spearheaded by transgender people themselves. It brings to light questions about previous entries into the trans nonfiction canon, asking: Is it necessary, when writing a trans protagonist, to describe in detail a medical transition, to 'confess' conflicted feelings of body confusion? Has it even been internalized into a communal consciousness, into something resembling a trans storytelling requirement?”” [Mitch Kellaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kellaway/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Questioning dominant narratives reveals hidden assumptions in trans storytelling and challenges unnecessary focus on medical transition details. **In simple terms:** Ask why certain story elements are expected in trans fiction. Key Takeaway Challenge default expectations in trans narratives. Themes identity representation storytelling critical theory trans studies Mood thoughtful analytical Type critical inspirational When to use this quote - Writing workshops - literary criticism - publishing decisions - author interviews - reader discussions Key Concepts Narrative construction authorial intent cultural expectations Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide which aspects of identity to foreground? - What impact does questioning norms have on readers? A Different Perspective Risk of overgeneralizing all trans works as needing critique. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender/) [Question Narratives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-narratives-2237515/) [Trans Nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trans-nonfiction-2237514/) [Trans Protagonist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trans-protagonist-2237513/) [Transgender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transgender/) [Transgender Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transgender-knowledge-2237516/) [Writing Trans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-trans-1691626/) ## Related quotes > [My intention was never to write a "trans novel" - which is perhaps an effective strategy for writing a trans novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/my-intention-was-never-to-write-a-trans-novel-which-is-perhaps-an/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [ “That night I looked Stephanie \[Burt\] up online and started reading more about her work...I kept encountering a striking factoid...: she’s often cited as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kellaway/that-night-i-looked-stephanie-burt-up-online-and-started-reading-more/) [Mitch Kellaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kellaway/) > [ “\["Manning Up"'s\] essays definitely nuance the idea of transitioning into a “shared manhood” (much like feminists of color have complicated the idea of “shared… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kellaway/manning-up-s-essays-definitely-nuance-the-idea-of-transitioning-into/) [Mitch Kellaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kellaway/) > [“We’re at this really unique time, I think, in trans representation in popular culture where homelessness, depression, mental health issues, instability-in-general are still so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kellaway/we-re-at-this-really-unique-time-i-think-in-trans-representation-in/) [Mitch Kellaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kellaway/) > [“Books were irreplaceable to me as a teenage trans person trying to figure out my identity. 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How is it that the gravitational pull of my beard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kellaway/the-term-ftm-butch-border-war-just-sounds-like-an-alien-land-of-yore/) [Mitch Kellaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kellaway/) > [“If you are an LGBT+ person and you come out, you have to go through your knight’s quest to create ground for yourself, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-izzard/if-you-are-an-lgbt-person-and-you-come-out-you-have-to-go-through/) [Eddie Izzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-izzard/) > [The gay movement has realized its agenda, so they've gotta transfer that energy somewhere and transgenders is the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-gay-movement-has-realized-its-agenda-so-they-ve-gotta-transfer/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“There's something very... I don't know; primitive, perhaps, about you, Gurgeh. You've never changed sex, have you?' He shook his head. 'Or slept with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/there-s-something-very-i-don-t-know-primitive-perhaps-about-you/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [My own take on the word "transgender" is that it's an umbrella term for anyone who breaks any rules, laws, guidelines or protocol of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bornstein/my-own-take-on-the-word-transgender-is-that-it-s-an-umbrella-term-for/) [Kate Bornstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bornstein/) > [The Trevor Project provides crisis-intervention and suicide-prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teens and young adults. It's truly a lifeline to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/the-trevor-project-provides-crisis-intervention-and-suicide/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [I was in a conversation and someone said: "You know, we were talking about the whole issue of transgender and how it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-was-in-a-conversation-and-someone-said-you-know-we-were-talking/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I think that the fact of the matter is that metal isn't really part of the big picture of the gay, lesbian, transgender music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-halford/i-think-that-the-fact-of-the-matter-is-that-metal-isn-t-really-part/) [Rob Halford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-halford/) > [“If we start preemptively cutting out parts of who we are because they’re ‘not feminist enough’, then we’ve failed before we’ve begun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-n-lester/if-we-start-preemptively-cutting-out-parts-of-who-we-are-because-they/) [C. N. Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-n-lester/) > [Everyone's journey to coming out as transgender is different. For me, I've know that I'm transgender my entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mcbride/everyone-s-journey-to-coming-out-as-transgender-is-different-for-me-i/) [Sarah McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mcbride/) ## More by Mitch Kellaway > [“The term “FTM-Butch Border War” just sounds like an alien land of yore. How is it that the gravitational pull of my beard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kellaway/the-term-ftm-butch-border-war-just-sounds-like-an-alien-land-of-yore/) [Mitch Kellaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kellaway/) > [“Books were irreplaceable to me as a teenage trans person trying to figure out my identity. I bought or borrowed every one I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kellaway/books-were-irreplaceable-to-me-as-a-teenage-trans-person-trying-to/) [Mitch Kellaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kellaway/) > [“We’re at this really unique time, I think, in trans representation in popular culture where homelessness, depression, mental health issues, instability-in-general are still so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kellaway/we-re-at-this-really-unique-time-i-think-in-trans-representation-in/) [Mitch Kellaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kellaway/) > [ “\["Manning Up"'s\] essays definitely nuance the idea of transitioning into a “shared manhood” (much like feminists of color have complicated the idea of “shared… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kellaway/manning-up-s-essays-definitely-nuance-the-idea-of-transitioning-into/) [Mitch Kellaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kellaway/) > [ “That night I looked Stephanie \[Burt\] up online and started reading more about her work...I kept encountering a striking factoid...: she’s often cited as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kellaway/that-night-i-looked-stephanie-burt-up-online-and-started-reading-more/) [Mitch Kellaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kellaway/) > [“How does ANY male-identified person know he is a man? And does my answer really diverge greatly from how many men, trans or cisgender,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kellaway/how-does-any-male-identified-person-know-he-is-a-man-and-does-my/) [Mitch Kellaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kellaway/) [Explore all 7 Mitch Kellaway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kellaway/) ## More Gender quotes > [“Because I am a transvestite, people often assume that this gives me a special insight into the opposite gender. But this is rubbish: how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/because-i-am-a-transvestite-people-often-assume-that-this-gives-me-a/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [I hate prejudice on any level. I don't care if it's somebody being discriminated against because of the color of their skin or their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlamagne-tha-god/i-hate-prejudice-on-any-level-i-don-t-care-if-it-s-somebody-being/) [Charlamagne tha God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlamagne-tha-god/) > [Right now, for many Americans, class is being foregrounded like never before because of the economic situation. It doesn't mean that race doesn't matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/right-now-for-many-americans-class-is-being-foregrounded-like-never/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [O! how short a time does it take to put an end to a woman's liberty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-burney/o-how-short-a-time-does-it-take-to-put-an-end-to-a-woman-s-liberty/) [Fanny Burney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-burney/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. 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Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) > [We need policymakers to keep an eye on gender and write policies that are explicitly designed to include underserved populations like girls in computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/we-need-policymakers-to-keep-an-eye-on-gender-and-write-policies-that/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [As far as the adjectives that I lead with, I think a writer and a comedienne are first. 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But it's ridiculous to a lot of people and I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-arquette/it-s-very-important-to-me-that-people-accept-me-as-a-transgendered/) [Alexis Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-arquette/) > ["Natural" is a very dangerous word to use about sexuality ... Our society's notions of normality are completely fake and meta-trendy, since they rely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-bright/natural-is-a-very-dangerous-word-to-use-about-sexuality-our-society-s/) [Susie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-bright/) > [The great paradox of the civil rights revolution is that instead of enforcing and expanding equality before the law, the revolution created differential rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/the-great-paradox-of-the-civil-rights-revolution-is-that-instead-of/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) [Browse all 2,591 Gender quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When trying to comprehend what is happening to, and through, oneself, why not question the narratives one has been handed to make sense with? 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