Sissy

More about the book

A heart-wrenching, eye-opening, and giggle-inducing memoir explores the complexities of growing up unsure of one’s gender identity. From the moment a doctor labeled Jacob Tobia as "male" on their birth certificate, life became a struggle against societal expectations tied to that label. Words like "masculine," "aggressive," and "sports" clashed with Jacob's sensitive, playful, and creative nature, leading to the label "sissy." Over two decades, this label evolved alongside terms like "gay," "trans," and "nonbinary," transforming into a source of pride and a call for a gender revolution. By revisiting their childhood and challenging stereotypes, Jacob encourages a rethinking of gender, offering a vision for a world free from gender-based trauma and rich in trans-inclusive feminism. The journey spans Jacob's Methodist upbringing, their time at Duke University, and experiences in the White House, all while maintaining fierce honesty, irreverent humor, and vulnerability. This memoir shatters the binary notion of gender, ensuring readers will never view their own or others' identities the same way again.