A Story of Trying to Get Free: Jennifer Finney Boylan Discusses Her New Book Cleavage

About this sermon

In this special episode, we welcome Barnard College professor and acclaimed author Jennifer Finney Boylan back to the show to discuss her latest labor of love, her book Cleavage. In the book, Jenny examines the divisions—and common ground—between the genders, drawing on her own challenging yet joyful experiences as a transgender American. During our conversation, Jennifer dives into how nuance, imagination, patience, empathy, and understanding are essential in our divided world. Reflecting on her journey as a transgender woman, she reminds us that “living your best life is not necessarily a political decision, but a matter of life and death.” Ultimately, what she seeks is simple: to be left alone, to live freely, and to be herself. Segments: • Bless & Release: Gender Stereotypes Thought-Provoking Quotes: • “Conversations about trans-women in sports are complicated and demand nuance, patience, and imagination. For us to be defined by the most difficult and controversial aspects of our existence is really unfair.” – Jennifer Finney Boylan • “I’m not a woman with an asterisk. At 66 ½ years old, my life has a lot more in common with other women my age than you would think. My life does not revolve around me trying to sneak into your daughter’s soccer game. My life revolves around my family, reading, teaching, and working in the garden.” – Jennifer Finney Boylan • “These are hard times. But we do know that hard times come and hard times go. And, whatever this moment is, is not forever. Although I can’t underestimate exactly how hard it is to be singled out by the President of the United States as a person who specifically is not deserving of love or respect or basic human kindness.” – Jennifer Finney Boylan • “Nobody goes from male to female in hopes of getting a better deal.” – Jennifer Finney Boylan • “I hope people will pick up and read Cleavage not because they want to understand more about the trans business but because they want to know what sorts of choices people can make when they feel that the world is against them and there is no room for them. I have found, against all odds, that there is room for me, that I have been loved, and, on a good day, the world is full of joy and humor.” – Jennifer Finney Boylan Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us by Jennifer Finney Boylan Mad Honey: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel by Jennifer Finney Boylan Roxane Gay She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan Jennifer Finney Boylan’s New York Times articles - https://www.nytimes.com/column/jennifer-finney-boylan I Am Cait (Caitlin Jenner Show) - https://tv.apple.com/us/show/i-am-cait/umc.cmc.38b55qpveo4xdxypnk03xfvmp Torrey Peters - https://www.torreypeters.com/ Kate Bornstein - http://katebornstein.com/ Trans Bodies Trans Selves: a Resource Guide for the Transgender Community - http://transbodies.com/ John Barth - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Barth Ben Hatmaker’s marathon post - https://www.instagram.com/p/DGI6wt2OyBL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Cleavage Tour Schedule - https://us.macmillan.com/tours/jennifer-finney-boylan-cleavage/ Guest’s Links: Jenny’s website - https://jenniferboylan.net/ Jenny’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jenniferfinneyboylan Jenny’s Twitter - https://x.com/JennyBoylan Jenny’s Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JenniferFinneyBoylan/ Jenny’s Medium - https://medium.com/@jennyboylan_97964 Connect with Jen! Jen’s website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker Jen’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen’s Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmaker Jen’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.

Topics

• Overcoming Obstacles