Laura Kate Dale - Gender Euphoria

2022, English, Laura Kate Dale,

Full title: "Gender Euphoria: Stories of joy from trans, non-binary and intersex writers" by Laura Kate Dale.

"GENDER EUPHORIA: a powerful feeling of happiness experienced as a result of moving away from one’s birth-assigned gender. So often the stories shared by trans people about their transition center on gender dysphoria: a feeling of deep discomfort with their birth-assigned gender, and a powerful catalyst for coming out or transitioning.

But for many non-cisgender people, it’s gender euphoria that pushes forward their transition: the joy the first time a parent calls them by their new chosen name, the first time they have the confidence to cut their hair short, the first time they truly embrace themself. In this groundbreaking anthology, nineteen trans, non-binary, agender, gender-fluid, and intersex writers share their experiences of gender euphoria: an agender dominatrix being called “Daddy,” an Arab trans man getting his first tattoos, a trans woman embracing her inner fighter. What they have in common are their feelings of elation, pride, confidence, freedom and ecstasy as a direct result of coming out as non-cisgender, and how coming to terms with their gender has brought unimaginable joy into their lives."

Laura Kate Dale is an English video game journalist, author, and activist. She is known for her insightful writing about the transgender and autism communities in relation to video games, as well as her contributions to video game industry leaks. Laura has worked at gaming site Destructoid and was also the news editor for gaming site Kotaku UK for nearly two years. During her tenure at Kotaku UK, she published an article claiming that a song from the video game Persona 5 contained an ableist slur. However, this claim was later proven untrue, and Kotaku issued an apology for publishing the article without proper research. Laura left her position at Kotaku UK in June 2019 to pursue other projects. She has also written for The Guardian.

Laura is known for her video game leaks. Notably, she leaked the existence of Until Dawn: Rush of Blood in 2015 and details about the PlayStation 4 Slim in 2016. She also revealed information about the Nintendo Switch and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. She co-hosts the podcast Podquisition alongside gaming critic James Stephanie Sterling and Conrad Zimmerman. In this podcast, they discuss game industry news and related topics in a mostly non-serious, amusing manner. In May 2020, Laura launched a video series called “Access-ability” on YouTube. The show focuses on discussing the difficulties faced by neurodivergent or disabled people within video games. Laura reviews various games and explains what can be done to improve accessibility, making the video game industry more universally accessible. The series also addresses issues of LGBTQ+ representation within the medium.

Laura has published several books: “Things I Learned from Mario’s Butt: A Series of Gaming Butt Critiques”: Funded on the crowdfunding website Unbound in 2018. “Uncomfortable Labels: My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman”: A memoir published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in 2019. “Gender Euphoria: Stories of Joy from Trans, Non-Binary, and Intersex Writers”: Crowdfunded through Unbound and published in 2021. Laura Kate Dale’s work spans diverse topics, from gaming journalism to accessibility advocacy and representation. Her contributions have made a significant impact in the gaming community.

Available via Amazon