Something That May Shock and Discredit You
I think the underlying reason is simply, people ought to be able to do what they wish with their own bodies, and I don’t believe anyone else has a better right than I do to handle mine.
Daniel Lavery is very clear about one thing, he does not owe an explanation about himself or his gender to anyone.
His deeply personal new book, Something That May Shock and Discredit You is a funny, gentle and self-deprecating exploration of how Daniel sees the world, and how the experience of coming to know and affirm his gender has affected the lens through which he experiences that world.
Taking direct aim at the cultural canon, Daniel’s work leaves no literary or philosophical stone unturned, spanning everything from the cast of Mean Girls to the beauty of William Shatner and whether or not Greek goddess Athena was a tomboy - a truly unapologetic exploration of all the intricacies of reimagining gender, faith, and family.
Join UNSW social researcher Christy Newman in conversation with Daniel to explore how this vital combination of courage and humour might help us resist efforts to discredit community knowledge of our own bodies, desires and needs, and become more honest about the awkwardness and ambiguities in our intimate lives.
You can order a copy of Something That May Shock and Discredit You by Daniel M Lavery online through the UNSW bookshop here.
Please be aware that this event discusses sexual abuse and trauma which may be distressing for some people. Resources and support can be found here: unsw.to/sexualmisconductsupport.
The Centre for Ideas’ International Conversations series brings the world to Sydney. Each digital event brings a leading UNSW thinker together with their international peer or hero to explore inspiration, new ideas and discoveries.
Daniel Lavery
Daniel M. Lavery is the author of Something that May Shock and Discredit You, Texts From Jane Eyre, and The Merry Spinster. He is a co-founder of The Toast and a former Dear Prudence at Slate. He runs The Chatner newsletter and lives in New York.
Christy Newman
Christy Newman (they/them) is a Professor of health, sexuality and gender at the UNSW Centre for Social Research in Health, and Associate Dean Engagement and Impact in UNSW Arts, Design and Architecture. Over the last two decades, Christy has had the privilege of documenting the lived experience of people whose ways of ‘doing’ gender, sexuality, relationships and families are considered diverse or unconventional, including queer and trans communities, and those intimately affected by HIV and viral hepatitis. Christy is endlessly inspired by the cultures of care and courage these communities bring to the intersecting tasks of looking after one self, and looking after one another, often in the face of ongoing social and political hostility.
