‘Queer Eye’ star Jonathan Van Ness pens new book
Jonathan Van Ness is always curious – their podcast and Netflix series “Getting Curious” surely gives that away. Now book lovers will get curious, too.
In their second book, “Love That Story: Observations From a Gorgeously Queer Life” (Harperone, 241 pp., out now), Van Ness invites readers along for a journey across 11 educational chapters involving queer history, body shaming and impostor syndrome.
Fans of Van Ness’ 2019 memoir “Over the Top” can expect fewer gutwrenching stories (but a major trigger warning if you’ve lost a pet recently) and more empowering resilience and the rewards that come from expanding your mind.
“Saying that you’re an Hiv-positive survivor of sexual abuse and drug addiction, it’s a pretty big Band-aid to rip off,” Van Ness, star of “Queer Eye,” says over a Zoom call. “Once I got that one ripped off, I was just like, ‘Oh, nothing’s going to feel that intense again, probably, knock on wood.’ ”
Think of this book as more of a peek inside their brain and why they think the way they do.
“I want to write what I’ve been learning about, what’s been driving me,” the energetic, ebullient Van Ness says. “I want to give insights into where I am, and why I am this way, and what I’ve learned to make me think this way.”
The book mixes the personal and historic: the history of marijuana prohibition in the U.S.; white fragility; the HIV social safety net; and the queer backstory behind Van Ness’ hometown of Quincy, Illinois. They uncovered where queer people used to congregate, dating back to the 1830s and through today, and the important local figures involved. Discovering all this reminded Van Ness of how transgender, nonbinary and queer people have been erased throughout history. “You’re made to think that you’re the first one,” they say. “You’re made to think that there’s no one else around you.”
This thought process shines through in another chapter dubbed “TERF Wars,” which takes direct aim at transexclusionary radical feminism. People who hold these views, such as author J.K. Rowling, believe that transgender women’s existence is a threat to all women.
“I think that for trans and nonbinary fans of J.K. Rowling who felt triggered by her transphobia, the pain was compounded because so many of us turned to her storytelling to escape the suffering inflicted on us,” Van Ness writes in their book.
Van Ness – who uses he, she and they pronouns – says this view comes “from a place of hurt” and “a place of fear.”
“They feel like they’ve had to fight so hard for these equal rights that making any room for someone new at the table is a threat or an erasure on their rights,” they add. “And what we’re saying is that actually, there’s enough room for everyone here. Some people having their rights and their equity acknowledged doesn’t take away your rights.”
Van Ness also emphasizes the importance of language in the context of trans and nonbinary people who menstruate: “It’s the difference between being able to separate how you talk about a group and how an individual speaks about themselves. Because trans and non binary people are not trying to say, ‘you can’t say you’re a woman who menstruates.’ You’re a woman. You can identify your gender all you want forever. That’s actually exactly what we’re saying. But we’re just saying that there are other people who don’t identify as women who do in fact give birth and do in fact menstruate.”
To ensure further societal understanding, Van Ness says it’s up to cisgender and heterosexual allies to step in, too. “Are there spaces in your life where you can talk about the history of gender?” Van Ness says. “Are there spaces in your life where you can read this chapter about trans exclusionary radical feminism and go talk about that in your world?”