Dis?Miss Gender?

A bold mix of photographs and short essays in which artists, writers, and theorists investigate and celebrate the rapidly evolving world of gender.

Discuss. Discover. Disrupt. We dis- a lot in English, particularly with regard to women and queer people. Our understanding of gender is changing, and with it, so are our questions. Dis…Miss Gender? provides thoughtfully considered contributions from an intrepid group of a hundred artists and writers who explore contemporary concepts of gender. Anchored by lavish illustrations and original essays from prominent gender theorists, including Karen Tongson, Amelia Jones, and Tiffany E. Barber, plus commentary from artists, viewers, and organizations committed to equity and justice, this provocative book is the culmination of a five-year initiative by Anne Bray. 


Dis… Mis Gender? offers a kaleidoscopic survey of intersectionality and queer thought, as well as fourth-wave feminism, misogyny, and other forms of oppression based on age, ethnicity, ability, or class. As the population of gender nonconforming and people of color grows, so too does their demand for visual representations of themselves in the world at large. Dis…Miss Gender? nourishes the change we need so that we can at last model diverse identities, question our options, reduce our judgments, and destroy stereotypes. Celebrating a joyful plurality, this book is a finger-on-the-pulse revelation of gender in the act of transforming.

Anne Bray is an artist and director of the nonprofit arts organization Freewaves in Los Angeles. Freewaves has presented more than 3,000 artists in partnership with 125 curators and over 100 organizations at venues including MIT, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Hammer Museum.