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Meredith Talusan

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Meredith Talusan
Born (1975-06-26) June 26, 1975 (age 49)
San Rafael, Bulacan, Philippines
EducationHarvard University, Cornell University, California College of the Arts
Occupation(s)Journalist, author
Websitemtalusan.com

Meredith Talusan (born June 26, 1975) (pronouns: she/her/hers, they/them/theirs) is a Filipino-American author and journalist.[1] She is a contributing editor at them. and released her memoir Fairest in 2020, which was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in Transgender Nonfiction.[2][3][4][5] Talusan has written for a variety of publications including The New York Times,[6] VICE Magazine,[7] The Guardian,[8] and The Atlantic.[9]

Identity

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Talusan describes herself as a "queer albino first-generation Filipino immigrant" and identifies as a nonbinary bisexual transgender individual.[10] She belongs to the People of Color (POC), disabled, and feminist communities.[10] Her relationship to and experiences with different communities and identities is a central focus of her memoir [Fairest].[11][12] Talusan currently resides in Barryville, NY and has lived in Brooklyn, NY, Boston, MA, San Francisco, CA, Guatemala, and the Philippines.[10]

Early life

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Meredith Talusan was born and raised in the town of San Rafael, Bulacan in the rural Philippines.[13] She was assigned male at birth and privileged in her home country for her light skin and blond hair.[11][10][14][15][16] At age 7, Talusan moved to Manila and began acting.[14] Their first role in a popular sitcom that lasted until age 10 launched an acting career that ended by their early teens.[14][17] Talusan reflects on their childhood fame: "My brush with fame has taught me to value the simple pleasure of moving through the world undisturbed. It also made me keenly aware not just that celebrities can never live up to people’s fantasies, but that the pressure to do so burdens those whom I admire and adore."[14]

Talusan moved to Chino, California at age 15 before attending Harvard University on a scholarship.[11][18] She lived as a gay man until she transitioned in 2002.[12][13]

Education

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Meredith Talusan graduated from Harvard University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and American Literature.[19][15] She earned a Master of Arts in Comparative Literature and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Cornell University.[11][15] She also earned a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Art from California College of the Arts.[11][15]

Relationship

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Meredith Talusan is married to Josh Hanson.[11][20]

Career

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Talusan is a journalist and author.[21][22] She was the first trans staff writer at BuzzFeed and the first trans person to hold an executive position at Condé Nast.[18] She was previously the founding executive editor of them. and currently works as a contributing editor there.[2] Talusan has written for a variety of publications and contributed to several books including Burn it Down,[23] Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture,[24] and Nasty Women.[25][26][27]

Talusan's Mic feature "Unerased: Counting Transgender Lives" won a GLAAD award, The Al Neuharth Award for Innovation in Investigative Journalism, and a Deadline Award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2017.[21][22] In 2016, Talusan was nominated for a GLAAD award in the Outstanding Digital Journalism Article category for her VICE Magazine article, "How the Killing of a Trans Filipina Woman Ignited an International Incident."[28][29]

Book

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Talusan's first memoir Fairest was released on May 26, 2020, by Viking Press under Penguin Random House. The memoir details Talusan's journey from life in the Philippines as a boy with albinism to embodying her trans self as a woman in America.[4] It also discusses Talusan's encounters with being mistakenly perceived as cisgender, white, and able-bodied.[12] Talusan talks about how her embodiment within intersections of race, gender, and sexuality made her an outcast, and articulates a personal narrative that shows the ways in which transness can take on a variety of forms.[12]

Fairest is a Lambda Literary Award finalist and received positive praise. The New York Times writes: "Talusan sails past the conventions of trans and immigrant memoirs."[30] The Boston Globe says: "Talusan breathes new life into the well-worn body of the transgender life story." The Library Journal notes Talusan's "rare, frank vulnerability" in describing Fairest as a "debut [that stands] out from the crowd."[31]

References

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  1. ^ "About". Fairest: A Memoir — Meredith Talusan. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Meredith Talusan Latest Articles | them". them. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  3. ^ "Fairest: A Memoir — Meredith Talusan". Fairest: A Memoir — Meredith Talusan. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Fairest by Meredith Talusan: 9780525561309 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  5. ^ "2021 Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced". Lambda Literary. March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  6. ^ Talusan, Meredith (May 26, 2020). "Opinion | On Being a Trans Woman, and Giving Up Makeup". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  7. ^ "Meredith Talusan". www.vice.com. August 3, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "Meredith Talusan | The Guardian". the Guardian. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  9. ^ "Meredith Talusan". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d "Meredith Talusan". Stand Proud. Archived from the original on April 1, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Saulnier, Beth (August 31, 2020). "Upon Reflection". Cornell Alumni Magazine. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d Goldberg, R. L. (May 26, 2020). "Unflinching Honesty: An Interview with Meredith Talusan". The Paris Review. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Talusan, Meredith (2020). Fairest : a memoir. [New York]. ISBN 978-0-525-56130-9. OCLC 1124897453.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  14. ^ a b c d "As A Former Child Star, I'm Suspicious Of Buying Into The Cult Of Celebrity". BuzzFeed News. September 23, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  15. ^ a b c d "Meredith Talusan". The Shipman Agency. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  16. ^ Wabuke, Hope (May 27, 2020). "A Memoir Reflects On What Happens To The 'Fairest' Of Them All". NPR. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  17. ^ "Meredith Talusan On Her New Memoir, Life As A Child Star, Relationship With Parents". NPR.org. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Terrell, Kellee (June 1, 2020). "Meredith Talusan's 'Fairest' Is a Beautiful Journey in Finding Her Truest Self". Shondaland. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  19. ^ "HGSC Welcomes Meredith Talusan, AB '97 as Featured Guest". hgsc.sigs.harvard.edu. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  20. ^ "@1demerith on Instagram: "#tbt a week ago when I felt cute with..."". www.instagram.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  21. ^ a b "PRESS RELEASE: NLGJA Announces 2017 Excellence in Journalism Award Winners and Honorees – NLGJA". Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Copy Of – Deadline Club". Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  23. ^ Dancyger, Lilly (February 5, 2019). Burn It Down. Basic Books. ISBN 9781580058940.
  24. ^ Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture. May 1, 2018. ISBN 978-1-5385-1899-1.
  25. ^ Mukhopadhyay, Samhita; Harding, Kate (October 3, 2017). Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump's America. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-250-15550-4.
  26. ^ "Meredith Talusan Latest Articles". SELF. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  27. ^ "Meredith Talusan + Jenna Wortham: Fairest". Fairest: A Memoir — Meredith Talusan. May 27, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  28. ^ "GLAAD Media Awards Nominees #glaadawards". GLAAD. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  29. ^ "How the Killing of a Trans Filipina Woman Ignited an International Incident". www.vice.com. February 26, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  30. ^ Kameir, Rawiya (May 26, 2020). "From the Philippines to Harvard, Boyhood to Womanhood, a Coming-of-Age Across Borders". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  31. ^ Meredith, Talusan. "Fairest". Library Journal. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
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