None of the Above

Reflections on Life Beyond the Binary

By: Travis Alabanza

Narrated by: Travis Alabanza

In None of the Above: Reflections on Life Beyond the Binary, Travis Alabanza considers seven phrases people have directed at them throughout their life. These phrases—some deceptively innocuous, some deliberately loaded or violent, some celebratory—have fundamentally shaped Alabanza, both for better and for worse.

But these phrases also illuminate broader issues about a world that insists on gender as a fixed identity. Alabanza considers the meaning of gender, and the role it plays in a world that rigidly and aggressively enforces the binary. Drawing from their experiences as racialized queer person, Alabanza deftly interrogates our current frameworks around identity with nuance, openness, and humor.

The result is a meditation on doubt and language that turns a mirror back on society, and on ourselves. By heralding transformative futures, None of the Above questions what we think we know—and shares new ways that we might live.

©2023 Travis Alabanza (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Critic reviews

"British performance artist and writer Travis Alabanza narrates their own expansive exploration of race, gender, and trans identity. Throughout this engaging production, they reject the expectation of a tidy response to the “When did you know . . . ” question and the demands to perform according to narrowly defined gender parameters. Alabanza’s unhurried delivery imprints their memoir on listeners, planting seeds for ongoing discussion." - Audiofile Magazine

Really gotta feel for the authors voice and enjoyed this book immensely

I loved how the author seemed to reveal their authentic self in such a vulnerable way. How absolutely brave and beautiful.

Reflections that bring hope and peace

Travis Alabanza’s reflections beyond the binary are thoughtful, raw, explanatory and hopeful. The reality they bring to light may not always be the best show of humanity but their interpretation of how it all comes into play with the oppressive nature of the gender binary gives hope for a better, more freeing world