I have been held up consistently as a token, as the 'right' kind of trans woman (educated, able-bodied, attractive, articulate, heteronormative). It promotes the idea that because I 'made it,' that level of success is easily accessible to all young trans women. Let's be clear: it is not.
-- Janet (Introduction paragraph 2)

Importance: Throughout Redefining Realness, Mock takes note of the privileges she possesses, particularly in comparison to many other trans women, and the ones that she lacks. "Privilege," here, refers to the societal power a dominant group (such as, for example, able-bodied people) has in comparison to a marginalized or oppressed group (such as disabled people). While Mock is a black trans woman, and thus lacks privilege in many ways, she acknowledges that many other trans women with whom she grew up and who experience oppression across the globe don't have the same privileges she does, such as access to education, a heterosexual...