Transgendering: A New Dan Brown Mystery

I wasn't going to read Dan Brown's latest anyway, having never really been a fan of the genre. Furthermore, I wouldn't say that this little snippet (as noted by Sarah Liss in her 12-hour speed-run through the book) ensures that I never will, but it certainly doesn't improve my opinion of the author:

The act of tattooing one’s skin was a transformative declaration of power, an announcement to the world: I am in control of my own flesh. The intoxicating feeling of control derived from physical transformation had addicted millions to flesh-altering practices … cosmetic surgery, body piercing, bodybuilding, and steroids … even bulimia and transgendering.

I'll admit -- I don't have context on this, and Liss doesn't provide any in the piece. Someone will probably argue that this is the voice of a character and not the author, or that his intent wasn't to compare trans people to those with eating disorders. Still, a lot of people are going to read this thing, and if there's no further explanation in the text, then some of those people are probably going to go away with an associated between the two.

And fuck, transgendering? Is that even a word, Dan Brown? I will happily be corrected on this if I'm wrong, but the term I'm familiar with is transitioning.