Something That May Shock and Discredit You is a memoir that discusses gender and gender transition as well as popular culture and theology, through a series of personal essays. The book includes 22 chapters as well as 19 interludes; all of these are self-contained essays, with the interludes generally being shorter and more experimental than the chapters. Various writing genres are represented, including chivalric romance, bible stories, and Westerns. Recurring themes include Jacob wrestling with the angel and Lavery's upbringing as a Christian. Essay titles include "Chapter Titles from the On-the-Nose, Po-Faced Transmasculine Memoir I Am Trying not to Write", "How I Intend to Comport Myself When I Have Abs Someday", and "Captain James T. Kirk Is a Beautiful Lesbian and I'm Not Sure Exactly How to Explain That".
