Deirdre N. McCloskey - Crossing: A Memoir

1999, 2019, Deirdre N. McCloskey, English, Interview,

Full title: "Crossing: A Memoir" by Deirdre Nansen McCloskey.

"We have read the stories of those who have "crossed" lines of race and class and culture. But few have written of crossing - completely and entirely - the gender line. "Crossing" is the story of Deirdre McCloskey (formerly Donald), once a golden boy of conservative economics and a child of 1950s and 1960s privilege, and her dramatic and poignant journey to becoming a woman. McCloskey's account of her painstaking efforts to learn to "be a woman" unearth fundamental questions about gender and identity, and hatreds and anxieties, revealing surprising answers."

Prof. Deirdre Nansen McCloskey is a well-known American economist, historian, rhetorician, LGBTQ activist, the author of 17 books and over 400 scholarly pieces on topics ranging from technical economics and statistical theory to transgender advocacy.

In 2017, I interviewed her and this is what she told me about the origin of this book: "Partly it was personal, to explain myself, especially to my family, at a time when gender crossing was less common (1995 was when I started my transition; the book was published in 1999). Partly it was professional, to explain to my colleagues in economics and history. And partly it was political, to defend other gender crossers and assorted queers. I had, in the 1950s and 1960s, the correct views against segregation and in favor of Black civil rights but didn't do much. I had in the 1970s and 1980s the correct views against discrimination against women and gays and the handicapped and colonial people, but I didn't do much."

"Then in 1995 God (who is, by the way, a Black, lesbian, working-class single mother who lives in Leeds: better get ready!) touched me on the shoulder. "This is your last chance, dearie, to stand up for something you believe in!" So I did. Well, maybe not so much, since I was a tenured full professor at the time. True, I was willing to give it all up to be the person I wanted to be. But fortunately, I didn't have to. Having the income and standing made my path smoother—although not entirely smooth: for example my sister tried four times and succeeded twice in having me seized by the police and put in a madhouse; and my marriage family turned against me, never relenting in the 21 years since then. Yet there are some lessons that might be useful. Get on with your actual life as a woman. Don't become a professional transwoman, necessarily, unless you have the political gifts of people like Andrea, Lynn, or Riki. Get with born women, in church or clubs or work. Attend to your facial appearance with operations (nose job and the like), and don't worry too much about the plumbing—after all, your plumbing is not inspected hundreds of times a day. Learn the right gestures. Don't have vocal operations (I did), but work on how to talk, not in sound only but in content."

Deirdre Nansen McCloskey is a distinguished professor who has made significant contributions across multiple disciplines. She holds the title of Distinguished Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her expertise spans various fields: Economics, History, English, and Communication. Trained at Harvard, she has authored 24 books and around 400 academic and popular articles. She taught at the University of Chicago during its golden era (1968–1980). McCloskey describes herself as a: “Literary, quantitative, postmodern, free-market, progressive-Episcopalian, ex-marxoid, Midwestern woman from Boston who was once a man.” Notably, she identifies as a Christian classical liberal. McCloskey’s work challenges conventional economic explanations. She emphasizes the role of ideas in driving global prosperity. Her unique blend of disciplines enriches our understanding of the world. In summary, Deirdre Nansen McCloskey is a trailblazing scholar whose intellectual curiosity knows no bounds.

Available via Amazon

and The Heroines of My Life

Photo via The Heroines of My Life