A random collection of over 1910 books and audiobooks authored by or about my transgender, intersex sisters, and gender-nonconforming persons all over the world. I read some of them, and I was inspired by some of them. I met some of the authors and heroines, some of them are my best friends, and I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing some of them. If you know of any transgender biography that I have not covered yet, please let me know.
Original title: "Eu, Ruddy" (Me, Ruddy) by Ruddy Pinho.
“Eu, Ruddy” is a significant work in the history of LGBTQIA+ literature in Brazil. It is considered the first book written by a trans person in the country. In that period the author did not yet recognize herself as a woman, nor did she bring this issue explicitly to her writing, which will only occur after the publication of her second autobiography, Liberdade ainda que profana (1998).
Ruddy Pinho, also known as “A Maravilhosa”, was a celebrated transgender hairdresser from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was known for her work with famous clients, including Susana Vieira and Marilia Pêra. Ruddy Pinho made a significant contribution to the hairdressing industry, including creating the “lioness cut” that marked the career of singer Simone Bittencourt and was widely copied in the 1980s.
1980,
Brazil,
Portuguese,
Ruddy Pinho,
Full title: "Transsexuality in the Male: The Spectrum of Gender Dysphoria" by Edwin K. Koranyi.
"‘Gender dysphoria’ is a term suggested by the author to describe the spectrum of patients drawn from transsexualists, transvestites and effeminate homosexuals who are disenchanted with their male, anatomical sex: it has little clinical authenticity to
justify its use and is of dubious value.
The book reviews the biological, genetic and environmental factors that have been identified in the aetiology of male transsexualism and discusses the clinical management and treatment of the condition. There is little in the way of original data to appeal to the specialist and this book would only be of value to those with a casual interest in transsexualism."
1980,
Edwin K. Koranyi,
English,
Full title: "George and Julia" by Julia Grant.
"Julia Grant (1954-2019), who was born as George Roberts, has died aged 64. Grant was the first "transsexual", as trans people were then called, to publicly share her story on television, and changed the way Britain viewed transgender people in the 1970s.
In five-hour-long film documentaries which were aired as the BBC Two series A Change of Sex, her story gripped the nation, with nearly nine million viewers watching the first episode, "George and Julia", in 1979. The films, intimate, frank and observational, were shown between then and 1999, as new episodes unfolded in her story."
1980,
English,
Julia Grant,
UK,
Original title: "Ik Moniek... een vrouw: Het openhartige verslag van een transseksueel : hoe een "man" een "vrouw" werd" (Me Moniek... a woman: A transsexual's candid account of how a "man" became a "woman")
Here is the biography of Moniek, a transgender woman who made the transition from man to woman in the 70s in the Netherlands. It is the experience of someone who has to go through a difficult and emotional path to become a woman.
This remarkable book chronicles in a moving and sometimes disconcerting way the "transsexualization" of a man who has felt himself to be a woman all his life. He felt like a "stranger in his own body" and nothing could be firm conviction, namely, to have been born in a strange shell.
More than four years ago he began a difficult and painful journey that included exhaustive conversations with psychologists and hormonal treatments; a radical operation finally brought about the final transformation into a woman.
1980,
Dutch,
Moniek van Dommelen,
Original title: "História De Joana Transexual" (Story of Transsexual Joana) is the Portuguese language edition of "Histoire de Jeanne transsexuelle" by Catherine Rihoit and Jeanne Nolais.
Joana Nolais's autobiography was written together with journalist Catherine Rihoit, as Joana was not a writer and needed support to organize her ideas.
Joana wrote her story at the age of sixty-four
of age, four years after gender reassignment surgery. For her, her autobiography had the purpose of opening a space of existence and social recognition. For us,
it is a record that invites dialogue and a look at transsexuality.
Right from the start, Joana refers to two possible paths for transsexuals, either to hide or show off like circus animals. There are not a variety of options to choose from,
when you are transsexual, society does not recognize transgender people and wants nothing to do with transsexuality.
1980,
Catherine Rihoit,
Jeanne Nolais,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Histoire de Jeanne transsexuelle" (History of transsexual Jeanne)
This testimony is the fruit of the interviews conducted by Jeanne Nolais and Catherine Rihoit. The main character, Jeanne, retraces her life, from her childhood to all events and experiences leading to a transition.
Jeanne Nolais's autobiography was written together with journalist Catherine Rihoit, as Jeanne was not a writer and needed support to organize her ideas.
Jeanne wrote her story at the age of sixty-four of age, four years after gender reassignment surgery. For her, her autobiography had the purpose of opening a space of existence and social recognition. For us, it is a record that invites dialogue and a look at transsexuality.
Right from the start, Jeanne refers to two possible paths for transsexuals, either to hide or show off like circus animals. There are not a variety of options to choose from, when you are transsexual, society does not recognize transgender people and wants nothing to do with transsexuality.
1980,
Catherine Rihoit,
French,
Jeanne Nolais,
Full title: "I Changed My Sex" by Hedy Jo Star.
The book was published in 1955 but I was not able to find the original cover of the first publication. This cover comes from an edition that was published in 1963. The book was reissued as "I changed my sex!": the autobiography of stripper Hedy Jo Star formerly Carl Hammonds; with an introduction by Edwin Poole" in 1980.
Hedy Jo Star (1920-1999) was an American showgirl, costumier, and business woman. She was born Carl Rollins Hammonds in Prague, Oklahoma, the eldest of seven children. According to Zagria's blog, she grew small breasts as a teenager, and her mother took her to several doctors including a ‘brain specialist’, but her parents would not consent to exploratory surgery.
1955,
1963,
1980,
English,
Hedy Jo Star,
USA,
