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: "Fahrwasser: Eine innere Biografie in Ansätzen" (Fairway: An inner biography in its beginnings) by Jayne-Ann Igel.
According to Mathilda Cullen, Jayne-Ann Igel was born in Leipzig, 1954, in the German Democratic Republic. Fahrwasser was her second poetic work, inaugurating her diaristic style with its publication in 1991. It was the first book she published after she came out (as a transgender woman) and changed her name as the Berlin Wall fell around her. She burst onto the samizdat literary scene of East Germany with a dysphoric style that meditates on fragments of language that approach her as strange, as a stranger.
She writes, “I think everything I’ve written so far is only because Jayne-Ann had kept quiet, kept withdrawing;” noting that “no matter how my language might change, internally, essentially, in its quality, it will not become unknowable, for it draws its life from the same identity I have assumed, it’s been with me for a long time, it’s the reason I move.”
1991,
German,
Jayne-Ann Igel,
Original title: "Aietirafat sayid sali: alqisat almuthirat litalib altibi aladhi tahawal alaa aimra'ati/ sali" اعترافات سيد سالي : القصة المثيرة لطالب الطب الذي تحول الى امرأة/ سالي (Confessions of Mr. Sally: The Thriller Story of Medical Student-turned-Woman/Sally) by Sally Mursi.
The book includes the confessions of Sally Mursi, a charismatic transgender pioneer from Egypt. According to Wikipedia, Sally Mursi (ar: سالي مرسي, born in 1968) is an Egyptian entertainer and transgender woman. Her sex reassignment surgery in 1988 stirred a lot of controversy and lawsuits in Egypt. Before she pursued medical operations, Mursi consulted with psychologist Salwa Jirjis Labib and underwent three years of conversion therapy, after which she was referred to a plastic surgeon Ezzat Ashamallah, who affirmed the diagnosis of "psychological hermaphroditism" and prescribed hormone replacement therapy for one year prior performing surgery on January 29, 1988.
1991,
Arabic,
Egypt,
Sally Mursi,
"Stephanie. Ik ben een bijzondere vrouw. De autobiografie van een transseksueel" (Stephanie. I'm a special woman. The autobiography of a transsexual) is the Dutch language edition of "Stephanie: A Girl in a Million" (1988) by Stephanie Anne Lloyd.
"This is Stephanie’s autobiography. It tells the story of Stephanie Anne Lloyd, the founder of Transformation and one of the first openly transgender women to speak out about the struggles and achievements of someone who is openly transgender.
At the age of 68, I have lived just over 50% of my life as a woman and the other half as a man. If women knew how much easier it is for men I am sure there would be a revolution. Hopefully, this very personal and honest account will give a unique perspective of the real differences between the sexes and also make the path of those who follow in my footsteps somewhat easier in these more enlightened times.
1991,
Dutch,
Stephanie Anne Booth,
Stephanie Anne Lloyd,
Full title: "The Zuni Man-Woman" by Will Roscoe. The book was published in 1991 and 1992.
"The Zuni Man-Woman focuses on the life of We'wha (1849-96), the Zuni who was perhaps the most famous berdache (an individual who combined the work and traits of both men and women) in American Indian history. Through We'wha's exceptional life, Will Roscoe creates a vivid picture of an alternative gender role whose history has been hidden and almost forgotten."
According to Wikipedia, "We'wha (1849–1896) was a Zuni Native American from New Mexico, a notable fiber artist, weaver, and potter. As the most famous lhamana on record, We'wha served as a cultural ambassador for Native Americans in general, and the Zuni in particular, serving as a contact point and educator for many European-American settlers, teachers, soldiers, missionaries, and anthropologists."
1991,
English,
Will Roscoe,
Original title: "Berlins drittes Geschlecht: Schwule und Lesben um 1900" (Berlin's third gender: Gays and lesbians around 1900) by Magnus Hirschfeld. The book was published in 1904 and republished many times, including the editions of 1991 and 2015.
"Hirschfeld is still unmatched in the vividness and scope of gay and lesbian life in Berlin, although he, too, had to make concessions to public opinion and censorship; for example, he avoided more detailed place names.
The epilogue by Manfred Herzer deals with the history of publications on "Warm Berlin" dating back to the 18th century.
In an appendix, the psychiatrist Paul Näcke describes a "visit to the Homoseuxllen in Berlin", which he undertook under Hirschfeld's leadership and during which he saw some things differently than his companion."
1904,
1991,
German,
Magnus Hirschfeld,
Original title: "Aaïcha: het bizarre conflict van een als man geboren vrouw" (Aaïcha: the bizarre conflict of a woman born as a man) by Ab Pruis and Aaïcha Bergamin.
I came across this book and its review through a fantastic website dedicated to the Dutch LGBT community.
"Aaïcha Bergamin was born Leonhard Bergamin in 1932. As a seventeen-year-old, she danced in Amsterdam in her sister's clothes. When her mother caught her with a Jamaican dancer at that time, she was forcibly admitted to a psychiatric institution in Heiloo. According to the doctors, she was a gay man with a trauma. "They just laughed at me when I told them I felt like a woman." Nevertheless, the doctors believed that a years-long trajectory of therapies and electroshocks could cure her."
1991,
Aaïcha Bergamin,
Ab Pruis,
Dutch,
Full title: "A Low Life in High Heels: The Holly Woodlawn Story" by Holly Woodlawn and Jeff Copeland was published in 1991 and republished in 1992.
The book covers the story of Holly Woodlawn (1946-2015), a famous transgender Puerto Rican actress and Warhol muse, known for her appearances in the films Trash (1970) and Women in Revolt (1971), and known as the Holly in Lou Reed's song "Walk on the Wild Side".
She was born in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico, to a German-American father and a native Puerto Rican, but she grew up in Miami Beach, where she came out as a child. She adopted the name Holly from the heroine of Breakfast at Tiffany's, and in 1969 added the surname from a sign she saw on an episode of I Love Lucy.
1991,
English,
Holly Woodlawn,
Jeff Copeland,
USA,
Original title: "Zbłąkana płeć" (Lost in Gender) by Kazimierz Imieliński and Stanisław Dulko.
'The book is based on conversations between doctors and transsexual people, their diaries and biographies. This book makes the reader aware of the enormity of loneliness that affects people with the problem of gender dysphoria.
The problem of loneliness among people, to which transsexuals are condemned to a large extent by the attitude of their closest environment.'
1991,
Kazimierz Imieliński,
Polish,
Stanisław Dulko,
Original title: "Galernicy seksu" (Sex Prisoners) by Kazimierz Imieliński and Stanisław Dulko.
'The book shows the meanders of love and sex of transsexuals. It is based on facts and authentic experiences of people who experience the mysterious and fascinating phenomenon of Transsexualism.
Concealing or not noticing their existence will not change reality. It will still be the same, but it will be difficult to understand and the possibilities of alleviating the suffering and dramatic experiences of these extraordinary people will be reduced.'
1991,
2000,
Kazimierz Imieliński,
Polish,
Stanisław Dulko,
Full title: "Tula: My Story" by Caroline Cossey.
She is one of the most iconic figures in the history of the transgender movement. She is also one of my biggest inspirations. This is her second memoir, published in 1991, and republished in 2015.
Caroline Cossey is a British model who often worked under the name Tula, which she also used for two memoirs. She appeared in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only. Following her appearance in the film, she was outed as transgender by the British tabloid News of the World. In 1991, she became the first trans woman to pose for Playboy. Since then she has become one of the biggest advocates of the transgender cause. In 2017 I had the honour of interviewing her for my blog and one of my questions was related to how she was treated by society.
1991,
2015,
Caroline Cossey,
English,
Tula,
UK,
