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: "Kønsskifte: juridisk set" (Gender reassignment: legally speaking) by Marianne Holdgaard and Bettina Lemann Kristiansen.
"Gender reassignment poses particular legal problems. Based on extensive case material, the book deals in particular with administrative law and human rights issues related to legal regulation and practice in connection with gender reassignment. A distinction is made between the physical and the legal gender change (permission to change the first name and social security number).
The legal basis for gender reassignment and its use is related to general societal developments, including the increased acceptance of and knowledge about transsexuality and its treatment – both in the healthcare system and in the population. The area of justice is at a crossroads between overriding social considerations and fundamental considerations of the integrity, freedom, and autonomy of the individual. On the basis of legal policy considerations, it is argued for a change in the legal situation."
2004,
Bettina Lemann Kristiansen,
Danish,
Marianne Holdgaard,
Original title: "German Girl Bruno: Als Transsexueller unter dem Hakenkreuz" (German Girl Bruno: As a transsexual under the swastika) by Bruno Stephan.
"Bruno Stephan grows up in a martial world: soldiers, Aryans, masters. But he prefers to wear women's clothes. The powerful German Reich has no place for wimps. To prove to himself that he is not a weakling, he hires as a machinist and stoker on a steamer. He becomes tough and strong and lives out both sides – as a transsexual whore: a bride in every port, a steward in every bar."
2004,
Bruno Stephan,
German,
Original title: "Kabā.-Chan no nenshō-kei dansu de tanoshiku yaseyou" KABA.ちゃんの燃焼系ダンスで楽しくやせよう (Let's have fun and lose weight with Kaba-chan's burning dance) by Kaba-chan KABA.ちゃん.
The book presents examples of Kaba-chan's physical and dancing exercises that help to burn fat in the arms, stomach, chest, back, buttocks, and legs. the story of Kaba-chan, born in 1969, in Yanagawa, Fukuoka, a Japanese transgender woman, and choreographer. According to Wikipedia, after studying dance in the USA, she became known in Japan as a member of the musical group Dos with Taeco Nishikawa and Asami Yoshino.
2004,
Japanese,
Kaba-chan,
Full title: "The Transsexual Gladiator: The Sword of Apodictic and The Shield of Woe" by Kimberly Williams.
"Sudbury, Massachusetts, a quaint picturesque New England town which to me was the second coming of Peyton Place. Everything was so neat, tidy and trim including the elite and the working poor who serviced them. I survived America's most dysfunctional family, elementary, junior and high school graduation, the Air Force and being a slave in the family real estate business.
Encompassing, embracing America's mysterious sexual underworld, The Transsexual Gladiator slays all "Cinderella Transitions" so commonly portrayed on TV talk shows. Finally, a Transsexual autobiography that builds a solid bridge of understanding so that we are recognized as real people and not freaks of nature as seen in medical books and sleazy tabloids."
2004,
English,
Kimberly Williams,
Full title: "Secrets of an Intimate Life: The Life of a Transsexual" by Lecxis Y. Feliciano.
"Lecxis has everything it takes to be a woman. She is beautiful, sexy, single, and sassy. After making a decision against everybody's wishes, Lecxis is transformed by a plastic surgeon from a male to a female at the age of 22. After a series of plastic surgeries and hormone doses, this beautiful transsexual becomes the desire of many men. Her transition, besides happiness, brought to her life the hate of those who felt threatened by her beauty.
Facing discrimination, she kept her head up high and fought for her rights. With a unique personal quote, which proves that fragility can have the strength of an army, she says, "If you don't like me, you have a choice. Get yourself a gun and blow your head off because I'm here and I am here to stay!" She will protect herself from anyone who tries to intimidate her. No one can stop her. This is her story, a story where you might be included!"
2004,
English,
Lecxis Y. Feliciano,
Original title: "Akarui toransujendā seikatsu" 明るいトランスジェンダー生活 (Bright Transgender Life) by Tomomi Sakura 佐倉智美.
Here is a story full of wisdom, courage, and humor that tells the story of a transgender woman whose body is male and whose mind is female, and who has built her own place and way of life from scratch. The book cheers up all those who find it difficult to live in the modern age, and it sometimes makes them smile.
Tomomi Sakura was born in Kansai, in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. She is a Japanese writer and academic teacher. She is a transgender woman who has been uncomfortable with the male gender since childhood and now lives as a happy woman and staunch supporter of the LGBT community.
2004,
Japanese,
Tomomi Sakura,
Original title: "Yōkoso, kabā.-Chan kitchin e" KABA.ちゃん発!オ・カ・マ・セ・エアライン (From KABA-chan! Oh Ka Ma Se Airline) by Kaba-chan KABA.ちゃん.
The book focuses on the journey towards happiness pursued by Kaba-chan, born in 1969, in Yanagawa, Fukuoka, a Japanese transgender woman, and choreographer. According to Wikipedia, after studying dance in the USA, she became known in Japan as a member of the musical group Dos with Taeco Nishikawa and Asami Yoshino.
Being a celebrity in Japan, Kaba-chan was open with her sexuality. While she was already known for her flamboyant character in Dos, she came out as a gay man publicly on television on a 2002 episode of the Japanese variety show Dancing Sanma Palace.
2004,
Japanese,
Kaba-chan,
Full title: "Tipsy Tango: A Biography" by Gina Gatto and Anna Russell.
The book presents the story of Serena Bell (called Anna Russell in the book), the former ladies' bowling club president in Australia.
Born as Kim Durant in 1944, she was married to a fashion model, fathered two children, became a motorcycle cop, ran a sex fantasy service, was president of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle club, and then had a sex change.
She was pictured in a national bikie magazine with her tattoo body art and married a Sydney man.
As Serena Bell, she became the president of a ladies' bowling club. Her story was published in the Fraser Coast Chronicle, the day before the launch of her biography.
2004,
Anna Russell,
Australia,
English,
Gina Gatto,
Original title: "Sei doitsusei shogai 30-nin no kamingu auto: I recognize myself as what I am!" (30 Gender Identity Disorder Coming Outs: I recognize myself as what I am!) 性同一性障害３０人のカミングアウト by Saeko Souma 相馬 佐江子.
The book presents different stories of transgender people in Japan. One of the major psychological hurdles for transgender people is to disclose their gender identity to those around them, the so-called "coming out." Will I be able to gain an understanding of those around me, and will I be accepted by my parents?
The hurdles vary depending on the era of birth and environment, but those who have no fear of prejudice or discrimination are probably in the minority. In particular, in the case of people with "gender identity disorder" (GID), whose physical sex and mind are different at birth, many people want a treatment such as sex reassignment surgery, so parents of transgender people must feel confused and helpless.
2004,
Japanese,
Saeko Souma,
Original title: "Mon Dalí" (My Dalí) is another edition of "Le Dalí d'Amanda" (Amanda's Dalí) published in 1984.
Amanda Lear (born 1939) is a French singer, television celebrity, actress, and model, known for her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s and being a muse of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí. The book tells about her relationship with Salvador Dalí and presents detailed insights into the 15 years of their relationship.
According to Wikipedia, Amanda's transgender background was confirmed by Salvador Dalí himself, and other well-known artists that used to know Lear earlier in her life. For example, April Ashley, a transgender icon and model, claimed that in the 1950s and early 1960s, Lear, whose birth name she stated was "Alain Tap", had worked with her in the Parisian transgender revues Madame Arthur and Le Carrousel. In her book April Ashley's Odyssey, Ashley recalls Lear performing drag acts under the stage name "Peki d'Oslo".
2004,
Amanda Lear,
April Ashley,
French,
Georges Burou,
Romy Haag,
"Tiǎozhàn shàngdì de cuò: Jīnxīng de wǔmèng rénshēng" - 挑戰上帝的錯：金星的舞夢人生 (Challenging God's Mistakes: Venus' Dancing Life) is the biography of Jin Xing, which was published in many languages.
Jin Xing (Chinese: 金星; pinyin: Jīn Xīng) was born in 1967 in Shenyang, China, to an ethnic Korean family. She is a Chinese ballerina, modern dancer, choreographer, actress, founder, and artistic director of the contemporary dance company Shanghai.
In addition, she is a transgender celebrity and icon of the Chinese transgender community. This unusual memoir describes how China's foremost male ballet dancer (and colonel in the People's Army) underwent one of China's first sex-change operations and became the Shanghai Ballet's prima ballerina.
2004,
China,
Chinese,
Jin Xing,
Original title: "Transidentität: Von wo nach wohin?" (Trans identity: from where to where?) by Nikita Noemi Rothenbächer.
"This book is a very truthful, personal, and gripping account of the circumstances of a transgender person. The problems resulting from a lack of awareness in society and lack of acceptance for this group of people in everyday professional and social life are listed in detail.
Partly life story, partly experience report, partly indictment against the existing bias of the population, employers and health insurance companies as well as in-depth information research, this report offers readers a deep insight into the various aspects of this clinical picture.
No aspect is glossed over, nothing is left out. Nikita Noemi Rothenbächer conveys great interest and deep understanding for all those affected."
2004,
German,
Nikita Noemi Rothenbächer,
Original title: "Hammerschläge: Das seltsame Leben einer Verbrecherin" (Hammer Blows: The Strange Life of a Criminal) by Tanja Krienen.
"Hammer blows are synonyms for actions, affairs, and arguments, embedded in a curriculum vitae that, in its diversity, offers material for several lives. The transsexuality of the author, who was born in 1957, is the trigger and background of some escapades and turbulences, but above all it is the active life of a highly political and culturally committed person whose consistent orientation never ceases to amaze and shock.
Her childhood is described particularly meticulously, when she came into contact with politics and culture at an early age - e.g. Willy Brandt in 1965 in the opposition, as well as a concert by the Beatles in 1966, experienced live.
2004,
German,
Tanja Krienen,
Full title: "How To Change Your Sex: A Lighthearted Look at the Hardest Thing You'll Ever Do" by Lannie Rose.
"Lannie Rose changed her sex and now she explains how you can too! How To Change Your Sex: A Lighthearted Look at the Hardest Thing You'll Ever Do is an amusing and practical guide to everything you need to know for your sex change, from how to tell if you are transsexual, through venturing out in public in your new gender presentation (including which restroom to use!), to hormones and surgeries, to what to expect afterwards. Whether you are seriously considering changing your own sex, or if you have a friend or loved one who is going through the process, or even if you are just curious, you are bound to be entertained and informed by this handy little manual."
2004,
English,
Lannie Rose,
USA,
Original title: "Der Traum von Freiheit: Transsexualität – Transidentität. Hilfe für Menschen zwischen den Geschlechtern." (The dream of freedom: Transsexuality – Transidentity. Help for people between the sexes) by Lisa Anusch, Birgit Hillar, and Hans Georg van Herste.
"In the first part of this book, Lisa Anusch asks Elke, 42, and Johanna, 14, to elaborate on their way out of the transidentity crisis. It immediately becomes clear that family support and the use of psychological help can make a path of suffering much easier.
In the second part, psychologist Birgit Hillar and pain therapist and psychologist Hans Georg van Herste have their say. They show what possibilities those affected have to lead a »normal« life in public.
Johanna's mother comments: "If I had held this book in my hands earlier, I would have saved myself many detours. Many things would have been easier for me and my daughter Johanna."
2004,
Birgit Hillar,
German,
Hans Georg van Herste,
Lisa Anusch,
Original title: "La solitude du désir" (The Solitude of Desire)
"Delphine de Froissac, a transgender woman, testifies to the difficulties encountered to fulfill her desire to be a woman.
From her rants to the doctors to her cumulative poetry, all is said. Bitterness, suffering but also the hope of "deliverance" that is expressed with modesty in the history of this desire.
It is terrifying in its form because transsexualism involves lonely travel with no possibility of return.
2004,
Delphine de Froissac,
French,
"I Am My Own Wife: The True Story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf" is the English language edition of "Ich bin meine eigene Frau" (1992) by Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. The book was published in 2004.
The first edition of the book in English was published in 1995 with a slightly different title: "Charlotte von Mahlsdorf - I Am My Own Woman: The Outlaw Life of Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf, Berlin's Most Distinguished Transvestite".
"A soft-spoken transvestite wanting nothing more than to live as a hausfrau, Charlotte von Mahlsdorf instead was caught up in the most harrowing dramas of 20th century Europe, surviving both the Nazis and the Communists.
2004,
Charlotte von Mahlsdorf,
Crossdressing,
English,
Original title: "Ich pfeif' auf alles...!: Das Leben der Kunstpfeiferin Baronesse Lips von Lipstrill" (I don't give a damn...!: The life of the artistic whistler Baroness Lips von Lipstrill) by Jeanette Schmid
I found this interesting bio note in one of the Amazon reviews: "Jeanette Schmid was born in 1924 as Rudolf Schmid in today's Czech Republic. While his peers climbed trees, Klein-Rudi prefers to play with dolls and dress up as a girl. He likes to sing well. He entertains his surroundings with theatre and dance performances.
In 1941 he was drafted into the Wehrmacht and stationed in Italy. Due to his appearance, he does not really correspond to the Aryan ideal and gets one or the other male courtships. After suffering from typhus, he returns to his family in the Sudetenland in a roundabout way, only to flee from the reprisals of the Czechs shortly after the end of the war.
2004,
Austria,
German,
Jeanette Schmid,
Full title: "From Man to Woman: The Transgender Journey of Virginia Prince" by Richard F. Docter.
This book "tells the life story, including the sexual and gender development, of a transgender pioneer who was the founder/editor of Transvestia Magazine and who helped to organize support groups for cross dressers throughout the world since 1960.
She invented the term "transgender" and has lived full-time as a woman since the age of 55 without transsexual surgery, which she opposes."
In the 100th issue of Transvestia, Virginia Prince included her biographical article: "l also recall buying my first pair of heels. As Charles I went downtown to Broadway which was definitely not the highest class district. I remember going into this little shop which was down a small flight of stairs below the street. I explained to the man that my aunt had been bedridden for sometime and was just now able to get around but that she wanted a new pair of shoes and had sent me to get some for her. Of course it just so happened that her feet and mine were the same size - fortunate coincidence.
2004,
English,
Richard F. Docter,
Virginia Prince,
Original title: "Un sujet de conversation" (A topic of conversation) by Sophie Simon.
"This book is the fruit of extreme weariness. It is a kind of guide of what not to do, what not to believe, what it is not reasonable to hope for, what it would be worthy to claim. Die or say. To say so as not to die…
To cry out that you are fed up with being the scapegoat for the delusions and fantasies of those who are reassured by normality, and the livelihood of a few discreet and well-organized networks. Demolish the legend of the initiatory journey and the simplistic stories of these men who became women.
I was an animal endowed with reason, I didn't ask for much, my place, very small, that of a human among other humans, I didn't want to lie, pretend, play, I wanted to live . I knew that I had never been a man, that I would never just be a woman, and that I would remain a topic of conversation…"
2004,
French,
Sophie Simon,
