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: "A way to Queer (Una senda hacia lo singular): Siempre diferente. Siempre rebelde. Siempre yo" (A way to Queer: Always different. Always rebellious. Always me) by Ayran N.
"Some days I look like a boy who over the years has realized that he feels better functioning as a girl, and other days I feel like a girl trapped in a boy's body. The difference is subtle, but it exists. And sow doubt...
This is how Ayran begins in her particular declaration of intentions. This work collects the written entries from her weblog, from its creation until its final abandonment. In the book, we will experience with straying frankness the daily drama that lives a person with gender dysphoria, as well as the desire to find a place in a society that is cruel and intolerant to those who cannot fit into its solid stereotyped labels."
Original title: "At blive et helt menneske: Om mit liv og min lange rejse mod erkendelsen" (To become a whole person: About my life and my long journey towards realization) by Malene Andreasen.
"The author, Malene Andreasen writes about her autobiography: I have made a decision to change my life, do away with the feeling of being ashamed of myself. It is not an easy process, everything that we people with our gender do not think about, but take for granted, must be done away with. The shame and thus actually less self-esteem for not having the standpoint that others have and act on. Every corner in me must be turned and every corner must be accepted as the woman I am. It's actually a pretty tough process that requires courage. I have a DUTY to make the most of my life. I have the RIGHT to be greeted for who I am."
2015,
Danish,
Malene Andreasen,
Full title: "God Loves Everyone (And Me)" by Stephanie Mott.
"This collection of faith writings by Stephanie Mott is presented in the hope to create the understanding that all people are worthy of God’s love, that excluding anyone from God’s love is a way of rejecting God, and that you can be transgender and have an amazing, loving relationship with God!"
Stephanie Mott was a mental health clinician, LGBTQ advocate and prolific public speaker who traveled the country to share her experiences as a transgender Christian woman. She served as the vice chair of Equality Kansas, chaired the LGBTQ caucus of the Kansas Democrats and founded the Kansas Statewide Transgender Equality Project. She passed away on March 4, 2019 at the age of 61 after suffering a heart attack.
2015,
English,
Stephanie Mott,
Original title: "Memorias, identidades y experiencias trans: (In)visibilidades entre Argentina y España" (Memories, identities and trans experiences: (In)visibilities between Argentina and Spain) by Jorge Luis Peralta and Rafael M. Mérida Jiménez.
"Visible but, at the same time, invisible: this paradoxical condition has marked and continues to mark the existence of trans people. Consequently, the reconstruction of possible genealogies comes up against a certain void in terms of representations, especially if they are first-person accounts, not mediated by an "other" alien to the social and sexual reality of transvestites, transsexuals and transgenders.
This book aims to offer an interdisciplinary look at the trans universe in Argentina and Spain from the 1960s to the beginning of this millennium. The aim is to contribute to the rescue and recovery of voices and experiences, both through textual and sociological analysis or historiographical reconstruction, as well as testimonies that illuminate, in the first person, the various itineraries of transvestism, transsexuality, and transgenderism.
2015,
Argentina,
Camila Sosa Villada,
Kim Pérez,
Lohana Berkins,
Naty Menstrual,
Spain,
Spanish,
Full title: "Bilbo's Bend" by Aleshia Brevard.
"Trey Bilbo spent his early life on a Tennessee farm, the son of a loving Appalachian-born mother and a distant blue-blooded father. Young, handsome, and talented, he wins an art school scholarship that takes him to San Francisco. He finds himself an affordable place to live in the nefarious Tenderloin district, where he is befriended by a male street hustler with a flair for fashion design, a Cajun stripper who performs with his pet boa, and an assortment of 1960s social activists.
Trey experiments with several personas in his search for identity-as the boy-toy of a wealthy male art connoisseur, the husband of a pregnant friend, an ally to a transsexual high fashion model-all the while struggling to find himself. Does sleeping with another man mean he's gay? Why does that feel not quite right? In this coming-of-age novel, Trey Bilbo wrestles with probing questions about his sexual uncertainty, as he revisits many of the San Francisco haunts and wilder sides of streets that Ms. Brevard herself knew in her pre-gender-transitioning days.
Author Aleshia Brevard transitioned from male to female in 1962, not long after sex change surgery, as it was called then, became available. In the years since, she has often wondered what life as a boy might have been if gender reassignment had not been possible. This novel is her answer."
2015,
Aleshia Brevard,
English,
Interview,
Original title: "Nany People: Ser mulher não é para qualquer um" (Nany People: Being a woman is not for everyone) by Flavio Queiroz.
"Being a woman is not for everyone' narrates the personal trajectory of Nany People who, as she says, never came out in Playboy, but lives in people's imagination. She arrived in São Paulo at the age of 20 without too many resources but with a lot of determination. From the shows she did as a drag queen in concert halls, through theater and radio, she soon took flight to television, conquering Brazil once and for all.
She wrote a column for G Magazine for almost ten years, did radio programs on Jovem Pan and 89 FM, worked as a reporter on the programs of Goulart de Andrade, Amaury Júnior and Hebe Camargo. Her comedic streak led her to the bench of the program 'A praça é nossa', by Carlos Alberto de Nóbrega.
2015,
Brazil,
Flavio Queiroz,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Das Ende des Dornenwaldes: Die Lebensgeschichte einer Transsexuellen" (The end of the Thorn Forest: The life story of a transsexual) by Eva Maria Thalbach.
"The life story of a transsexual who is watched suspiciously by her fellow citizens, betrayed by parents and friends, abused and slandered by a clique of men in high society and who despite all this does not let it get her down.
An exciting book with thriller traits and a happy ending, not only for those affected by self-suffering, which shows that perseverance, courage and self-confidence can lead to success and a happy life even after a long road full of obstacles and disappointments."
2015,
Eva Maria Thalbach,
German,
Original title: "As Transexuais!" (The Transsexuals!) by Maria Helena Guedes.
Transsexuality refers to the condition of the transgender individual who suffers from gender dysphoria, a feeling of discomfort or impropriety from their own anatomical sex, and wishes to transition to a gender other than the one imposed at birth, with some medical help (gender reassignment therapy) for their body.
The stereotypical explanation is of a woman trapped in a male body or vice versa, yet many members of the trans community, as well as people outside the community, reject this formulation.
2015,
Brazil,
Lea T,
Maria Helena Guedes,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Wǒ běn jiārén" 我本佳人 (I am a beautiful woman) by Liu Ting 刘婷.
"This is an autobiographical novel and a book of persevering to chase the dream. In the past more than 20 years of life, Liu changed from an ordinary rural child into a well-known public figure; she was the national "moral model" in the eyes of people, and she chose "love" between "the survival of the fittest" and "love".
With tiny hope, she resolutely took her mother on her back on the road of study; she was a transsexual patient struggling in front of morality and nature. As a man, she wanted to become a woman. After the painful psychological struggle, she finally made up her mind to become a real woman through surgery."
2015,
China,
Chinese,
Liu Ting,
Full title: "I Thought I Had Something to Say" by Stephanie Mott.
In the book, Stephanie Mott, a Kansas civil rights activist and transsexual woman, shares some of the words she posted on her Facebook timeline in 2014 along with some of her experiences from her 57th trip around the sun.
Stephanie Mott was a mental health clinician, LGBTQ advocate and prolific public speaker who traveled the country to share her experiences as a transgender Christian woman. She served as the vice chair of Equality Kansas, chaired the LGBTQ caucus of the Kansas Democrats and founded the Kansas Statewide Transgender Equality Project. She passed away on March 4, 2019 at the age of 61 after suffering a heart attack.
2015,
English,
Stephanie Mott,
Full title: "Bordered Lives: Transgender Portraits from Mexico" by Kike Arnal.
"A richly evocative collection of photographs by internationally renowned photographer Kike Arnal, Bordered Lives seeks to push back against the transphobic caricatures that have perpetuated discrimination against the transgender community in Mexico.
Despite some important advances in recognizing and protecting the rights of its transgender community, including legislating against hate crimes targeting transgender people, discrimination still persists, and the majority of the violent attacks against the LGBT community are against transgender women."
2015,
English,
Kike Arnal,
Mexico,
Full title: "My Life As a Transsexual" by Stephanie William.
"This is the story of my life so far. I am a girl with gender identity disorder, and this story shows how transitioning can be nearly impossible in my country, how I am faced with decisions and difficulties in my life. This is a 100% true story, no lies, no exaggerations, it is my story."
2015,
English,
Stephanie William,
"La chica danesa" is the Spanish language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2015,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Spanish,
Original title: "Ma fille est un homme" (My daughter is a man) by Ludiane de Brocéliande.
There are girls. There are the boys. There are others. This book will help you understand what the daily life of transsexual or intersex people can represent. Most of the texts were inspired by testimonies, meetings, and friends who confided and shared their moods but also the trials, discriminations, and physical mutilations they face.
Far from fantasmatic and infamous clichés, and for the first time, an author-poet makes us dive into the universe of their everyday life, with a lot of emotions, sensitivity, and without detours.
2015,
French,
Ludiane de Brocéliande,
Original title: "Mon neveu Jeanne" (My Nephew Jeanne) by Patrick Bard.
Since 1983, photographer and writer Patrick Bard has been photographing his nephew. He started without really knowing why, when he was 16 years old. His name was Jean-Pierre. He married early, had two children who grew up and became a road haulier in Sarcelles. When his relationship to gender began to change in the mid-1990s, Patrick Bard continued to take pictures of him, of her, rather.
Jean-Pierre officially became Jeanne in 2001. Jeanne knew men, then she ended up falling in love with a woman in 2008. Initially, the relationship started as clearly lesbian. Two years later, Jeanne decided to become a man again, while retaining her identity as a woman. More than anything, his nephew Jeanne decided that the question of gender was not fixed and that it was not a problem for him.
2015,
French,
Patrick Bard,
Full title: "Sex Change - Male to Female: An Essential Guide for Understanding the Process of Gender Reassignment Surgery and Getting to Know the New You" by Eleanor Nye.
"Sex change surgery is a life-changing decision that has to be thoroughly considered and thought through. However, if you’ve reached the point of hating yourself for being male, or where being male is negatively affecting your mental and emotional health, then perhaps a male to female (MTF) sex change is the right step for you in order to feel like a more authentic version of yourself.
Before you proceed, there are some vital facts that you should know. The process is not as simple and straightforward as you might think. There are rules implemented by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) before any surgery can be performed."
2015,
Eleanor Nye,
English,
Full title: "From Darkness to Diva" by Skye High.
"Beyond the stereotypical expectation of glitter and sequins, comes a personal and inspirational journey of overcoming fear, rejection and insecurity. This story isn't solely about a drag-queen, but rather, it's a journey of real-life experiences which many of us have faced throughout life, written by a gay man who happens to be a drag-queen. It's a story that is relevant in today's society, regardless of one's own sexuality.
This book was written to bring inspiration and hope to anyone who may need positive affirmation to love the life they live, or for anyone who needs to understand first-hand what it can be like to fight, a sometimes losing battle, for self acceptance. Whoever the reader is, it shows that it is possible t overcome extreme adversity and survive those horrendous experiences which seem determined to destroy us.
2015,
Drag queen,
English,
Skye High,
Full title: "Two Different Worlds I've Lived In: The True Story of Being Intersex" by Wilma Swartz.
"Wilma's mother was believed to be pregnant with twins due to fertility drugs taken by her. However, it was found that when the babies were born they were merged into one child. This child was male externally and female internally. The mother cleverly hid this fact from everyone including Wilma for 30 years.
Born and raised as male, Bill's life was a living hell of confusion, hate, deception and betrayal. Due to the medicine that Bill had to take to suppress the female hormones from sending his body into menstruation and embarrassingly leaking breast milk, he was given an alternative: die or allow his female hormones to take over. This is the story of Wilma and Bill's struggle to live and die."
2015,
English,
Intersex,
Wilma Swartz,
Full title: "The Ultimate Fish: My life with a transsexual hooker in Honolulu’s Chinatown, a love story" by Jerry Hopkins.
"Easily one of the most unusual and moving love stories out there, this honest and insightful portrait of an unforgettable woman who lived life on her own terms right up to the last drink is meticulously and unflinchingly told. With the skill that his readers have come to expect, Jerry Hopkins shows the transsexual world and the people who live there, in careful and deeply affectionate detail."
"I knew Vanessa she had a soul full of life. And she lived, played, and partied hard.
The writer captured her true essence. Vanessa was a free-spirited person. Funny witty and serious. This is a must-read. The book gives a total view of the struggle of transgender females."
2015,
English,
Jerry Hopkins,
Original title: "うらやましい人生" (Enviable Life) by Mits Mangrove (ミッツ・マングローブ).
From Shuhei Tokumitsu, a boy who longed for being "normal" more than anyone else, to Mits Mangrove, a Japanese singer, drag queen on stage, and TV personality in various programs, a member of the drag queen trio called Stardust Scat.
In March 2011, she made her long-awaited CD debut with "Young is Wonderful". In parallel with her solo singing career, she made her CD debut as a member of Stardust Scat. The book covers her great career, studying abroad in London, cross-dressing, romance, music, and stories from the entertainment world.
2015,
Drag queen,
Japanese,
Mits Mangrove,
