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.
"Bakkueonaganeun yong-gi: gwan-yongsahoeleul hyanghan teulaenseujendeo jeongchiin-ui geochim-eobsneun yeojeong" - 바꾸어나가는 용기: 관용사회를 향한 트랜스젠더 정치인의 거침없는 여정 (Courage to Change: A Transgender Politician's Unstoppable Journey to a Tolerant Society) is the Korean language edition of Aya Kamikawa's "Kaete yuku yūki - `seidōitsuseishōgai' no watashi kara" - 変えてゆく勇気－「性同一性障害」の私から (The Courage to Change: From Me with Gender Identity Disorder).
According to Wikipedia, Aya Kamikawa, born in 1968, is a Japanese politician and transgender activist, and member of the Setagaya Ward Assembly in Tokyo (5th term). She is the most successful transgender politician in Japan.
2016,
Aya Kamikawa,
Korean,
Original title: "E se eu Fosse Puta" (What if I Were a Whore) by Amara Moira.
And what if I was a whore? You, reader, tell me. It has a little of everything, but above all truth, the kind we like just under the rug, well hidden, the day-to-day on the street, the bargain, the bed, the man after enjoying sex.
Amara sees herself in drag and together she discovers the life that would follow from then on, a whore wherever she went, whether to spit or to discreetly ask the price ("everything in secrecy, I'm married, you know?"). A body that has no place, a body that made itself in spite of rules and norms, a body that lent itself to the shadow, that was me and I didn't make sense, I didn't even know where I wanted to go. Who understood me? This book is about choosing that doesn't make sense, this book is about looking for whys. What if I was a whore? What if I were you?
2016,
Amara Moira,
Brazil,
Portuguese,
Full title: "I Am Ladyboy: Why Straight Men Want Me" by Sergei Tokmakov.
The book presents a fascinating world of the Thai transgender community. However, it is not a deep psychological or sociological analysis of the transgender community.
The author elaborates on the growing number of transgender Thai models and their popularity among foreign tourists. So it is a rather simplistic view of the author that seems to be intrigued and fascinated by Thai transgender women. However, it is still worth reading.
2016,
English,
Sergei Tokmakov,
Thailand,
Original title: "I am a shemale escort" by Xiao Bai Hu.
The information about the book is scarce. It covers the experience of a transgender woman that provides escort services. The book is accompanied by several photos of the author, including in escort outfits.
2016,
Chinese,
Xiao Bai Hu,
Original title: "NO era quien me dijeron SER" (I was NOT who they told me to BE) by Alejandra Inclán.
The gestation of a human life lasts nine months, but the gestation of who you really are can be a lifelong path. We grow up and are dictated by how we should be. They mold us and lead to a valid personification for others. And we believe it. Many embrace that and accept it because it fits their feelings. For Valeria, it wasn't like that.
In her adult life, she finished understanding that she was not who she was told to be. That she had to find a way to manifest herself to family, friends, and work. Obtaining that concordance that nature denied her. On that path, she believed in the possibility of love, of a couple. But I wasn't ready. They weren't ready. A barrier appeared when her secret was revealed and she felt that she lived a frustrated sexuality, for not knowing how to face that disparity that sooner or later she had to confess.
2016,
Alejandra Inclán,
Mexico,
Spanish,
Full title: "Being Transgender: Living Proud! Growing Up LGBTQ".
"What is gender? What are gender stereotypes? What's the difference between being a tomboy or an effeminate man and being transgender? What are your options when you feel like your physical sex is out of sync with who you are?
Explore the answers to these questions and more with an in-depth look at what it means to be transgender.
Learn from the personal experiences of people who have taken steps to transition from the sex they were assigned at birth and transgender young people who have made the difficult choice to live openly as their authentic gender while still in high school. Understand better the realities of this often-misunderstood group and how it fits into the gay community. Each title in this series contains a foreword from the founder of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), color photos throughout, and back matter including: an index and further reading lists for books and internet resources."
2016,
English,
Robert Rodi,
This is the Polish language edition of "Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family", written by Amy Ellis Nutt, a health and science writer at The Washington Post.
Title in Polish: "Amy Ellis Nutt - Zostać Nicole. Metamorfoza amerykańskiej rodziny" (To become Nicole. Metamorphosis of the American family).
In the book introduction, we can read: "When Wayne and Kelly Maines adopted identical twin boys, they thought their lives were complete. But it wasn’t long before they noticed a marked difference between Jonas and his brother, Wyatt. Jonas preferred sports and trucks and many of the things little boys were “supposed” to like; but Wyatt liked princess dolls and dress-up and playing Little Mermaid. By the time the twins were toddlers, confusion over Wyatt’s insistence that he was female began to tear the family apart. In the years that followed, the Maineses came to question their long-held views on gender and identity, to accept and embrace Wyatt’s transition to Nicole, and to undergo an emotionally wrenching transformation of their own that would change all their lives forever."
2016,
Amy Ellis Nutt,
Nicole Maines,
Polish,
"Cô gái Đan Mạch" is the Vietnamese 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.
2016,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Vietnamese,
"Momicheto ot Daniya" (Момичето от Дания) is the Bulgarian 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.
2016,
Bulgarian,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
The book was published in 2013 and republished in 2016.
"As he stood in front of the mirror, he saw a complete stranger staring back at him. "Who am I?" David pondered. This is truly an amazing story about the awakening of Diamond Dee. David Bell, a fifty-three-year-old five-time divorcee, fully tattooed male, spent his life savings to transform himself into a female. Unlike most transformations.
Diamond Dee's surgery wasn't fueled entirely by a desire to become a woman, but a multitude of other reasons. These motives are both shocking and compelling, including a desire to escape a horrible addiction. The tragic truth of her story is chronicled in this must-read book. "
2013,
2016,
Diamond Dee Bell,
English,
"Danų mergina" is the Lithuanian 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.
2016,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Lithuanian,
"A Rapariga Dinamarquesa" (2010) and "A Garota Dinamarquesa" (2016) are the Portuguese language editions of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff. It was published twice in the Czech language in 2011 and 2016.
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.
2010,
2016,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Portuguese,
Full title: "A Pansexual Adventure Through Time: A Transition Autobiography" by Griffin Rae Birdsong.
"A Pansexual Adventure Through Time is a collection of comics, illustrations, and poetry that doubles as an autobiographical account of gender transition, lust, nostalgia, pubescent whimsy, and the American dream.
An unlikely and necessary antidote to trans narratives that focus on triumphant peaks and tragic ends, Birdsong's quirky and accessible style will remind readers of all stripes of those tender, random times of life between what was, and what is to come."
In 2016, I interviewed Griffin and asked her about what it means to be a transgender writer, poet, or artist. In her view: "Transgender people are people who do not self-identify with the gender that they were assigned at birth. To be a trans woman is to be a particular, albeit rare, variety of woman.
2016,
English,
Griffin Rae Birdsong,
In 2013, Orange Is the New Black began captivating audiences with its cast of female characters representing diverse strata of society.
Perhaps no star on the show has inspired as much as Laverne Cox, who plays the black transgender inmate Sophia Burset. Cox's work, both as an actor and off-screen, has brought attention to the risks faced by vulnerable populations, particularly racial minority transgender individuals.
This biography documents Cox's triumphant life and work as an activist, documenting her own growth from troubling times she recalls as a teenager to becoming the first openly transgender actor nominated for an Emmy.
2016,
English,
Erin Staley,
Laverne Cox,
"Danimarkalı Kız" is the Turkish 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.
2016,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Turkish,
"It’s hard to live authentically when you’re trying to meet the expectations of everyone around you and denying the inner voices that know your truth. Grace Anne Stevens spent over sixty years hiding and denying her inner truth. In No! Maybe? Yes! Living My Truth, she shares not only her voice but many of her internal voices, as she journeyed from denying, to questioning, and finally accepting her truth, which led to transitioning her gender at the age of sixty-four.
More than just a transgender memoir, this book is about relationships, both internal and external, about change and authenticity, and is uniquely informational, inspirational, and transformational to all who may question their own journey."
In 2015, I talked to Grace and this is what she told me about the book: "This book was more an experience of being “channeled” as it seemed to be written by forces inside of me. I started with a small blog – which became the first chapter – First Journey, and a friend asked/demanded to hear more. I explain this in the acknowledgments of the book.
People have said that this book is a combination of memoirs and self-help books.
2016,
English,
Grace Anne Stevens,
"In 1999, two sibling directors hit it big with their second film, The Matrix. After achieving critical and commercial success with The Matrix, the Wachowskis went on to direct two sequels to that film and a string of other box office successes, including V for Vendetta and Jupiter Ascending.
This title tracks the story of sister Lana, recipient of the Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award in 2012 for having been the first major Hollywood director to come out as transgender.
Since making her transition public, Wachowski has become an important advocate, raising awareness of the unique challenges faced by transgender youth."
2016,
Jeff Mapua,
Lana Wachowski,
"One trans woman’s journey from misery to true happiness. Join Christi as she courageously shares her story… from childhood, adolescence, and adulthood to the early stages of her transition."
In 2017, I interviewed Christi and asked her which aspects of her experience can be useful for other transwomen: "I wish I knew. I don’t think my trans experience is all that common. I’m lucky to still have my spouse, who endured my misery for 20 years and embraced my transition wholeheartedly.
I have massive support from friends and family, access to trans healthcare, etc., where so many trans women have few or no such luxuries.
Some of the experiences, though, are universal – such as the first time you go out in public presenting as female or use a ladies’ restroom.
For me, the key was confidence – or at least the perception of it. I was terrified the first time I used a public ladies’ room, but I held my head high, smiled, and pretended as though I’d done it a thousand times. After a short while, fear started to subside and the confidence came naturally.
2016,
Christi Brekke,
English,
Full title: "Late Blooming: My Gender Journey" by Allison Lenore Annalora.
"Allison Lenore Annalora (then known as Larry Duane Miller) was given up for adoption at birth in May of 1955. In January of 1992, after a lengthy search for her biological mother, in anticipation of their meeting for the first time, "he" started a journal. Both of "his" alcoholic adoptive parents had passed and at long last "he" hoped for closure.
This journal evolved over time into a story of survival, courage, self-discovery and happiness.
As therapeutic as the process of writing this has been for her, everybody she knows encouraged her to tell her story to the world. Her intent is that the reader will be inspired and enlightened and will understand that despite adversity, life can be beautiful."
2016,
Allison Annalora,
English,
Interview,
USA,
"Some lives are filled with pain, doubt, and confusion from the very beginning. Such is the story of The Shadow of Ally which could be called “the liberation of Ally”. Walk side by side with this wonder-filled account of a life of destruction. That started in the 70s and shows the amazing strength of the human spirit to overcome and thrive. Take a walk with Allen and Ally as they lead you through their many years."
Aleana Robins is a former skier, grave digger, performance car driver, small business owner, farmer, artist, radio announcer, blogger, parent of 7 children from Riverside, California, and the author of the biographical book titled “The Shadow of Ally” (2016). She lives in Launceston, a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia.
In 2017, I interviewed her and this is what she told me about this book: "I am very different from a lot of people when they start Transitioning. I don’t dead the past. I am very thankful for what Allen did, I know it sounds like I have two lives in one shell. But to me, that is the only way I can make sense of why I am like I am. When I started my transition as an adult; I say in my book it was an experience to have Allen protecting Ally.
2016,
Aleana J Robins,
Australia,
English,
