A random collection of over 1994 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: "I am a woman now" by Daniëlle Serdijn and Michiel van Erp.
In the mid-20th century, Casablanca was more than just the backdrop of a Hollywood classic, for a small group of courageous people, it became the setting of their rebirth. In 1956, French gynecologist Georges Burou quietly opened a clinic where he performed experimental and illegal sex reassignment surgeries. At a time when gender transition was shrouded in secrecy, stigma, and outright impossibility in most parts of the world, Burou’s discreet Moroccan practice became a beacon of hope. His reputation spread quickly across Europe.
Before long, famous figures such as the French performer Marie-Pierre Pruvot, known to the world as Bambi, the flamboyant British model April Ashley, Belgian dancer Corinne van Tongerloo, German pioneer Jean Lessenich, and Dutch beautician Colette Berends made their way to Casablanca. They were among the first wave of people who risked everything, socially, financially, and physically, to live as women. Their stories, groundbreaking at the time, would go on to inspire future generations.
More than half a century later, Dutch writer Daniëlle Serdijn and filmmaker Michiel van Erp revisited these trailblazers in the book I Am a Woman Now, published as a companion to van Erp’s internationally acclaimed documentary of the same name.
2012,
April Ashley,
Bambi,
Corinne Van Tongerloo,
Daniëlle Serdijn,
Dutch,
Georges Burou,
Jean Lessenich,
Marie-Pier Ysser,
Marie-Pierre Pruvot,
Michiel van Erp,
Original title: "Casablanca voorbij" (Beyond Casablanca)
Corinne Van Tongerloo was born in 1936 as Cornelis Van Tongerloo into a large family in the Antwerp Schipperskwartier. She feels early that something is not right. Ideally, she wants to be just like her sisters. But that is not without problems at that time. The word transgender does not yet exist and she has to look for a solution herself.
The life of this transgender pioneer reads like an adventure novel, full of unexpected twists and strong emotions. At the same time, it is a time document of a period in which there was no medical or psychological guidance for transgender people. But above all, it is an ode to the courage and resilience of a special woman, who, despite trial and opposition, manages to develop into a balanced and optimistic personality.
2017,
Belgium,
Corinne Van Tongerloo,
Dutch,
Linda Asselbergs,
