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: "Veḷḷai moḻi" வெள்ளை மொழி (White language) by A. Revathi.
"This is the autobiography of an Aravani who struggles to live as a woman. From the moment she realizes herself as a woman, her struggle begins. The book openly talks about different types of experiences such as finding people who are similar to her and following their traditions, living in the sex industry imposed on Aravanis, from the family that excludes and hates them due to lack of understanding to the inhumane police, and the ways of working together with people who understand about gender minorities.
This book contains the power to create vibrations in the hardened public mind and break the conventions of writing and give newness to the Tamil script."
2011,
A. Revathi,
India,
Tamil,
Original title: "Taṉujā: Īḻat tirunaṅkaiyiṉ payaṇamum pōrāṭṭamum: An autobiography" தனுஜா: ஈழத் திருநங்கையின் பயணமும் போராட்டமும்: an autobiography (Tanuja: The Journey and Struggle of an Eelam Transgender. An Autobiography) by Tan̲ujā Ciṅkam.
The book is an autobiography of a transgender woman from Sri Lanka who migrated to Germany.
"During those days in Malaysia, I asked myself a thousand questions about my life. In Malaysia, I saw transsexuals who became sex workers at a young age and ended up orphaned on the streets in their old age. I saw Shilab Patti in Europe who was living like a mental patient.
2020,
Sri Lanka,
Tamil,
Tan̲ujā Ciṅkam,
Full title: "Kuri Aruththen/குறி அறுத்தேன்" (I cut the mark) by Kalki Subramaniam/கல்கி சுப்ரமணியம்.
Each word of Kalki Subramaniam's poetry comes from her heart like an arrow from a bow, it shoots rage against gender injustice, the poems are powerful, sarcastic, and challenging, and show the pride in the writer in her identity as a transgender woman.
From transgender people's lives to climate issues, her Tamil poems are deep, and heart-touching and would leave an impact on the reader for many days after reading the book. I interviewed Kalki in 2014 and asked her what she thinks about the present situation of transgender women in the Indian society in general: "It is sure changing for better in some states like Tamilnadu and Karnataka. However, many states of India still are not safe places for transgender people to live, for example, Kerala.
2022,
India,
Interview,
Kalki Subramaniam,
Tamil,
