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: "Yo soy Transexual: Guia y vida personal, experiencias personales, soy transexual y naci asi, cambio de sexo y consejos para entendernos, esta guia es... como para personas cis" (I am Transsexual: Guide and personal life, personal experiences, I am transsexual and I was born that way, my sex change and tips to understand each other, this guide is... also for cis people) by Sandra María Alvarez Melendo.
Here are the guide and experiences about my personal life, answers to how to deal with transsexuality in ourselves and in others, personal experiences and tips to deal with it in a healthy and natural way.
2022,
Sandra María Alvarez Melendo,
Spanish,
Full title: "Georgina Beyer: New Zealand's First Transgender Member of Parliament; The last chapter" by Elizabeth J. Hawks.
"Beyer took an interest in local politics after moving to Carterton and returning to New Zealand. She initially succeeded in being elected to a local school board. She became the first transgender mayor in the world, the first female mayor of Carterton, the first Mori mayor in the Wairarapa area, and the first transgender person to be elected mayor when she was chosen in 1995.
Mark Blumsky, the mayor of Wellington at the time, said that she was "extremely competent at her job" in 1996. She won reelection in 1998 with 90% of the vote. Upon her election to the Parliament in 2000, she announced her resignation; in 2004, she said that it was one of her greatest regrets."
2023,
Elizabeth J. Hawks,
English,
Georgina Beyer,
New Zealand,
Original title: "Schlauchgelüste: Liebesbrief an eine verlorene Männlichkeit" (Hose Cravings: Love Letter to a Lost Manhood) by Jacob Winter (Johanna Kamermans).
In Schlauchgelüste: Liebesbrief an eine verlorene Männlichkeit (Desires in a Tube: A Love Letter to a Lost Masculinity), author Jacob Winter, better known by her stage and pen name Johanna Kamermans, offers readers an unflinching, ironic, and deeply honest look at life beyond gender norms.
This autobiographical novel is not just a personal journey; it’s a piece of living history from the smoky, neon-lit cabarets of postwar Europe.
Kamermans describes her book as a vivid portrayal of a time when being "not quite man, not quite woman, but always both" was not just a personal identity but a political and artistic act. A celebrated striptease dancer in the 1960s and 70s, Johanna lit up the stages with a daring blend of femininity and masculine physicality. She was "a woman on top, a man below," never surgically transitioned, but "glued," as she cheekily puts it.
Her decision not to undergo gender-affirming surgery was deeply connected to her sexuality and her refusal to compromise her physical pleasure. This was not a lack of authenticity, but rather a declaration of selfhood in a world that demanded conformity. Schlauchgelüste is peppered with provocative scenes, yet told in a polished, ironic voice, a literary striptease of sorts, revealing the tension, humor, and drama of a gender outlaw's life on stage and off.
2012,
German,
Interview,
Jacob Winter,
Johanna Kamermans,
Original title: "Ciała obce. Opowieści o transpłciowości" (Foreign bodies. Stories about transgenderism) by Paula Szewczyk.
Life can't be limited to just being transgender. I'd rather hear the questions "How are you?" and "What's up?" that everyone else is asked.
For science, transgenderism is no longer a mystery, and for psychiatry, it is not a "disease." But in society, people who have realized that they were born in a body that does not match who they still remain incomprehensible and alien.
Paula Szewczyk's book allows us to understand them, to get so close to them that we begin to hear their confessions and dramas, although they are expressed in whispers. We hear Staś, who before he moved out of the house, led a double life - among his friends he was himself, for his parents he remained a "daughter". We hear Kornel struggling with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts - a boy who was sent to a ward for young women in a psychiatric hospital. We hear Tim trying not only to settle down with the body that is bothering him, but also with the fate of the migrant. He came to Poland because it is even more difficult for people like him to live in his native Belarus.
2023,
Paula Szewczyk,
Polish,
Full title: "Sweetgrass: The Girl in the Dream" by Sarah Coffey.
"Sarah Coffey was brought into the world in 1961, and was assigned male at birth.
As a young child, she experienced feelings of being different - in her soul and her mind she was female.
It was only after navigating adolescence, early adulthood and the birth of her children that Sarah finally decided to listen to the feelings within her to become her true self.
Follow Sarah on her journey of discovery and self-love. At times raw and emotional, Sarah sheds light on a topic that can be confronting. An authentic and powerful story, Sweet Grass: The girl in the dream will allow insight not only into Sarah's own experiences but hopes to spread awareness around gender transitioning."
2022,
English,
Interview,
Sarah Coffey,
Original title: "Il prezzo di essere" (The Price of Being) by Rossella Bianchi.
Rossella Bianchi, one of the first and historic Italian transsexuals, tells her story in this raw and realistic autobiography, not without renouncing the irony that distinguishes her.
As with her previous books, she also dedicates this to Don Andrea Gallo who, as she herself says, "tiptoeing into my life, instead of trying to change myself, helped me realize my dreams." Her hope is that this book will reach parents above all, to bring them the message of those who have no voice: "Love and help your children for who they are and not for what you wanted them to be."
2022,
Italian,
Rossella Bianchi,
Original title: "Historia de lo trans" (History of Trans) is the Spanish language edition of "Transgender History" by Susan Stryker.
When and how is the term transsexual created? Who has fought in the North American context when it comes to obtaining rights for people who leave gender norms, are transvestites, transsexuals, or non-binary? How is the memory of trans people made?, What leaders promoted other ways of understanding gender transgressions? What social challenges arise thanks to the experiences of trans people and their activism?
Historia de lo trans presents, through a critical and decolonial vision, the key moments of a political and cultural movement that has questioned the bases of feminism and the conceptual frameworks of LGBT struggles. In this tour, we find exciting biographies of the protagonists of trans struggles, inserted in the history of gender theory, and the book shows how they have been shaping our global story.
2017,
Spanish,
Susan Stryker,
Full title: "Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere" by Jan Morris.
"Jan Morris (then James) first visited Trieste as a soldier at the end of the Second World War. Since then, the city has come to represent her own life, with all its hopes, disillusionments, loves and memories. Here, her thoughts on a host of subjects - ships, cities, cats, sex, nationalism, Jewishness, civility and kindness - are inspired by the presence of Trieste, and recorded in or between the lines of this book.
Evoking the whole of its modern history, from its explosive growth to wealth and fame under the Habsburgs, through the years of Fascist rule to the miserable years of the Cold War, when rivalries among the great powers prevented its creation as a free city under United Nations auspices, Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere is neither a history nor a travel book; like the place, it is one of a kind."
2002,
English,
Georges Burou,
Jan Morris,
UK,
Original title: "Manifeste d'une femme trans... et autres textes" (Manifesto of a trans woman... and other texts) is the French language edition of "Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity" by Julia Serano.
The book analyzes the sexism, misogyny and transphobia that lead to the discrimination of transsexual women and the devaluation of femininity in general. The precision of its analysis and the deciphering of the mechanisms of oppression of trans women make it a valuable work for the French-speaking public. Starting from the analysis of literature, films and TV shows, but also from her own experience, the author takes an innovative and relevant look at the condition of trans people... And does not hesitate, either , to question the functioning of non-trans people to support his point and update transphobia. In a context where reactionary and anti-feminist ideas are making a comeback, this book is not just a breath of fresh air. It brings new elements to French-speaking reflections on feminisms and helps us to completely rethink the construction of genres.
2014,
French,
Julia Serano,
USA,
Original title: "Hej grymma värld: 101 alternativ till självmord." It is the Swedish language edition of "Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks & Other Outlaws: 101 Alternatives to Teen Suicide" by Kate Bornstein.
Kate Bornstein’s Hej grymma värld: 101 alternativ till självmord is more than just the Swedish translation of Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks & Other Outlaws. It’s a lifeline thrown with radical compassion, irreverent humor, and unconditional acceptance toward anyone teetering on the edge of despair. Written by one of the most provocative, tender, and truth-telling voices in queer literature, this book is a rebellious act of survival in a world that often refuses to make space for those who don’t fit in.
Bornstein, who identifies as non-binary and has lived a deeply complex and layered life, writes from personal experience, about pain, survival, and the strange alchemy of choosing to live when every signal in the world tells you not to.
2011,
Interview,
Kate Bornstein,
Swedish,
USA,
Full title: "Becoming Purple: My Personal Bible of Recollecting Reflections" by Kineen Mafa.
"This book is a written testimony of our experiences as a Negro aborigine, born in Louisiana 45 years ago. It is a record of some of the many challenges we have endured because we could not deny our connection to our foremothers in a patriarchal binary society. It is also a record of some of our happiest moments. The book is not fiction it’s based on our life. It is a mixture of all things us.
It’s a collection of original images, stories, poems, and letters. It is an outpouring of ourselves. The stories told in this book have impacted and shaped our being on this plain. It is a private love letter made public. Wise people know love isn’t always pretty! This book is meant to aid in fostering conversations and dialogue that help us to transcend stigmas associated with gender, sex, race, disease, mental illness, addiction, sex work, and human sexuality. This book is about our journey to embracing all of ourselves both chaos and order, masculine and feminine, the bitter and sweet."
2023,
English,
Kineen Mafa,
"Léeme.Txt" is the Spanish language edition of "README.txt: A Memoir" by Chelsea Manning.
"While working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq for the United States Army in 2010, Chelsea Manning disclosed more than seven hundred thousand classified military and diplomatic records that she had smuggled out of the country on the memory card of her digital camera.
In 2011, she was charged with twenty-two counts related to the unauthorized possession and distribution of classified military records, and in 2013, she was sentenced to thirty-five years in military prison. The day after her conviction, Manning declared her gender identity as a woman and began to transition, seeking hormones through the federal court system. In 2017, President Barack Obama commuted her sentence and she was released from prison."
2023,
Chelsea Manning,
Spanish,
"Loše djevojke" (Bad Girls) is the Croatian language edition of "Las malas" (The Bad Girls) published in Argentina in 2019 by Camila Sosa Villada.
From the Argentine author Camila Sosa Villada, a book of love and affection: when we finish the last page, we want the whole world to read it too! When she arrived in the city of Córdoba to study at the university, Argentine author Camila Sosa Villada decided to go to Parque Sarmiento during the night. She was scared to death, thinking that the brutal verdict she had heard from her father could come to fruition at any moment: "One day they will knock on this door to warn me that they found you dead, thrown into a ditch." For him, this was the only possible destination for a boy who dressed as a woman.
2020,
Argentina,
Camila Sosa Villada,
Croatian,
Full title: "Understanding Cross-dressing" by Virginia Prince.
According to IFGE, "This book has been published to serve two different purposes for two different groups of people. Not surprisingly the two groups are (1) those who are cross dressers, and (2) those who are not. The needs of these two groups are different; those who cross dress already know what it is like and the satisfactions they obtain from that behavior pattern, but in many cases they don't have much understanding of why they do it.
Moreover, great numbers of cross dressers think that they are the only ones in the world who indulge in such activities. Their needs therefore center around understanding themselves and becoming aware that there are vast numbers of other individuals who do exactly the same thing.
The non-cross dressers have a need to understand a behavior pattern exhibited by others. Wives, parents, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, judges, teachers and just friends of someone who has been found to be a cross dresser need to know more about this pattern. They need information in order to deal with their own feelings - if the cross dresser involved is someone in whom they have a personal interest, such as a child or a husband - or to know how to be of help to the individual if the relationship is impersonal."
1976,
English,
USA,
Virginia Prince,
Original title: "Cuerpo de hombre, experiencia de mujer: Hablan las travestis" (A man's body, a woman's experience: the transvestites speak) by Georgina Burgos.
In this book, seventeen transvestites and one wife narrate what it means to be and live with a transvestite. These stories come from the most human, intimate, and deep side of each protagonist and show us the most unknown face of cross-dressing.
Throughout these pages, we will travel to the electric instant of personal discovery, we will contemplate the details of the intense ritual of the transformation from man to woman, and we will know how it is and what the inner woman that a transvestite carries within herself wants, we will live her first outing to the street... and much more.
2010,
Crossdressing,
Drag queen,
Georgina Burgos,
Spanish,
"Tahle kniha je teplá" (This book is warm) is the Czech language edition of "This Book Is Gay" by Juno Dawson.
"Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Queer. Intersex. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who's ever dared to wonder. This book is for YOU. This candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality and what it's like to grow up LGBTQ also includes real stories from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, not to mention hilarious illustrations."
"You will be entertained. You will be informed. But most importantly, you will know that however you identify (or don't) and whomever you love, you are exceptional. You matter. And so does this book."
2022,
Czech,
Juno Dawson,
Full title: "The Art of Drag" by Jake Hall.
Before RuPaul's Drag Race propelled the cultural phenomenon into the global spotlight, drag had been around for thousands of years. Immerse yourself in the rich history of drag in this lusciously illustrated guide, brimming with dazzling colors and fabulous facts, all held together with a unique Swiss binding that lets each spread lay flat so that you can experience this book in all its trailblazing glory!
The history of drag has been formed by many intersections: fashion, theatre, sexuality and politics--all coming together to create the show stopping entertainment millions witness today. In this extensive work, Jake Hall delves deep into the ancient beginnings of drag, to present day and beyond. Vibrant illustrations enhance the rich history from Kabuki theatre to Shakespearean, the revolutionary Stonewall riots to the still thriving New York ballroom scene. Nothing will go undocumented in this must-have documentation of all things drag.
2020,
Drag queen,
English,
Jake Hall,
Original title: "Trajectoires Trans" (Trans Trajectories) by Julia Pacifico.
"Raerae". In Tahiti, everyone knows at least one. Everyone knows what that means. Directly associated with the idea of drugs-alcohol-prostitution, the life trajectories of trans people on the island all seem to be mapped out.
The author spent time with them and after collecting their testimonies, the word "raerae" takes on a whole new meaning. It echoes a stigma, that of their femininity. Marginalized from an early age, they constantly build and legitimize their feminine identities in a society that discredits their practices. Being trans in Tahiti is not just about being a raerae. This book gives them a voice to understand the complexity of their life trajectories.
2019,
French,
Julia Pacifico,
Tahiti,
Original title: "El Nunca Más de las locas: Resistencia y deseo en la última dictadura" (The Nunca Más de las locas: Resistance and desire in the last dictatorship) by Matthias Maximus.
The persecution, kidnapping, torture, and murder of gays, lesbians, transvestites, and trans people was systematic in both military and civilian governments. Forty years after the return of democracy, the time has come to think about whether the emblematic figure of 30,000 is complete without the disappeared individuals of the LGBT+ community. Why don't words like "transvestite," "homosexual," "puto," "gay," "lesbian," "tortillera," "inverted" appear in the CONADEP report? How could a transvestite approach the disappearance of her partner, if because of her identity she could also be detained? How could a Marica militant complain about a kidnapping if the revolutionary organizations themselves discriminated against her?
2023,
Argentina,
Matthias Maximus,
Spanish,
Full title: "Girl, Transcending: Becoming the woman I was born to be" by AJ Clementine.
"AJ Clementine always knew she was a girl. The problem was, she'd been born in a magical shell that looked, on the outside, like a perfect little boy. In her teens, this conflict between her outer and inner selves exploded, igniting years of anxiety and panic attacks. Now fast becoming one of the world's most visible transgender spokespeople, AJ's journey to accept and live as her true self has captivated hundreds of thousands of people on TikTok, Youtube and Instagram, where she has shared her gender transition, what it was like to grow up Wasian in a blended family, and her transformation into a model, influencer and trans advocate.
2022,
AJ Clementine,
Australia,
English,
Original title: "La mia vita (non più) scandalosa. Scritti inediti di Giò Stajano" (My life (no longer) scandalous. Unpublished writings by Giò Stajano) by Giò Stajano.
Gioacchina Stajano, aka Giò, a famous character of the homo-trans Italian world, has always been labeled as a transgressive and scandalous person. In reality, she was desperately searching for an identity which, after ups and downs, she found reflected in the merciful Love of God and in faith in Christ. The book highlights the face of the great Giò, outlined by some unpublished writings that reveal her delicacy of soul and her profound spirituality.
According to Wikipedia, Countess Maria Gioacchina Stajano Starace Briganti di Panico, known simply as Giò Stajano (1931-2011), was an Italian nobleman, writer, journalist, actress, and transgender painter. In the 60s, before her mtf transition in 1983, she was the center of public attention as one of the first homosexual men publicly declared in Italy. She is remembered for a night swim in the Fontana della Barcaccia. She was said to have been inspired by Federico Fellini's scene of Anita Ekberg's bath in the Trevi Fountain in La dolce vita (1960).
2014,
Giò Stajano,
Italian,
Original title: "Mi transición de niño a mujer: Descubriendo la libertad de ser yo misma: Una historia de valentía y autenticidad en la transición de género" (My Transition from Child to Woman: Discovering the Freedom to Be Myself: A Story of Courage and Authenticity in the Gender Transition) by Juani Mora.
Discover the inspiring story of courage and authenticity in "My Transition from Child to Woman: Discovering the Freedom to Be Myself," a moving book that will take you on a journey of personal growth and overcoming. Through the author's exciting memoir, you'll be able to experience a transgender woman's struggle to find her true gender identity and live freely.
2023,
Juani Mora,
Spanish,
Full title: "She: A Transgender Diary" by Jennifer Rose Brewer.
"I knew that I was transgender when I was eight years old. I never came out as transgender until I was thirty-eight. In that time I learned a lot about myself. I am Jennifer Brewer, the author. This is my book. This is my life.
She: A Transgender Diary is the story of my life. It represents all that I am. From my first dress, to dealing with suicide, this book covers it all.
From my exploits on Craigslist to Halloween. Every story in here is true and it has happened to me. A definite must-read for fans of transgender."
2022,
English,
Jennifer Rose Brewer,
Original title: "Quelque chose en moins... ou en plus" (Something less... or more) by Galia Salimo.
Ten days already. Ten days without sunshine, but without a shadow of regret. Ten days since I left Marseilles for Paris where I knew I had an appointment with my destiny. Ten days that I said goodbye to my childhood, and that I definitively left this disguise of a boy, with which I had been decked out. Ten days since I gave up the idea of walking in someone else's shoes.
Born a boy in Marseille, Galia Salimo recounts the exhilarating and earthy beginnings of her life as queen of Parisian nights. From the festive capital of the 1970s to stages around the world – Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Hiroshima... – she tells it all: the red-light districts of Antwerp, the palaces of Jakarta, the competition between transformist artists, her friendships and her loves, the shows and their backstage at Madame Arthur, at the Carrousel and at the Alcazar... We have fun, we smile, we are also moved when she talks about the difficult search for her true identity. Laughing on the verge of tears, humor slung across the shoulder, defying the taboos and diktats of post-68 society, in ten years, the caterpillar has transformed into a butterfly convinced... that nothing is impossible.
2022,
French,
Galia Salimo,
Original title: "Når Sjælen Brænder: En guide for transkønnede" (When the Soul Burns: A Guide for Transgender People) by Michelle Klæstrup.
For many years, Michelle Klæstrup struggled with anxiety, low self-esteem, and lack of self-confidence, fighting for her surroundings to perceive her as normal and completely ordinary. She did not dare to tell and involve others in the many terrible problems that were part of her daily life during these many years.
Today, she has freed herself from most of her demons, and now shares with readers her many years of experience.
This publication touches on the topics of gender identity, sexuality, and not least, psychological and physical influences.
2015,
Danish,
Michelle Klæstrup,
Full title: "Transsexualism: A study of forty-three cases (Reports from the Psychiatric Research Centre, St. Jörgen's Hospital, University of Göteborg, Sweden)" by Jan Wålinder.
"As a boy he played mostly with girls; people teased him for being a sissy; he was embarrassed about his own body. At 12, he began to feel uncertain about his sex role; he felt as if he were "neutral"; after a time he began to feel as if he belonged to the opposite sex, and this feeling grew stronger shortly before he entered puberty, at which time he also began to be disgusted at the sight of his own body. At 26 he began to have periods of gradually mounting desire to cross-dress, ending in continual crossdressing for a time. He was erotically aroused by men and had a few homosexual contacts; he never showed any interest in girls. He had a weak libido, and said that he had never masturbated. He tried to conquer his anomaly by marrying, but this only made matters worse; he got frequent attacks of depression and at 26 was admitted to a psychiatric department, but after five years of supportive psychotherapy, he was no better. He wanted to have his name changed and to be operated on."
1967,
English,
Jan Wålinder,
Sweden,
Original title: "Mann oder Frau! Das Schicksal einer Abenteurer-Natur" (Man or woman! The destiny of an adventurer nature) by Elsbeth Ebertin.
The book (pamphlet) covers the story of Toni Simon (actually Anton Simon, 1887-1979), a man from Stuttgart, openly living as a transwoman. Simon was considered one of the most well-known transwomen of the first decades of the 20th century.
She ran the legendary Café 1930 in Essen's Segerothstraße and she published a magazine for transvestites. Simon gained further fame through this book, written by the Heilbronn-based writer and astrologer Elsbeth Ebertin (1880-1944), who presented Toni Simon's life and suffering and published two photographs of Simon.
1933,
Elsbeth Ebertin,
German,
Toni Simon,
Original title: "Gli svergognati. Vite di gay, lesbiche, trans... storie di tutti" (The shameless. Lives of gays, lesbians, trans... Everyone's stories) by Delia Vaccarello.
The book tells the true stories of ten people who have stopped being ashamed and are finally living their lives as lesbian, transgender, and gay people.
A wife leaves her husband to live with her, a transgender person writes to her son explaining that she can no longer call him dad, a twenty-year-old woman falls in love with a peer via email, a transgender man describes the journey towards an undoubtedly male identity: these are some of the stories told in the book.
Love for the person who belongs to one's own sex or the search for a gender identity other than that written in the forms of the body are considered transgressions with respect to the recognized normality. The book wants to place the stories of people defined as gay, lesbian, transgender in the open sea of life, tracing as the only possible frame a space to live equal for all. Not stories of different people, but stories of people.
2022,
Delia Vaccarello,
Italian,
