Tag Archives: books

The First Transgender Exploitation Novel?

The_Lady_Was_a_Man_Cover

There were several transgender exploitation fictions which were published after Christine Jorgensen’s Atomic-Era story burst onto the scene. From 1953-1954 there were several short stories published in men’s magazines, and prior to Jorgensen’s coming out there were numerous stories featuring cross-dressing and intersex characters. But this work is probably the beginning of a genre of transgender exploitative fiction. Originally published under the title “Sex Gantlet[sic] to Murder,” this seedy crime novel was first printed in January, 1955, and probably written in late 1954. In 1958 it was republished, with a different and more provocative cover, under the title “The Lady Was a Man.”

I have published a complete review of this work, and verified that as it contains the blatant themes of anti-transgender misogyny, transgender panic, and transgender sexual exploitation, it likely is the first instance of a transgender exploitation novel.

You may read the review of the work at this link.

TRANSforming Normal – Book Hopes to Show Different Side of Transgender Community

Faith
For 58 years, author Faith Eileen Bryan lived what any reasonable person would call a “normal” life – married, with a family and a career. Faith also was not Faith; she was “John,” the name given to her at birth by parents who never knew their son was really their daughter.

“For me, “normal” was defined in the standard gender binary terms,” says Bryan, author of an upcoming new book, TRANSforming Normal: Ten Stories That Will Change How You See Transgender People. “You were either a boy or a girl.”

Bryan, 61, who came out as transgender in 2012, says society is redefining what is considered normal and acceptable in terms of the growing LGBT presence, and part of that transformation must include how society perceives transgender people.

“I believe there is a general perception that transgender individuals are somehow flawed, not ‘normal’ or in some other way do not make a positive contribution to the social construct,” Bryan says. “This work hopes to portray our community in its most human terms.

“We have careers and families, dreams and hopes like anyone, yet we do this in the face of extraordinary amounts of misinformation, blind hate and ignorance. This is what TRANSforming Normal is about … showing that transgender people are just like anyone.”

The book, projected for Summer 2015 publication, tells the stories of 10 remarkable people who work in a variety of careers: an air traffic controller, a baggage handler, an advertising sales person, a movie director/HIV counselor, a writer, an attorney, a chemical engineer, a beauty pageant director/politician, and a performance artist.

Oh, and they all just happen to be transgender, and all are actively working to advance equal rights for their LGBT sisters and brothers.

“These are vibrant and passionate people who care about others,” says the author. “People need to know that we’re not all drag performers or sex workers. Most of us have jobs, families, mortgages or rent payments, and dreams of something better. In other words, we’re normal human beings.”

Bryan, a former newspaper journalist and editor with 30 years’ experience who now teaches business and management for an online university, says this topic is not widely covered in previous works.

“A substantial body of scholarship exists on this topic that is based in scientific and medical research, and political discourse,” she says, noting there is a growing discussion of the increasing social impact of the transgender community.

“This book seeks to shine a positive light on that aspect of the transgender reality and to help fill the gap in understanding that exists between the societal mainstream and our community,” says the author. “My hope is that my book with help foster understanding where little exists.”

To donate to this project, go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/790423631/transforming-normal or http://www.gofundme.com/es9mgs

To learn more about the author and to read her blog, go to http://www.faitheileenbryan.com

Book Review – Second Serve, by Renée Richards

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A figure who was once the champion of transgender rights and transgender women in sports, who lately has been a controversial voice who is speaking out against transgender women in sports, Renée Richards is definitely a fascinating character. This autobiography explores her life up to the early 1980’s, and details her very troubled childhood and lengthy journey to find herself – a self which even after she found it, she altered repeatedly.

A full review of the book, as well as some additional photographs, may be found at the link below.

Second Serve, by Renée Richards

‘Be Mine’: Love And Identity Tangled In Tehran

In a new novel from Sara Farizan titled “Be Mine,” we read a story of a lesbian couple in Iran, where homosexuality is illegal, who is so desperate to be with her love that she seriously considers gender reassignment, which is actually legal in Iran. While this might set some of your teeth on edge, the protagonist does discover the difference between gender and sexual preference.

‘Be Mine’: Love And Identity Tangled In Tehran | WCAI.