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Explore the trailblazing lives of 30 trans people who radically change everything you’ve been told about transgender history
Highlighting influential individuals from 1850–1950 who are all but unknown today, Eli Erlick shares 30 remarkable stories from romance to rebellion and mystery to murder. These narratives chronicle the grit, joy, and survival of trans people long before gender became an everyday term.
Organized into 4 parts paralleling today’s controversies over gender identity (kids, activists, workers, and athletes), Before Gender introduces figures whose forgotten stories transform the discussion:
- Mark and David Ferrow, 2 of the first trans teens to access gender-affirming medical treatment following overwhelming support from their friends, family, and neighbors
- Gerda von Zobeltitz, a trans countess who instigated an LGBTQ+ riot 40 years before Stonewall
- Frank Williams, a young trans man who was fired from over a dozen jobs for his gender
- Frances Anderson, the world’s greatest female billiards player of the 1910s
Bold and visionary, Erlick’s debut uncovers these lost stories from the depths of the archives to narrate trans lives in a way that has never been attempted before.
“I’ve been researching transgender history for a long time, and many of these stories are new to me. What an eye-opening read, crisply written, on such a timely topic.”
—Susan Stryker, author of Transgender History: The Roots of Today’s Revolution
“With this tour de force history of thirty trans people from 1850 to 1950, Eli Erlick shows us a whole new side to trans narratives that both informs and entertains.”
—Riki Wilchins, author of Queer Theory/Gender Theory
“We are so lucky to have a gifted storyteller unearth these lost tales of our trans and nonbinary forebears, and weave them all together into this heartwarming, uplifting book. Before Gender shows that history can be both entertaining and impactful while addressing the most pressing issues for trans people today.”
—Kate Bornstein, author of Gender Outlaw