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Book

Before gender : lost stories from trans history, 1850-1950

Call Number

  • 306.768 E69 (CEN)

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Publication Information

Boston, Massachusetts : Beacon Press, [2025]

Physical Description

268 pages, 8 unnumbered leaves of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Summary

"An expansive exploration of the exciting lives of 30 trans people from 1850-1950 that radically changes everything you've been told about transgender history"--

"Highlighting influential individuals from 1850 to 1950, renowned activist and educator Eli Erlick shares thirty 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 word. Organized into four parts mirroring 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 became two of the first trans teens to access gender-affirming medical treatment following overwhelming support from their friends, family, and neighbors in the 1930s. Gerda von Zobeltitz, a German trans countess, instigated an LGBTQ+ riot 40 years before Stonewall. In the Midwest, trans man Frank Williams was fired from over a dozen jobs for his gender. And Frances Anderson became the world's greatest female billiards player in the 1910s without the public discovering her trans status. A much-needed intervention into a polarizing topic, Before Gender will upend everything you've been told about transgender history. 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."--

Contents

  • Introduction: Rewriting the narrative. The issues ; Pop history ; Trans identity and the Cleopatra problem ; Lessons from lost trans history
  • The kids. The brothers: Mark and David Ferrow ; The outlaw: Effie Smith ; The singer: Masoud El Amaratly ; The shoemaker: Ray Leonard ; The lover: Mabel Stanley ; The girl bandit: Emma Heinrich ; The horse thief: Willie Ray
  • The activists. The freed woman: Sally-Tom ; The countess: Gerda von Zobeltitz ; The petitioner: Carl Crawford ; The runaway: Mollie Wilson ; The healer: Muksamse'lapli ; The pacificist: Sadie Acosta ; The community leader: Georgia Black ; The guardian: Okiyo ; The professor: Maude Milbourne
  • The workers. The maid: Josephine Robinson ; The cobra woman: Elsie Marks ; The dancer: Albín Pleva ; The florist: John Berger ; The butler: Alfred Grouard ; The craftswoman: Ann Storcy ; The boy-of-all-work: Frank Williams
  • The athletes. The billiardist: Frances Anderson ; The matador: Agustín Rodríguez ; The pentathlete: Stefan Pekar ; The wrestler: Bill Winters ; The teammates: Léon Caurla and Pierre Brésolles
  • Conclusion: A new gender history.

Subjects