joysbookcase 's review for:

Before Gender: Lost stories from trans history 1850-1950 by Eli Erlick

4.0

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Before Gender sheds light on the stories of 30 trans people from 1850 - 1950 because spoiler, LGBTQ+ riots didn’t begin with Stonewall.

Erlick’s gender non-conforming subjects come from a mix of backgrounds and ethnicities. Their narratives are well-researched although some sections are understandably shorter due to the availability of information. I confess that I found some sections more engaging than others, and I preferred to dip in and out, reading a chapter or so at a time.

One of the stories that really stayed with me was that of Mark and David Ferrow - two of the first youths in England to medically transition - amazingly in a town a stone’s throw from my hometown. I also loved learning about Muksamse’lapli terrorising colonisers with her sense of humour and about Okiyo punching a cop in the Ueno Park Riots.

Thank you to Manchester University Press for the ARC.