Before Gender
Lost Stories from Trans History, 1850-1950
There have always been transgender people, shows Eli Erlick’s dynamic biographical collection Before Gender, about thirty trans individuals of the past.
This riveting, compassionate collection of life stories uses a process of transgender historiography to introduce new biographical information and to analyze the ways the stories of trans people were written in the past. Most of the subjects are North American, though there are also European, Asian, and Middle Eastern people represented, with the book aiming to tell racially diverse stories while acknowledging that white transgender people’s stories were the best documented.
German countess Gerda von Zobeltitz, who wore “girls” clothing under her approved outfits in childhood, was at the 1930 Rauchfangswerder riots, which predated Stonewall by nearly fifty years. Effie Smith was an active criminal and a beauty to boot; her constant theft and ingenious shoplifting kept her in the newspapers. Peg Leg Ann Storcy was a shotgun-wielding Michigan homesteader, and after her death, her story grew like a folk tale, with different sources claiming varying birthplaces and ethnicities.
Others lived under the radar as long as they could. Shoemaker Ray Leonard was in his sixties, living a quiet life in Oregon, when he was outed after medical care. Georgia Black, a Black wife, mother, and cook living in Sanford, Florida, was around the same age when she fell sick and doctors exposed her. Black’s son was one of many who supported her afterward, even writing about her in an Ebony magazine article.
The historical biographies collected in Before Gender show that, while society’s language about gender has changed, trans people have always been part of communities around the world—and that it’s crucial to get to know their stories.
Reviewed by
Meredith Grahl Counts
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
