Before Gender
Lost Stories from TRANS History 1850–1950
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Manchester University Press
Published:10th Jun '25
Should be back in stock very soon
Discover the trailblazing lives of thirty trans people who will radically change everything you’ve been told about transgender history.
Highlighting influential individuals from 1850 to 1950 who are all but unknown today, 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 term.
Organised into four parts, paralleling today’s controversies over gender identity – kids, activists, workers and athletes – Before Gender introduces figures whose forgotten stories transform the discussion. These ground-breaking histories include two of the first teens to access gender-affirming medical treatment, a countess who instigated an LGBTQ+ riot forty years before Stonewall and the 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.
'Before Gender is at once a vital weapon in the fight against the denial of trans history and a heart-stopping collection of human stories. I'm thrilled to know the people in its pages and I already know they will stay with me.'
Kit Heyam, author of Before We Were Trans
‘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
‘Not only have trans people always existed; we have always sought ways to live fuller and more authentic lives. Before Gender chronicles trans people from 1850 to 1950 growing up, working, falling in love, getting in trouble, playing sports and building community as we’ve always done and always will do.’
Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer
'Trans readers will find powerful validation within Before Gender, and all readers will learn history that helps them make sense of our current moment. As Erlick quotes activist José Rizal in the afterword: 'Know history, know self. No history, no self.' Before Gender is a powerful antidote to hatred and an affirmation of trans lives.'
BookPage starred review
ISBN: 9781526192714
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
272 pages