Recently, the National Parks Service removed the “TQ+” from the website dedicated to the Stonewall National Monument, in New York City.
It was the first national park dedicated to the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement (LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning; the plus stands for other gender identities not represented). The site’s homepage now says, “The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969 is a milestone in the quest for LGB civil rights and provided momentum for a movement.” This is only the most recent effort by the current administration to erase transgender people from the national discourse, if not reality.
There is power in the written word. It is not coincidence that so many mythologies involve “words of power” or stories whereby someone is controlled by another who knows their true name. Those who would control others often focus on language first because to name something is to make it real, in many ways.
Luckily, trans literature is widely, vibrantly available. What I’ve loved to see happen over the past 25 years of my adult reading life is the transition (hah!) that queer literature has made from stories that are solely about the gay experience to stories that just happen to have a gay character. I think it shows a certain amount of progress, from education to understanding and acceptance.
Reading Maggie Thrash’s novel “Rainbow Black” last year, when a character was revealed to be trans about halfway through the book, I appreciated how much love had gone into the character’s portrayal. The novel begins during the Satanic Panic of 1990, when a New Hampshire daycare is targeted by the witch hunt sweeping the nation. It was Thrash’s intent to draw a parallel between the witch hunts of the late ’80s/early ’90s and the trials facing queer and trans people now. In the process she wrote a page-turning murder mystery.
Similarly, one of our steadiest selling works of fiction in the bookstore is “Mad Honey” by Jennifer Finney Boylan and Jodi Picoult, a gripping novel about fresh starts, young love, courtroom drama, and yes, a trans character. In fact, Boylan, a trans author, has a brand-new book out called “Cleavage,” about the impact on gender in our lives, but also what it was like for Boylan coming out as trans in 2000 compared to the challenges people coming out today face.
The genre is rich in memoir, two of which I’ll recommend here. A few years ago we hosted the musician Cidny Bullens to talk about his book “TransElectric: My Life as a Cosmic Rock Star.” It recounts Cid’s musical journey, including touring with Elton John, as Cindy Bullens, as well as the emotional journey coming out as Cidny Bullens at the age of 61.
Lucy Sante’s memoir has been racking up accolades since it published a year ago, including being named a best book of the year by the New York Times, Washington Post, and Slate. In it, Sante talks about her early life as an artist, moving to New York from Belgium in the 1970s, and her most recent transition and how to live an authentic life.
There are so many more I’d love to put in your hands, but the most important thing is to recognize their importance — and their right to exist. Let’s fight this erasure with everything we have. At the Book Shop, we’ll always have books by trans authors and about trans stories on our shelves. We encourage you to read them.
Hannah Harlow is owner of The Book Shop, an independent bookstore in Beverly Farms. Harlow writes biweekly recommendations for us. See more of what she recommends reading at thecricket.com.
