The library will be closed Sunday, March 31st, for Easter

Memorial Hall Library

Meet Your Transgender Neighbors Now Online.

The panel discussion is now online. On Thursday, November 2nd, at 7pm, MHL held a panel called Meet Your Transgender Neighbors. The discussion was moderated by Michelle Jane Tat, a data scientist for the City of Boston and transgender rights activist. Panelists included Kaden Mohamed, Lee West, and August Eberlein. If you'd like some supplemental reading about transgender people and their rights, here are some books to check out!

Transgender Memoirs

To my trans sisters
To my trans sisters
by Charlie Craggs

A collection of letters written by successful trans women sharing the lessons they've learned on their journeys to womanhood, celebrating their achievements, and empowering the next generation to become who they really are.
Some assembly required : the not-so-secret life of a transgender teen
Some assembly required : the not-so-secret life of a transgender teen
by Arin Andrews

Seventeen-year-old Arin Andrews shares all the hilarious, painful and poignant details of undergoing gender reassignment as a high school student in this winning teen memoir.
She's not there : a life in two genders
She's not there : a life in two genders
by Jennifer Finney Boylan

A remarkable memoir that chronicles the life of James, a critically acclaimed novelist, who eventually became Jenny, a happy and successful English professor.
Being Jazz : my life as a (transgender teen)
Being Jazz : my life as a (transgender teen)
by Jazz Jennings

The author recounts how her public experiences have influenced her attitude towards the transgender community, as she works to educate others about transgenderism while navigating the challenges of being a teenager.
Before I had the words : on being a transgender young adult
Before I had the words : on being a transgender young adult
by Skylar Kergil

The transgender activist and YouTube personality discusses his life, his relationship with his family members, and how he finally found self-acceptance.
Rethinking normal : a memoir in transition
Rethinking normal : a memoir in transition
by Katie Rain Hill

A personal account by a college student who endured years of bullying and disapprobation describes how after numerous failed therapies she accepted her transgender status and began learning how to be a girl while pursuing surgical gender reassignment. A first book.
Man alive : a true story of violence, forgiveness and becoming a man
Man alive : a true story of violence, forgiveness and becoming a man
by Thomas Page McBee

On the cusp of a life-changing decision to transition from female to male, the author focuses on two of the men who impacted his life, seeking to understand what it truly means to be a man.
Redefining realness : my path to womanhood, identity, love & so much more
Redefining realness : my path to womanhood, identity, love & so much more
by Janet Mock

A journalist and activist who was profiled in a 2011 Marie Claire feature outlines bold perspectives on the realities of being young, multi-racial, economically challenged and transgender in today's America, recounting her disadvantaged youth and decision to undergo gender reassignment surgery at the age of 18 before pursuing a career and falling in love.
Becoming Nicole : the transformation of an American family
Becoming Nicole : the transformation of an American family
by Amy Ellis Nutt

The Maines were a middle-class, hard-working, politically conservative New England couple whose lives felt complete when they adopted identical twin sons. As toddlers, Jonas was the son Kelly and Wayne Maines expected, but Wyatt was only interested in girls' clothes and toys. By age five, this conflict was tearing Wyatt--and the family--apart. Today, Wyatt is Nicole. She and Jonas are now graduating from high school. This is the story of a journey that could have destroyed a family, but instead united them. It's the story of a mother whose instincts told her her child needed love and help. It's the story of a Republican, NRA-member father who overcame confusion and fear to become a vocal advocate of trans rights. It's the story of a brother who always loved and accepted his sister. And, especially, it's the story of a young girl who found the courage to be herself.

Other Transgender Nonfiction

"You're in the wrong bathroom!" : and 20 other myths and misconceptions about transgender and gender- nonconforming people
"You're in the wrong bathroom!" : and 20 other myths and misconceptions about transgender and gender- nonconforming people
by Laura Erickson-Schroth

Addresses twenty-one common misconceptions about transgender people, including the myth that they are mentally ill and hate their bodies, looking at social, medical, political, and psychological issues.
Trans* in college : transgender students' strategies for navigating campus life and the institutional politics of inclusion
Trans* in college : transgender students' strategies for navigating campus life and the institutional politics of inclusion
by Z. Nicolazzo

Discusses the cultural and institutional obstacles that "trans" students face in a college environment, focusing on the experiences of nine students that raise issues about safety, identity, discrimination, and acceptance in postsecondary education.
Transgender children and youth : cultivating pride and joy with families in transition
Transgender children and youth : cultivating pride and joy with families in transition
by Elijah C. Nealy

Nealy, a therapist, transgender man, and professor, offers a guide for mental health providers to understanding and working with transgender children and youth and their families. He describes core concepts like sex, gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation, as well as key vocabulary; gender variance and gender diversity among children and adolescents, including historical responses and theoretical and clinical approaches; gender diversity and gender dysphoria; disclosing transgender identity and social transition; medical transition; the emergence of transgender identity in adolescence; dynamics affecting parents and caregivers; complex work with families; issues in schools; advanced clinical interventions; questions related to helping youth prepare for work or college; and the role and responsibilities of mental health providers. 
Raising my rainbow : adventures in raising a fabulous, gender creative son
Raising my rainbow : adventures in raising a fabulous, gender creative son
by Lori Duron

Based on her popular blog of the same name, the author presents a brutally honest, laugh-out-loud funny memoir about the joys and challenges of raising a slightly effeminate, possibly gay, totally fabulous son. 
Trans bodies, trans selves : a resource for the transgender community
Trans bodies, trans selves : a resource for the transgender community
by Laura Erickson-schroth

Trans Bodies, Trans Selves is a revolutionary resource-a comprehensive, reader-friendly guide for transgender people, with each chapter written by transgender or genderqueer authors. Inspired by Our Bodies, Ourselves, the classic and powerful compendium written for and by women, Trans Bodies, Trans Selves is widely accessible to the transgender population, providing authoritative information in an inclusive and respectful way and representing the collective knowledge base of dozens of influential experts. It is a welcoming place for transgender and gender-questioning people, their partners and families, students, professors, guidance counselors, and others to look for up-to-date information on transgender life.
Beyond trans : does gender matter?
Beyond trans : does gender matter?
by Heath Fogg Davis

Explores the sex classification system and gender assignment policies of the United States and argues that eliminating these practices would reduce sex-identity discrimination and the social disadvantages experienced by transgender people.
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