Top Trans Books

Leslie Feinberg examines the history of those who have pushed gender boundaries throughout the ages. In this book Feinberg shows that being transgender, or outside the gender norm is not a new phenomenon, but something that has been hidden from history.

Dean Kotula's 2002 book is a beautiful documentation of the transition of 19 men who were born female, but transitioned to become men at some point in their lives. Also included in the book are photos of "bottom surgery" or Radial Forearm Phalloplasty, sure to satisfy any of you who are curious about what a medically constructed penis looks like and how it's built.

Mary Boenke's book is great for friends and family members of trans people. Trans Forming Families is a collection of stories from family members of transgender, transsexual and intersex people. Moms, Dads, siblings, spouses, grandparents and children all share their points of view and the process of loving, accepting and embracing their trans family member.

Chaz Bono is the most visible transgender person of our lifetime. After competing on Dancing with the Stars you might want to know more about how the daughter of Sonny and Cher became their son. Transition tells Chaz's story.

Nick Krieger's memoir is a good companion piece to Chaz's story. Lighter and wittier and well-written, Krieger goes from being an A-gay lesbian to becoming a trans-man. It's also a love story and a peek inside San Francisco's queer community. A great read.

My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely by Kate Bornstein. If you thought gender was as simple as "male" and "female" pick up this book and prepare to have your beliefs challenged. This book is informative and fun, with quizzes and exercises to assist you in determining where you fall on the gender spectrum.

Sometimes fiction or a novel can help you understand something much better than non-fiction. Such is the case with Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg. Feinberg's classic novel from 1993 tells the story of Jess, a young person who comes out as butch lesbian in the 1950s and then explores gender transition and identity. It is considered one of the best written books to explore gender identity from a personal point of view.

Let's face it, some of us don't just want to learn about trans people and issues, we want to date them and have sex with them. Tristan Taormino has just the book for you folks. Take me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica is a sexy book of short stories and erotic tales that involve MTF, FTM and everyone in between. Sexy and hot!

Body Alchemy: Transsexual Portraits by Loren Cameron from 1996 is one of the first transgender books I'd ever seen. I remember looking at the beautiful black and white self-portraits and understanding a little about what it meant to be a female to male transsexual. His before and after photographs helps people see and experience what transition can be like for FTM transsexuals.

The beautiful part about What Becomes You is that the book is written by a man transitioning and his mother. Aaron Raz Link and Hilda Raz together have written a Lambda Literary Award finalist that shows two sides of the transition story. As Aaron Link accounts the medical, social and legal process, his mom observes the process from a place of astonishment and love.