Research Guides: Transgender Identities: Readings and Resources

We at Morris Library know gender and sex are complicated and fluid. We're committed to helping you explore and express your identity. Morris Library's staff follow a code of ethics which require us to respect each patron's individuality and respond to them with empathy and to protect their privacy. With us, you are welcomed, you are respected, and you are safe. Come to any of us for help or to tell us how to be better and we will.

Below is just a small sample of the resources to learn more about issues of gender, sex, and identity we have available.

If you're nervous about someone finding out what you're exploring our reading from our shelves, here's some reassurance:

First, if you check out a book or other item, our systems are specifically designed and configured to forget everything about your interactions the instant you return the book. We purge everything and make the information as unrecoverable as reasonably possible.
Second, our staff are trained and have the ethical obligation to do the same to their memories the moment you walk away from them. (If you've ever had to explain a situation or question to the same one of us multiple times, that's why.)
Third, if you read a book in the building and leave it on one of our tables for reshelving without checking it out, we have no way to connect you to the book and neither does anyone else.

You can also help us respect your identity by changing the name by which our systems call you.

For a campus-wide change to all system that don't require your legal name, login to SalukiNet and search for "preferred name". Fill out the fields and send the form off. Campus IT will swap your name ASAP. People Finder won't change, but your campus email and messages to you from within SIU will. (Your author finally switched her preferred name last week after years of hesitating. The form took a minute and her email showed her preferred name within two hours.)
If you'd rather just messages from the library used a different name or if you're one of our community users without a SalukiNet account, stop by our Circulation Desk and ask. Our staff will update our records for you. Changes on our system won't affect other campus accounts.

While you're at Circulation, feel free to grab a pronoun button!

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans*, Queer (LGBTQ) Resource Center, SIUC
"... serves students, faculty, staff, families, friends, alumni, and the greater community of Southern Illinois by providing conscientious educational outreach, programming, referral information, and advocacy to affect the overall SIU culture of inclusion and systematic support surrounding LGBTQ+ community members, promote LGBTQ+ student and employee retention, develop LGBTQ+ leaders, strengthen relationships, as well as provide opportunities for intrapersonal development."
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used on LGBTQ+ PRIDE

Online Resources for Research

Digital Transgender Archive (DTA)
From the website: "The purpose of the Digital Transgender Archive (DTA) is to increase the accessibility of transgender history by providing an online hub for digitized historical materials, born-digital materials, and information on archival holdings throughout the world. Based in Boston, Massachusetts at Northeastern University, the DTA is an international collaboration among more than sixty colleges, universities, nonprofit organizations, public libraries, and private collections. By digitally localizing a wide range of trans-related materials, the DTA expands access to trans history for academics and independent researchers alike in order to foster education and dialog concerning trans history." The archive focuses on materials created before the year 2000.
Gerber / Hart Library and Archives
Library, museum, and archive of Midwest LGBTQ history and culture in Chicago. Hosts a number of online exhibits and regular podcasts, interviews, and presentations.
KYKY Archives
Digital archive whose mission is to "collect, document, and preserve historical records of the Black Lesbian, Queer, Gender non-conforming, and trans community." Includes articles, magazine covers, personal ads, interviews, photographs, and a selection of ephemera.
LGBTQIA+ Periodical and Ephemera Collection
International collection of "periodicals, magazines, ephemera and monographs ... largely concentrated from the 1950's to the early 2000's. New materials are added to the collection on an ongoing basis." From Princeton University.
ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
"[T]he largest repository of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) materials in the world. Founded in 1952, ONE Archives houses millions of archival items including periodicals, books, films, videos, audio recordings, photographs, artworks, organizational records, and personal papers."
Transgender Histories of D.C.
Digitized video interviews. "This project documents the events of the final decades of the 20th century and first few of the 21st through the eyes of transgender elders, mostly Black women."

Non-fiction Suggestions

Before We Were Trans by Heyam, Kit
"Explores the history of transgender and gender nonconforming people, with a focus on those who identified in other than a straightforward binary fashion; on communities in West Africa, Asia, and among Native Americans; and on cross-dressing in World War I prison camps and in entertainment."
Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by Snorton, C. Riley
Call Number: eBook, tap the title above for access
"... Snorton identifies multiple intersections between blackness and transness from the mid-nineteenth century to present-day anti-black and anti-trans legislation and violence. Drawing on a deep and varied archive of materials, Snorton attends to how slavery and the production of racialized gender provided the foundations for an understanding of gender as mutable."
Continuum by Chella Man (Illustrator); Ashley Lukashevsky (Illustrator)
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
"Fine artist, activist, and Titans actor Chella Man uses his own experiences as a deaf, transgender, genderqueer, Jewish person of color to talk about cultivating self-acceptance and acting as one's own representation"
Counseling Transgender and Non-Binary Youth by Krieger, Irwin
Call Number: LC Books: 5th floor; HQ77.9 .K747 2017
"There are growing numbers of youth who identify as transgender, and as a result, clinicians and counselors are in need of an informed resource that covers the basics of gender identity and expression. This book responds to that need by setting out clear advice and support on working with transgender and non-binary youth with regard to their identity, mental health, personal and family life and their medical and social transition as well as offering additional resources and reading lists."
Eyes of Desire 2: A Deaf GLBT Reader by Raymond Luczak (Editor)
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 9780979881602
Publication Date: 2007
"Over 85 Deaf and hearing people from all over the world share their stories, interviews, poems, and more in this anthology .... Subjects cover coming out, family, identity, relationships, community, and activism."
Handbook of LGBT Elders by Debra A. Harley (Editor); Pamela B. Teaster (Editor)
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 9783319036229
Publication Date: 2015
"This groundbreaking resource presents a wealth of findings and perspectives previously unseen in LGBT literature. Its focus on psychological, sociopolitical, and care delivery issues affecting LGBT elders reveals both the nuanced interplay between sources of identity and multiple sources of stigma and discrimination."
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Aging by Noell L. Rowan (Editor); Nancy L. Giunta (Editor)
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 1138057150
Publication Date: 2017
"This edited collection emphasizes the role of social work practice and research related to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) aging. It highlights LGBT aging from a gerontological social work perspective by incorporating key values of the profession such as cultural competence, dignity, strengths, and resilience of the population while it offers an important contribution to the body of knowledge to the interdisciplinary field of aging."
LGBTQ Social Movements by Lisa M. Stulberg
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 9780745656076
Publication Date: 2018
"In recent years, there has been substantial progress on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights in the United States. We are now, though, in a time of incredible political uncertainty for queer people. LGBTQ Social Movements provides an accessible introduction to mainstream LGBTQ movements in the US, illustrating the many forms that LGBTQ activism has taken since the mid-twentieth century. Covering a range of topics, including the Stonewall uprising and gay liberation, AIDS politics, queer activism, marriage equality fights, youth action, and bisexual and transgender justice, Lisa M. Stulberg explores how marginalized people and communities have used a wide range of political and cultural tools to demand and create change."
The Third Person by Emma Grove
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 9781770466159
Publication Date: 2022
"A boldly drawn, unforgettable memoir about trauma and the barriers to gender affirming health care."
Trans America by Reay, Barry
"Barry Reay explores this history: from a time before trans in the nineteenth century to the transsexual moment of the 1960s and 1970s, the transgender turn of the 1990s, and the so-called tipping point of current culture. It is a rich and varied history, where same-sex desires and identities, cross-dressing, and transsexual and transgender identities jostled for recognition. It is a history that is not at all flattering to US psychiatric and surgical practices."
Transgender and Gender Diverse Health Care: the Fenway Guide by Alex Keuroghlian; Jennifer Potter; Sari L. Reisner
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 9781260459937
Publication Date: 2021
"This book covers topics such as the history and background of transgender and gender-diverse health care, gender identity, primary, preventive, and specialty care, and community-building, advocacy, and partnership."
Transgender Children and Youth by Elijah C. Nealy
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 9780393711394
Publication Date: 2017
"... the first-ever comprehensive guide to understanding, supporting, and welcoming trans kids. Covering everything from family life to school and mental health issues, as well as the physical, social, and emotional aspects of transition, this book is full of best practices to support trans kids."
Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to RuPaul by Feinberg, Leslie
"Feinberg examines use of language, perceptions of the body, the status of clothing, and the structures of societies that welcome or are threatened by gender variance, uncovering persuasive evidence that there have always been people who crossed the cultural boundaries of gender."

Fiction Suggestions

The Call-Out by Cat Fitzpatrick
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
"Anvi, Kate, Bette, Keiko, Gaia, and Day are six queer, mostly trans women surviving and thriving in Brooklyn. Visiting all the fixtures of fashionable 21st century queer society-picnics, literary readings, health conferences, drag shows, punk houses, community accountability processes, Grindr hookups-The Call-Out also engages with pressing questions around economic precarity, sexual consent, racism in queer spaces, and feminist theory, in the service of asking what it takes to build, or destroy, a marginalized community."

Teen Suggestions

Allies by Bourne, Shakirah; Dana Alison Levy
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
"This book is for everyone. Because we can all be allies. As an ally, you use your power--no matter how big or small--to support others. You learn, and try, and mess up, and try harder. In this collection of true stories, 17 critically acclaimed and bestselling YA authors get real about being an ally, needing an ally, and showing up for friends and strangers. From raw stories of racism and invisible disability to powerful moments of passing the mic, these authors share their truths. They invite you to think about your own experiences and choices and how to be a better ally. There are no easy answers, but this book helps you ask better questions. Self-reflection prompts, resources, journaling ideas, and further reading suggestions help you find out what you can do. Because we're all in this together. And we all need allies""
Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Kuklin, Susan
"Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference. Portraits, family photographs, and candid images grace the pages, augmenting the emotional and physical journey each youth has taken. Each honest discussion and disclosure, whether joyful or heartbreaking, is completely different from the other because of family dynamics, living situations, gender, and the transition these teens make in recognition of their true selves."
Man o' War by Cory McCarthy
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
"On a field trip to SeaPlanet, seventeen-year-old Arab-American high school swimmer River McIntyre has a chance encounter with Indy, a happy, healthy queer person, which sets off a wrenching journey of self-discovery, from internalized homophobia and gender dysphoria, through layers of coming out, affirmation surgery, and true love."
Queer (2nd Edition) by Kathy Belge; Marke Bieschke
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
"Queer is a humorous, engaging, and honest guide that helps LGBTQ teens come out to friends and family, navigate their social life, figure out if a crush is also queer, and challenge bigotry and homophobia. Personal stories from the authors and sidebars on queer history provide relatable context. This completely revised and updated edition is a must-read for any teen who thinks they might be queer or knows someone who is."

Young Readers Suggestions

The Civil War of Amos Abernathy by Michael Leali
Call Number: Reques through I-Share by tapping the title
"Amos Abernathy lives for history. Literally. He's been a historical reenactor nearly all his life. But when a cute new volunteer arrives at his Living History Park, Amos finds himself wondering if there's something missing from history: someone like the two of them.Amos is sure there must have been LGBTQ+ people in nineteenth-century Illinois. His search turns up Albert D. J. Cashier, a Civil War soldier who might have identified as a trans man if he'd lived today. Soon Amos starts confiding in his newfound friend by writing letters in his journal--and hatches a plan to share Albert's story with his divided twenty-first century town. It may be an uphill battle, but it's one that Amos is ready to fight."
Pride: an Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Movement by Stella Caldwell; Layton Williams (Foreword by)
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
"In this beautifully designed dynamic book, young readers will learn about groundbreaking events, including historic pushes for equality and the legalization of same-sex marriages across the world. They will dive into the phenomenal history of queer icons from ancient times to the present and read about Harvey Milk, Marsha P. Johnson, Audre Lorde, and more. Including several personal current essays from inspiring young LGBTQ+ people, this book encourages readers to take pride in their identity and the identities of those around them."
Rainbow Revolutionaries by Sarah Prager; Sarah Papworth (Illustrator)
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
"Rainbow Revolutionaries brings to life the vibrant histories of fifty pioneering LGBTQ+ people from around the world. Through Sarah Prager's (Queer, There, and Everywhere) short, engaging bios, and Sarah Papworth's bold, dynamic art, readers can delve into the lives of Wen of Han, a Chinese emperor who loved his boyfriend as much as his people, Martine Rothblatt, a trans woman who's helping engineer the robots of tomorrow, and so many more!"

Picture Book Suggestions

Calvin by J. R. Ford; Vanessa Ford; Kayla Harren (Illustrator)
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
"A transgender boy prepares for the first day of school and introduces himself to his family and friends for the first time."
Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu; Dean Hamer; Joe Wilson; Daniel Sousa (Illustrator)
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
"Four individuals of dual male and female spirit bring their healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii, where they are beloved for their gentle ways and miraculous cures and where they imbue four giant boulders with their powers."
It Feels Good to Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn; Noah Grigni (Illustrator)
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
"This sweet, straightforward exploration of gender identity will give children a fuller understanding of themselves and others. With child-friendly language and vibrant art, It Feels Good to Be Yourself provides young readers and parents alike with the vocabulary to discuss this important topic with sensitivity."

Attribution and Sharing

Transgender Identities: Readings and Resources by Cassie Wagner is licensed under CC BY 4.0

This license grants you permission to copy this guide, in part or in its entirety, as long as you follow license terms and attribute the author. There’s no need to ask for permission.