Celebrating Trans Month with Books!

Trans Month happens every November and it is a time to celebrate, remember and learn about our transgender, gender diverse and non-binary communities.

Trans Awareness Week is the 13 – 19 of November and is when we help raise awareness for the issues facing the transgender, gender diverse and non-binary people. For this blog post, we have a few books that relate to Trans Month. These tell the stories of queer Victorians and highlight the issues that the trans and gender diverse community are still facing today. Please note that the below books discuss themes such as LGBTQ+ based discrimination, violence and neglect.

The Big Book of Queer Bendigo, edited by John Richards

This book goes through the entirety of queer history in Bendigo. It includes stories of people who have lived or are currently living around the area. It is a celebration of Bendigo’s queer legacy which goes as far back as the history of Bendigo itself. This book also tells the story of Edward De Lacy Evans. He lived in the Bendigo area in the 1850s and became an international story when it was discovered that he was assigned female at birth. The book also discusses an important mural dedicated to him in Bendigo and the other ways in which his legacy has continued. Edward’s story is a celebration of Bendigo’s queer legacy, and this history is very important to the community. This book also includes the voices of those who may not have had voices in the past, celebrating the LGBTQ+ people of Bendigo.

 

Foreground: Portraits of Older Transgender and Gender Diverse People by Marlo W

Often, older transgender and gender diverse people are underrepresented within mainstream media. Marlo W has used this book to highlight the stories of those people with the hope that these people become role models for younger trans people. Using a mix of interviews and powerful portraits, the people who are the subject of this book are encouraged to share their views on society’s representation of trans people. They also share their own coming out stories and journeys in becoming the person they are today. This is a powerful book that actively gives a voice to the people who might not have had one in the past.

Champagne at Three by Jill Blee

This is the biography of Jill’s sister, Rebecca. In the introduction, Jill writes that she decided to write this biography because after her sister’s death, Jill wanted to learn more about Rebecca’s life. Rebecca was assigned as male at birth and lived the first half of her life as a male until she decided to transition to a woman. She worked as a mining engineer and consultant for most of her life.  However, in doing so, she lost a lot of the support from her family and friends. This also included Jill until they reconnected later in life. This book is Jill’s discovery of Rebecca’s often difficult life. It is also the story of a trans people living in a remote area of Victoria.

Kamp Melbourne in the 1930s and ‘30s: Trade, Queans and Inverts by Wayne Murdoch

Homosexuality in Melbourne often went unnoticed during the interwar years. During this time, Melbourne had a reasonably strong ‘Kamp’ subculture. There were many reasons for this, but it is a piece of Melbourne’s queer legacy that is often not known or discussed. Using the limited resources that have survived since that time, Wayne Murdoch has brought that history to the surface. With a focus on mainly homosexual men, Wayne explores the queer community and friendship that was present in Melbourne during the 1920s and ‘30s. This includes the secret meeting places and communication used in an attempt for these people to not be arrested or abused. Due to a multitude of reasons, mostly including shame or discrimination, a lot of the historical evidence of this subculture has been lost or destroyed. This is the reason why this is an important book that celebrates a piece of Melbourne history that is close to being lost.

Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender-Diverse Australia, edited by Sam Elkin, Alex Gallagher, Yves Rees and Bobuq Sayed

This anthology shares of the voices of trans and gender diverse people from across Australia. They share their own journey with their identity and give a voice to their communities. As discussed in the introduction, Australia is lacking in mainstream transgender and gender diverse ambassadors. Australia has a rich trans culture and history and yet, not many Australians can name a well-known trans Australian in mainstream media. When there has been trans visibility in the media, this is often not positive and can be damaging for the community. This book strives to change this through encouraging more voices from the Australian trans and gender diverse community.

Advice From a Gay Clown: Things I’ve learned from doing drag, that might help you do drag too! By Randy Roy

Randy Roy is a drag king based in Melbourne and uses this zine to provide advice for those who are interested in entering the drag scene. He encourages everyone who is interested in entering the drag world to give it a go and don’t let the judgement of others stop you from doing what you want to do. For him, drag is a way to explore different ways of gender presentation and it is an important way for queer people to make a statement. Drag Kings, like Randy Roy, are growing more popular and becoming a stronger presence within Melbourne’s many drag performances.

Interested in discovering more of our books about queer communities and experiences? Visit us today to see our full collection!