Before Gender: Lost Stories from Trans History, 1850-1950 by Eli Erlick

Hello my lovely readers! I have a LOT to say about this book, so let's just get into it.

SYNOPSIS
Highlighting influential individuals from 1850-1950 who are all but unknown today, Eli Erlick shares 30 remarkable stories from romance to rebellion and mystery to murder. These narratives chronicle the grit, joy, and survival of trans people long before gender became an everyday term.

Organized into 4 parts paralleling today’s controversies over gender identity (kids, activists, workers, and athletes), Before Gender introduces figures whose forgotten stories transform the discussion

Mark and David Ferrow, two of the first trans teens to access gender-affirming medical treatment following overwhelming support from their friends, family, and neighbors.Gerda von Zobeltitz, a trans countess who instigated an LGBTQ+ riot 40 years before Stonewall.Frank Williams, a young trans man who was fired from over a dozen jobs for his gender.Frances Anderson, the world’s greatest female billiards player of the 1910s.

Bold and visionary, Erlick’s debut uncovers these lost stories from the depths of the archives to narrate trans lives in a way that has never been attempted before.

MY THOUGHTS 
While the subject was interesting, because I really enjoy reading about LGBT history (see: Gay New York), the author completely turned me off from enjoying this read.

For me, there was such a clear bias and inauthentic spirit from Erlick. Erlick is trans, so how could this book be written with an inauthentic spirit? Well, it gave off a very "See, I told you there were transpeople in history! See, told you there was nothing new about this! See, I told you so, I told you so, I told you so!" 

That spirit was in full effect throughout the book with the way Erlick consistently italicized certain thoughts and phrases. We really don't need you to emphasize that a trans man/woman's family immediately accepted them. Just write and let the reader draw their own conclusion. It didn't seem like Erlick wrote this book out of passion and genuineness...it felt like it was written just to prove a point....to "stick it" to the Trump administration, conservatives, transphobes etc.

I feel like a true historian of LGBT history or even a better writer, would've made me LOVE this book. I couldn't help but to compare it to Gay New York which was so expertly researched and extremely well-written.

I don't think Erlick is a skilled writer. Erlick's repetitive phrases and trans jargon throughout the book make that clear.  In fact, here's a list of the most overused phrases from this book:

• young trans man/woman
• assigned sex at birth 
• clothing designed for women/men

A skilled writer would've known to diversify these terms. They would know that you don't need to constantly describe someone as "the young trans man."  You can just say, "His teenage years...." You don't have to say "assigned sex" ALL THE TIME (or in one case, four times on one page!). You can say, "Doctors then discovered she was born male," or "Her biological sex was male before she later transitioned at the age of 21."

Another issue I have with this book (and a lot of history books that have come out in the past five or so  years), is changing direct quotes to fit a narrative. I'm a journalist and it's been beaten into me to NEVER change a direct quote. So why are we doing this in books?

Whenever there was a newspaper article written about a transperson (and there were A LOT), it'd refer to the person as their biological sex. I can understand Erlick not using their deadname, but to change their pronouns was confusing and honestly, ridiculous in my opinion. I'm of the belief that we should let direct quotations from a person, historical document or newspaper article should stand uncorrected and unedited. It takes away from the authenticity and essence of an article or quotation when it's sanitized and made cater to present-day standards and feelings...but that's just my opinion.

Ultimately, I'm glad I read this book because I did learn about LGBT history that I wasn't exposed to. I just wish the writing was better.