{"product_id":"before-gender-isbn-9780807017357","title":"Before Gender","description":"\u003cb\u003eExplore the trailblazing lives of 30 trans people who radically change everything you’ve been told about transgender history\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHighlighting 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOrganized into 4 parts paralleling today’s controversies over gender identity (kids, activists, workers, and athletes), \u003ci\u003eBefore Gender \u003c\/i\u003eintroduces figures whose forgotten stories transform the discussion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMark and David Ferrow\u003c\/b\u003e, two of the first trans teens to access gender-affirming medical treatment following overwhelming support from their friends, family, and neighbors.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eGerda von Zobeltitz\u003c\/b\u003e, a trans countess who instigated an LGBTQ+ riot 40 years before Stonewall.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eFrank Williams\u003c\/b\u003e, a young trans man who was fired from over a dozen jobs for his gender.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eFrances Anderson\u003c\/b\u003e, the world’s greatest female billiards player of the 1910s.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBold 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.\u003cb\u003eINTRODUCTION: REWRITING THE NARRATIVE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Issues\u003cbr\u003ePop History\u003cbr\u003eTrans Before Gender\u003cbr\u003eLessons from Lost Trans History\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE KIDS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Brothers: Mark and David Ferrow\u003cbr\u003eThe Outlaw: Effie Smith\u003cbr\u003eThe Singer: Masoud El Amaratly\u003cbr\u003eThe Shoemaker: Ray Leonard\u003cbr\u003eThe Lover: Mabel Stanley\u003cbr\u003eThe Girl Bandit: Emma Heinrich\u003cbr\u003eThe Horse Thief: Willie Ray\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE ACTIVISTS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Freed Woman: Sally-Tom\u003cbr\u003eThe Countess: Gerda von Zobeltitz\u003cbr\u003eThe Petitioner: Carl Crawford\u003cbr\u003eThe Runaway: Mollie Wilson\u003cbr\u003eThe Healer: Muksamse’lapli\u003cbr\u003eThe Pacifist: Sadie Acosta\u003cbr\u003eThe Community Leader: Georgia Black\u003cbr\u003eThe Guardian: Okiyo\u003cbr\u003eThe Professor: Maude Milbourne\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE WORKERS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Maid: Josephine Robinson\u003cbr\u003eThe Cobra Woman: Elsie Marks\u003cbr\u003eThe Dancer: Albín Pleva\u003cbr\u003eThe Florist: John Berger\u003cbr\u003eThe Butler: Alfred Grouard\u003cbr\u003eThe Craftswoman: Ann Storcy\u003cbr\u003eThe Boy-of-All-Work: Frank Williams\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE ATHLETES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Billiardist: Frances Anderson\u003cbr\u003eThe Matador: Agustín Rodríguez\u003cbr\u003eThe Pentathlete: Stefan Pekar\u003cbr\u003eThe Wrestler: Bill Winters\u003cbr\u003eThe Teammates: Léon Caurla and Pierre Brésolles\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCONCLUSION: A NEW GENDER HISTORY\u003cbr\u003eACKNOWLEDGMENTS\u003cbr\u003eNOTES\u003cbr\u003eINDEX\u003c\/b\u003e“Brilliant . . . [A]n essential and eye-opening paradigm shift.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Trans readers will find powerful validation within Before Gender, and all readers will learn history that helps them make sense of our current moment. As Erlick quotes activist José Rizal in the afterword: ‘Know history, know self. No history, no self.’”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Erlick powerfully—and compellingly—argues that it’s not the existence of transgender people that’s new; what’s new is the anxiety around them.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] riveting, compassionate collection of life stories . . . The historical biographies collected in \u003ci\u003eBefore Gender\u003c\/i\u003e show that, while society’s language about gender has changed, trans people have always been part of communities around the world—and that it’s crucial to get to know their stories.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eForeword Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“We are so lucky to have a gifted storyteller unearth these lost tales of our trans and nonbinary forebears, and weave them all together into this heartwarming, uplifting book. \u003ci\u003eBefore Gender\u003c\/i\u003e shows that history can be both entertaining and impactful while addressing the most pressing issues for trans people today.”\u003cbr\u003e—Kate Bornstein, author of \u003ci\u003eGender Outlaw\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An eye-opening read, crisply written, on such a timely topic.”\u003cbr\u003e—Susan Stryker, author of \u003ci\u003eTransgender History: The Roots of Today’s Revolution\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“With this tour de force history of thirty trans people from 1850 to 1950, Eli Erlick shows us a whole new side to trans narratives that both informs and entertains.”\u003cbr\u003e—Riki Wilchins, author of \u003ci\u003eQueer Theory\/Gender Theory\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Not only have trans people always existed; we have always sought ways to live fuller and more authentic lives. \u003ci\u003eBefore Gender\u003c\/i\u003e chronicles trans people from 1850 to 1950 growing up, working, falling in love, getting in trouble, playing sports, and building community as we’ve always done and always will do.”\u003cbr\u003e—Maia Kobabe, author of \u003ci\u003eGender Queer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eEli Erlick\u003c\/b\u003e is an internationally acclaimed activist, author, and educator. In 2011, she founded Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER), a national organization dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans students. In the years that followed, Erlick has been at the forefront of social justice issues through her research, organizing, and cultural criticism. Blending innovative research with cutting-edge activism, she undertook her doctoral studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Erlick’s work and writing have been featured in hundreds of outlets including \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTime Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in New York City, where she continues to fight for trans liberation. You can learn more about her work at www.elierlick.com.","brand":"Beacon Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303203066085,"sku":"NP9780807017357","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780807017357.jpg?v=1767722363","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/before-gender-isbn-9780807017357","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}