Before Gender

Lost Stories from Trans History, 1850-1950

By: Eli Erlick

Narrated by: Sena Bryer

Explore the trailblazing lives of 30 trans people who radically change everything you’ve been told about transgender history

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.

Critic reviews

“Brilliant . . . [A]n essential and eye-opening paradigm shift.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“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.’”
—BookPage, Starred Review

“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.”
—Library Journal

“[A] riveting, compassionate collection of life stories . . . The historical biographies collected in Before Gender 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.”
—Foreword Reviews

“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. Before Gender shows that history can be both entertaining and impactful while addressing the most pressing issues for trans people today.”
—Kate Bornstein, author of Gender Outlaw

“An eye-opening read, crisply written, on such a timely topic.”
—Susan Stryker, author of Transgender History: The Roots of Today’s Revolution

“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.”
—Riki Wilchins, author of Queer Theory/Gender Theory

“Not only have trans people always existed; we have always sought ways to live fuller and more authentic lives. Before Gender 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.”
—Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer

Well Researched and Entertaining Read

To understand my perspective on this book, one must first understand that I view this book principally through the lens of a lover a history. I am a strait hetero man with no particular knowledge or passion for trans rights other than a deep believe/respect that people should be able to make their own choices about their lives.

As a book of historical stories, the author clearly did extensive research on each and told each in an engaging and entertaining way. Weaved into these stories is the background information on how these stories went mostly unreported/undocumented making the research that much more remarkable.

The author also did a good job identifying when aspects of the stories were inferred based on the culture at the time/location of the story rather than completely supported by the written record, a must for any book on historical subjects.

Overall, a good thought-provoking read that when taken as a whole, and it paints historical pictures of trans individuals and their struggles. They were as real and sometimes colorful in the past as they are now, just like all other members of the human race.