Read These Trans Books for Transgender Day of Visibility

This was originally published in 2013, but I am so happy to say that’s being rereleased in June! This book blew my mind when I first read it, because so many of the queer books I was reading back then were Good Queer Representation: they were very careful to have queer characters who were practically flawless. Then came Nevada, the first trans lesbian book I’d ever read, and it had a relatable complete mess of a main character. When Maria’s girlfriend breaks up with her, she steals her car and goes on an impromptu road trip, bumping into James, who reminds Maria of her pre-transition self. It’s funny, sometimes dark, and memorable from the very first lines.

One of the prized books in my collection is Plett’s “Lizzy and Annie,” a short story illustrated by Annie Mok and bound zine-style. The story, which is about two trans women in love in New York, is a personal favorite. I loved her newest short story collection just as much. The collection centers trans women and deals with transmisogyny, but it’s also just about the complexities and messiness of relationships (of all kinds). It begins with a gut punch of a story that left me staring at the wall for a while afterwards in order to process it. The collection has a melancholic tone, but also moments of hope and connection. (A Dream of a Woman also has several sapphic stories.)

This may be the best book I have no idea how to recommend. It’s about a woman who made a deal with the devil to become an expert violinist, and also about a refugee from an alien planet who runs a donut shop. And they fall in love. It’s also a coming of age story about a trans aspiring violinist who may well sacrifice her own soul just to find a place to call home. It’s part sci fi, part fantasy, part literary fiction. It’s hopeful and life-affirming, but it also has some of the most brutal scenes of abuse, transphobia, and racism I’ve read before. This is an event of a reading experience that I was itching to reread as soon as I finished it.

I love all of the books I’ve read by Capetta, and this is no exception. It’s a YA magical baking romance between an agender main character and a genderfluid love interest, which is just as good as it sounds. When Syd’s girlfriend breaks up with Syd, that pain gets funneled into brownies. Unfortunately, everyone who bought those brownies at the bakery ends up breaking up with their partner. So now Syd and the genderfluid bakery delivery person, Harley, are on a mission to track down everyone who ate a breakup brownie and fix Syd’s mistake. But along the way, fixing these breakups seems to be bringing Harley and Syd closer together…

This is a cute fake dating romance with a trans main character and a non-binary side character experimenting with pronouns (who I think steals the show). Noah writes Meet Cute Diary, a blog collecting happy trans meet cutes — except he secretly writes them all himself. When this gets exposed to the merciless audience of the internet, he decides to bring one of his meet cutes to life to prove they’re real, and Drew, the handsome stranger he bumped into, is game. My favorite thing about this story is that Noah is flawed and makes mistakes over the course of the book. I love a multidimensional main character, especially queer characters.

Annie Mason has arrived at Crow Island to settle her late father’s estate and to reconnect with an old friend, but she soon stumbles into a world of witchcraft, secrets, and danger. This is supposed to have The Great Gatsby vibes, but sapphic and on an island… needless to say, this is at the top of my to read list.

Jamal is an aspiring journalist who travelled to Baltimore to document the protests against police brutality in the wake of a Black man being murdered by police. But before the protests can even get properly started, the city enacts a security feature called “the dome,” and no one can get in or out. He and some new friends will have to find a way to escape — and to expose the corruption within the police department.

You might recognize the title of this book from Marron’s podcast, where he connects people who have feuded online. Can you imagine talking to the person who wrote terrible things about you online? It sounds like a nightmare, but in this book, Marron discusses what he’s learned from talking to people who hate him. It comes recommended by Glennon Doyle, Jason Sudeikis, Franchesca Ramsey, and many more.