History and transgender people

Transgender issues Reviewed May 10, 2026 2 min read

Several transgender historians have made important contributions to the field. Some hold advanced degrees in History, while others took it up out of personal interest. How non-trans people have covered our history has been a matter of academic controversy.

Trans historians

Christine Burns
Zagria Cowan
Candice H. Brown Elliott
Eli Erlick
Leslie Feinberg
Jules Gill-Peterson
Mark Mulligan
Lynette Nusbacher
Katrina Rose
G. Samantha Rosenthal
C. Riley Snorton
Susan Stryker
Lou Sullivan
Cristan Williams

Cisgender historians with published trans research

Lillian Faderman
Jen Manion
Joanne Meyerowitz
Alice Dreger

Books

Transgender History by Susan Stryker
Transgender Warriors by Leslie Feinberg
How Sex Changed by Joanne Meyerowitz
Trans Britain by Christine Burns
Histories of the Transgender Child by Jules Gill-Peterson
Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C. Riley Snorton
Great Events From History: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Events, 1848-2006 by Lillian Faderman et al., eds.
Others of My Kind: Transatlantic Transgender Histories by Alex Bakker, Rainer Herrn, Michael Thomas Taylor, and Annette F. Timm
Gender Pioneers: A Celebration of Transgender, Non-binary and Intersex Icons by Philippa Punchard and Christine Burns
Trans America: A Counter-History by Barry Reay
A Queer History of the United States for Young People by Richie Chevat and Michael Bronski

References

American Historical Association (historians.org)

Kritika Agarwal (May 1, 2018). What Is Trans History? https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/may-2018/what-is-trans-history-from-activist-and-academic-roots-a-field-takes-shape

National Geographic (nationalgeographic.com)

Erin Blakemore (June 24, 2022). How historians are documenting the lives of transgender people https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-historians-are-documenting-lives-of-transgender-people

Genny Beemyn (2014). Transgender History in the United States: A special unabridged version of a book chapter from Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, edited by Laura Erickson-Schroth (PDF) https://www.umass.edu/stonewall/sites/default/files/Infoforandabout/transpeople/genny_beemyn_transgender_history_in_the_united_states.pdf