Hi, I'm Johnny. I'm using this blog to compile various research about transsexualism. I hope it might be able to help others as well. If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me. E-Mail: johnnyjan24@ gmail . com
The story of David Reimer (born Bruce Reimer) begins in Winnipeg, Canada in 1965. Bruce and Brian Reimer were twin boys born to Janet Reimer. When Janet brought the boys to a doctor because they were experiencing problems urinating, the doctor suggested they be circumcised.
The doctor’s performing the procedure chose a rather unconventional path that required burning off the foreskin of the penis instead of cutting it like a traditional circumcision. The procedure took a turn for the worst when one of the doctors burned Bruce’s penis so severely that it could not be repaired and was practically nonexistent.
The Reimers consulted numerous physicians following the botched procedure. None of the doctors could provide them with any help on what to do. They informed Bruce’s parents that he would have to live with “nonexistent” genitals.
The family found hope one night while watching a TV interview with Dr. John Money of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Money was explaining his theories on gender, stating that a boy may be raised as a girl if the process begins at a young age because he believed that gender is affected by nurture instead of nature. Janet Reimer became interested in the theory and decided that it would be their best option to travel to Baltimore and consult Dr. Money. Sure enough, Dr. Money found Bruce Reimer to be a perfect candidate.
At 21 months old, Bruce Reimer’s testicles were removed almost entirely, only leaving the small bit of what was left of his penis so it would not interfere with his urinary track. When Bruce was sent home, the Reimers were told to treat him as a female without ever indicating that he was born male. That is when Bruce Reimer became Brenda. Janet showered Bruce with dresses, jewelry, skirts, and makeup. But he was anything but feminine. He still acted just like the other boys at school, often getting into fistfights on the playground. She was called things like “caveman” or “it” by schoolmates
By the time Bruce was nine, the family was having doubts about Money’s experiment. Although he claimed it was a success, Bruce’s twin brother Brian begged to differ. He said that she was exactly like him in every way, except with longer hair. Shortly after that when Bruce hit puberty, it was crystal clear that Money’s experiment was a failure. He grew thick, broad shoulders and a thick neck. It was at this stage when the Reimers were left with their biggest decision yet: whether or not they’d allow surgeons to reconstruct what was left of Bruce’s male genitals into a vagina so he could live as Brenda.
Bruce refused, threatening to commit suicide if they made him go through with the surgery. Bruce’s father broke down and told him everything about the botched circumcision, leaving him completely angered. So upset by the news, Bruce attempted suicide three times over the following years. His third attempt, a drug overdose, left him in a coma. After recovery, Bruce left his identity as Brenda behind. He cut his hair, wore men’s clothes, and changed his name to David.
David eventually underwent four reconstructive surgeries to physically make him a man again. He would be able to have a normal sex life, but would not be able to have children. For years, Reimer only told his story in anonymity. This changed when 2000 came along and American author John Colapinto wrote As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl. David finally agreed to publicly talk about his story to help other children facing the same fate.
Four years later in 2004, David’s life took a drastic turn when he lost his job and separated from his wife. He was also still severely grieving from the death of his twin brother in 2002.
David Reimer committed suicide on May 4, 2004 at the age of 38.
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), also known as Androstanolone is a male sex hormone, a steroid similar to androstenedione and testosterone. DHT is responsible for the development of all male primary and most male secondary sex characteristics during puberty.1 The molecular formula is C19H30O2. It is about three times more potent than testosterone.1 Two conditions that are related to higher levels of DHT are male pattern baldness and benign prostatic hyperplasia, which is an increase in the size of the prostate.2 It has been used to increase phallic size by female-to-male transsexuals and males born with microphallus.
Some surgeons recommend that FTMs use DHT cream before SRS, however there have not been any clinical trials done to confirm that it does increase phallic size. Based on hearsay and the results of the males born with micropenis, it is very possible that it does in fact do so.
Following are some interesting articles that might help to determine safety precautions and dosage. Also, a blog post and YouTube videos from a trans man who used DHT cream.
Articles: (I have access to all except the first one, if you can’t access them e-mail me and I can send them to you. And if you have the first one, please e-mail it to me, I’d like to read it, as it is the most relevant article apparently.)
Choi, SK. 1993. Transdermal Dihydrotestosterone Therapy and Its Effects on the Microphallus.
Wang, C. 1998. Comparative Pharmacokinetics of Three Doses of Percutaneous Dihydrotestosterone Gel in Healthy Elderly Men - A Clinical Research Center Study.
Chamandari, E. 2001. Kinetics and Effect of Percutaneous Administration of Dihydrotestosterone in Children.
Hussmann. 1994. Microphallus - Eventual Phallic Size is Dependent on the Timing of Androgen Administration.
Wang, C. 2000. Pharmacokinetics of Transdermal Testosterone Gel in Hypogonadal Men - Application of Gel at One Site Versus Four Sites - A General Clinical Research Center Study.
Arisaka, O. 2001. Systemic Effects of Transdermal Testosterone for the Treatment of Microphallus in Children.
Kunelius, P. 2002. The Effects of Transdermal Dihydrotestosterone in the Aging Male - A Prospective, Randomized, Double Blind Study.
Lam, P. 2001. A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial of Transdermal Dihydrotestosterone Gel on Muscular Strength, Mobility, and Quality of Life in Older Men with Partial Androgen Deficiency.
Swerdloff. 1998. Dihydrotestosterone: A Rationale for Its Use as a Non-Aromatizable Androgen Replacement Therapeutic Agent.
Blog Posts and YouTube Videos (all from the same guy):
DHT for Transgender Men. http://transguys.com/features/dht-transgender-men.
The comments of this one are especially informative.
DHT Cream and Pumping for FTM Genital Growth. http://genderoutlaw.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/dht-cream-pumping
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e2GUe3K9zs
Second Round of DHT Cream. http://genderoutlaw.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/dht-cream/
Okay, that’s just about all the info I had/could find. Most everything else was just repetitions of what is contained within these articles and blog posts.
“Dihydrotestosterone”. NCI Drug Dictionary. National Cancer Institute. <http://www.cancer.gov/drugdictionary?cdrid=511037>.
Nordqvist, Christian. “What is DHT? What is DHT’s Role in Baldness?”. Medical News Today. 23 February 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/68082.php>.
I have over 1000 research papers and articles about intersexuality, transsexuality, sex developmental disorders and the like downloaded. Mostly about biological and scientific aspects. If anyone would like any specific information about a certain subject, I'll be glad to hunt it down.
After multiple computer crashes and complete rehauls, my final list of films. This time, fictional films that feature transsexual characters. Some of my favorites were Romeos, about a gay trans man, Boys Don't Cry, which is incredibly sad and scary, and Different for Girls. Also, I've watched Tomboy 5 or so times now, so that should speak for itself. Ma vie en rose (also with subtitles), is supposedly the MTF counterpart, but I haven't been able to get my hands on it. Also, XXY is another movie that really stood out to me, about an intersex youth. Finally, most of the horror movie-psychopath type of movies are probably going to be incredibly offensive, but I don't remember all too many.
A Soap (2006)
A tragicomedy focused on the relationship between the owner of a beauty clinic and a transsexual.
Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The (1994)
Two drag-queens (Anthony/Mitzi and Adam/Felicia) and a transsexual (Bernadette) contract to perform a drag show at a resort in Alice Springs, a resort town in the remote Australian desert. They head west from Sydney aboard their lavender bus, Priscilla. En route, it is discovered that the woman they've contracted with is Anthony's wife. Their bus breaks down, and is repaired by Bob, who travels on with them.
Adventures of Sebastian Cole, The (1998)
In June, 1983, in Dutchess County, New York, Sebastian Cole joins his mother, step-father, and sister for dinner. Hank, Sebastian's step-father, drops a bomb: he announces he's changing sexes. Sebastian's sister splits immediately for California, and his mother takes him back to England. Jump ahead eight months, Sebastian is back in New York, knocking on Hank's door. Hank (now Henrietta, although all the surgeries aren't complete) takes Sebastian in and is his rock over the next few months of high school. Sebastian's "adventures" are mostly self-destructive.
Another Woman (2002)
Before, Nicolas had a family, children, he was a young doctor. It was 10 years ago. Today Nicolas has become Lea, another woman. Transsexual. Unrecognizable. Lea lives in Geneva where she is a pharmaceutical products representative. Sent on an assignment in Paris, she can't resist the call of the heart, she wants to see her children again. Not daring to introduce herself directly, Lea pretends to be a musical journalist with her daughter, Emma, a young pianist. The plan works so well that Lea is introduced to the family recomposed. Drama ensues.
Badge, The (2002)
A sheriff (Thornton) begins an investigation into the death of a local transsexual after hearing that high ranking politicians may have been involved. Although he is homophobic, his investigation causes him to be rejected by others, forcing him to seek help from the people he once despised.
Be Like Others (2008)
An intimate and unflinching look at life in Iran, seen through the lens of those living at its fringes, 'Be Like Others' is a provocative look at a generation of young Iranian men choosing to undergo sex change surgery.
Better Than Chocolate (1999)
Two attractive young lesbians, Maggie and Kim, meet in Vancouver, develop a passionate romance, and move in together. Meanwhile, Maggie's well-meaning but naive mother Lila gets divorced and decides to move to Vancouver and join the household. Soon after, Lila is befriended by Judy, a transsexual about to undergo a sex-change operation. Complications ensue as the conservative Lila learns the truth about Maggie, Judy, and their diverse group of friends.
Boys Don't Cry (1999)
The story of the life of Brandon Teena, a transgendered teen who preferred life in a male identity until it was discovered he was born biologically female.
Cambio de Sexo (1977)
José Maria is a seventeen year old boy; his father is a successful restaurant owner in a town some distance from Barcelona, in Spain. The boy is intelligent and sensitive, but his mannerisms and habits, and lack of masculine drive, lead him to get bullied at school. The school principal decides that José is the disruptive influence, and asks for him to be removed from the school. The father berates the boy, and his mother, for his failure to be a red-blooded young man, and sends him away for a while to live with a friend in the country. Father visits the boy, and takes him to a strip club in Barcelona, run by a lady friend of his, intending that this will "cure" him of his sexual reserve. However one of the acts is a pre-operative transsexual, and there is a full frontal exposure at the end.
Danish Girl, The (2014)
Inspired by the true story of Danish painter Einar Wegener and his California-born wife, this tender portrait of a marriage asks: What do you do when someone you love wants to change? It starts with a question, a simple favor asked of a husband by his wife on an afternoon chilled by the Baltic wind while both are painting in their studio. Her portrait model has canceled, and would he mind slipping into a pair of women's shoes and stockings for a few moments so she can finish the painting on time. "Of course," he answers. "Anything at all." With that, one of the most passionate and unusual love stories of the twentieth century begins.
Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001 - )
About the kids at Degrassi Community School. Centralizing around the children of the original characters from Degrassi High. The show aims to deal with serious and sometimes taboo issues that plague teenagers. One of the characters from Season 10 onwards is Adam a FTM transgender teen.
Different for Girls (1996)
Karl Foyle and Paul Prentice were best mates at school in the Seventies. But when they meet again in present-day London things are definitely not the same. Karl is now Kim, a transsexual, and she has no desire to stir up the past while she's busy forging a neat and orderly new life. Prentice, on the other hand, has charm but is a social disaster stuck in a dead-end job. His main talent is for getting them both into trouble. Amid the squabbles, they start to fall in love. One night, Kim invites Prentice to a romantic dinner at her flat. Prentice, finding the seduction unexpectedly effective, freaks out. He proceeds to make a public display of both of them and winds up in court. Humiliated and angry, Kim runs away. Only she can save Prentice now, but will true love triumph for a new made woman and an aging punk?
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
A man robs a bank to pay for his lover's operation; it turns into a hostage situation and a media circus.
Ed Wood (1994)
Ed Wood is a 1994 American comedy-drama biopic directed and produced by Tim Burton, and starring Johnny Depp as cult filmmaker Ed Wood. It's the mostly true story of the legendary director of awful movies, including a fictional version of Christine Jorgensen's life story, and his strange group of friends and actors.
Facing Mirrors (2011)
Rana has chosen a path in order to support her family, while Adineh (Eddie) has fled his home and city to escape his complicated situation as a transsexual man prevented from living as his true self by his family. They find themselves on the same journey and caused to know each other in a better way.
Forgotten DJ/Model, The (2011)
A drama/Bio film. The plot revolves around an International celebrity MOOGLE trans woman named Jenna Fox (played by the Oscar-nominated Jenna Fox). (I can't find any record outside of Wikipedia on this)
Funny Kinda Guy (2005)
A musical odyssey from female to male of transgendered singer-songwriter Simon de Voil, winning his long-sought masculinity while irreversibly sacrificing his female singing voice to hormone treatment.
Gender Redesigner (2010)
Signs that everything wasn't quite right came early and often for fAe. Though he was "born with girl parts," a trip to the girls' room on the first day of school was met with terrified screams. At age three, industrious little fAe dreamt of devising a synthetic penis, which he hoped would let him pee like a boy. Early on, fAe found some comfort in a lesbian identity but knew this was not his true self. Years of introspection led to the undeniable conclusion that fAe was a man mistakenly endowed with a woman's body. Unfazed, fAe undertakes a regimen of testosterone injections, leading up to a painful and irreversible double mastectomy (which he gleefully refers to as "getting my breasts chopped off"). With the support of friends and family, fAe completes his gender transformation, but difficulties arise along the way. Daily struggles pile up beside more serious ones: How does a recent graduate raise huge sums of money for an "optional" procedure? How can fAe's mom learn to love a son when she had raised a daughter? Now more outwardly male, how does fAe reconcile the female traits he wants to retain? And, perhaps most daunting of all, how does fAe transform, not in New York or San Francisco, but in rural Pennsylvania?
A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story (2006)
The true story of Gwen Araujo, a young transgendered woman who was brutally murdered by four men in 2002.
Harsh Beauty (2005)
For centuries, Eunuchs have been an important part of Indian society. But the elevated role they once held has now faded. Today they live in isolated communities, working as prostitutes and beggars. Life may be hard but inside the community, there's a real sense of warmth and camaraderie. 'Harsh Beauty' follows the lives of Jyothi, Usha and Hira Bai, three Eunuchs who struggle for acceptance in a culture splintered by religion, caste and politics. Filmed over four years and accompanied by a vibrant soundtrack, it's a warm and poignant look inside this usually hidden group.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
A transsexual punk rock girl from East Berlin tours the US with her rock band as she tells her life story and follows the ex-boyfriend/band mate who stole her songs.
Hit And Miss (2012)
Hit And Miss, from Paul Abbott, creator of Shameless and State of Play, is a high concept and ambitious new series that follows Chloë Sevigny as Mia, a contract killer with a secret: shes a transgender woman. Mias life is sent into a tailspin when she receives a letter from an ex-girlfriend dying from cancer revealing that Mia fathered a son eleven years ago. Faced with a difficult decision, Mia becomes the guardian to a new family forcing her to mix her killer instincts with her newly developing maternal instincts. Hit And Miss tells the story of a lethal killer at the heart of a troubled family and how all of their lives will be dramatically changed forever.
I Am A Woman Now (2011)
I Am A Woman Now (formerly Casablanca Revisited), the first generation of transsexuals who had their sex change in Casablanca back in the mid-1950s to 1960s take stock of their lives. Do these pioneers feel like total women and did it give them the fulfillment in life they expected ? The women featured in the film were all treated by the same 'miracle doctor', Georges Burou. As long as these 'patients' paid, there were no pre-conditions, no questions asked at his clinic in Casablanca. A film about the pursuit of an almost unattainable dream, about the gap between its realization and the hard reality that sometimes follows.
I Want What I Want (1972)
A sensitive Englishman experiences an intense sexual identity crisis after realizing he is a man trapped in a woman's body. The only time Roy (Anne Heywood) feels truly comfortable is when he's wearing women's clothing. But when Roy's cruel father catches him dressed up like a lady, the conflicted young man escapes to a place where he can be safe, and fully embraces his female persona. Now living under the name Wendy, he suffers a harrowing encounter with a vicious new neighbor who beats him mercilessly after discovering his sexual secret. In the wake of that brutal attack, Wendy decides that his only option is to rid himself of his troublesome manhood once and for all.
Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007)
High School grad and all American gal, Anna finds her purpose and herself after she hooks up with the radical feminists, mostly lesbians and a transgender man, in The Itty Bitty Titty Committee.
Ma Vie En Rose (1997)
Ludovic is a young boy who can't wait to grow up to be a woman. When his family discovers the little girl blossoming in him they are forced to contend with their own discomfort and the lack of understanding from their new neighbors. Their anger and impatience cave and Ludovic is sent to see a psychiatrist in the hopes of fixing whatever is wrong with him. A movie that addresses trans-gender and gender issues in general through the eyes of a child.
Myra Breckinridge (1970)
Myron Breckinridge is waiting for her sex-change operation while a stoned surgeon stumbles into the operating room. Before the drugged doctor begins Myron's operation, he counsels her. Myron persists and the doctor goes through with it. An enthusiastic audience observing the operation applauds the medical achievement and rises in a standing ovation. After the operation, Myron arrives in Hollywood as Myra while in the rest of the film Myron pops up from time to time as Myra's alter ego. Myra goes to an acting academy owned by her uncle, Buck Loner, a former cowboy star. The real reason for Myra's arrival is to claim her half of Uncle Buck's estate, which she says she's entitled to. Buck Loner stalls by giving her a job teaching the history of motion pictures. Buck Loner has several friends. One of them is Letitia Van Allen, an ancient Hollywood talent scout. The sex-starved septuagenarian runs an acting agency "for leading men only.
Myth of Father (2001)
Myth of Father is a video documentary about acceptance. My father, Jodie, is a transsexual woman. She came out to me a few years ago and I've since begun a journey to discover who my father really is. Upon learning of my father's gender dysphoria, I've had to rewind, review, then reposition the puzzle pieces of the past to try to figure out who my father is, not only for myself but for my family as well. In the film I contrast my relationship with my father with the relationship between my father and her own dad. I interview my father, as well as other family members who relate their remembrances of Jodie's youth . - Written by Laura Dahlinger
Normal (2003)
In the countryside of the United States of America, Irma Applewood and her husband Roy Applewood have been happily married for twenty-five years and they are model citizens in their community. Roy brings Irma to meet Reverend Dale Muncie, who is their pastor and friend, to tell that he is a woman trapped in a man's body and he will have a sex-change operation. Now Roy has to face the deception of his wife and the intolerance of his colleagues, members of his church and his son Wayne. But Irma loves him and after the impact of the news, she understands and supports him with their teenage daughter Patty Ann and Roy's boss Frank, who is their friend.
Pretty/Handsome (2008)
A married father of two tells his wife and teenage sons that he is transsexual.
Red without Blue (2007)
The intimate bond between two identical twin brothers is challenged when one decides to transition from male to female; this is the story of their evolving relationship, and the resurrection of their family from a darker past.
Romeos (2011)
Twenty year old Lukas is female to male transgendered, taking the steps through his gender reassignment treatment. His friendship with Ine, who is lesbian, is making the changes and assimilation easier. Lukas sees his romantic world open up for him as Ine introduces him to gay life in Cologne. As he becomes more and more interested in a local gay boy, things are getting more and more complicated. Should Lukas tell this boy who he really is?
Strella (2009)
George is released from prison after 14 years of incarceration for a murder he committed in his small Greek village. He spends his first night out in a cheap downtown hotel in Athens. There he meets Strella, a young transsexual prostitute. They spend the night together and soon they fall in love. But the past is catching up with George. With Strella on his side he will have to find a new way out.
Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives (2010)
A group of trannies are violently bashed and left for dead. The surviving ladies regain consciousness, confidence, and courage ready to seek out revenge on the ones who attacked them.
To Die Like A Man (2009)
A transsexual tries to erase any past history of herself as a male. Struggling with a young male lover and a problematic son.
Tomboy (2011)
A family moves into a new neighborhood, and a 10-year-old named Laure deliberately presents as a boy named Mickäel to the neighborhood children. It is heavily implied that Mickäel is a closeted transgender boy. This film follows his experiences with his newfound friends, his potential love interest, Lisa, his younger sister and his parents. It focuses in on the significance of gender identity in social interaction from an early age, the difficulties of being transgender and young, and how Mickäel navigates these in the background of childhood play and love.
Transamerica (2005)
A pre-operative male-to-female transsexual, Bree, takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she fathered a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.
Wandering Son (2011)
The anime TV series depicts a young student named Shuichi Nitori, described by the author as a boy who wants to be a girl, and his friend Yoshino Takatsuki, described as a girl who wants to be a boy. The series deals with issues such as transsexualism, gender identity, and the beginning of puberty. (Also in manga form).
Wild Side (2004)
A transsexual who survives prostituting herself in Paris, returns - with her two male lovers in tow - to her family home in the countryside to look after her dying mother.
Wild Tigers I Have Known (2006)
Junior high in a time of rotary phones. Cougars have been spotted in the area. Logan is 13, the odd kid, with an active imagination and few friends. His young, single mother seems stressed. Latency is giving way to puberty, and Logan, who keeps a tube of lipstick in his dresser, may be gay or, more mysterious, transgender. He stares at himself in the mirror. He becomes friends with Rodeo, older and more mature, good-looking, with girlfriends. They take walks. Logan calls Rodeo and pretends to be a girl. Will he disclose himself to Rodeo? The kids at school talk. The school wants to promote kindness and tolerance. There are stories of child suicide. How do we find our way?
World According to Garp, The (1982)
T.S. Garp has led an unusual life. Born in 1944 and named after his father, he is the bastard son of opinionated feminist nurse Jenny Fields who wanted a child but not a husband. She got herself pregnant by a hospitalized soldier on his deathbed, he known only to her as Technical Sergeant Garp. As a young adult, Garp, shaped by his upbringing especially his mother's influence, is an aspiring writer and freestyle wrestler. He shows great aptitude in both. His writing inspires his mother to try her hand at it as well, her subject being her greatest curiosity in life which is human sexuality, most specifically male lust and its effect on women. Into Garp's life comes a myriad of Jenny's friends, acquaintances, groupies and advisers, which includes a transsexual ex-football player named Roberta Muldoon, a reformed prostitute, and a group of women who practice self-mutilation all in the name of making a statement. Also into his life comes Helen Holm, the daughter of his wrestling coach. Garp and Helen have a stormy but passionate relationship, the passion based in part on their joint love of literature. Through all these unusual experiences, Garp just wants to find his place in the world which has a different sensibility than him.
XXY (2007)
In a small coastal town of fishermen in Uruguay, the biologist Kraken works and lives in a house at the sea side with his wife Suli and their aggressive fifteen year-old daughter Alex. When Suli welcomes her former best friend Erika that comes with her husband, the surgeon Ramiro and their teenage son Alvaro to spend a couple of days with her family, Kraken learns that his wife invited Ramiro to operate Alex. Meanwhile Alex and Alvaro feel attracted by each other; however, Alvaro finds that Alex is hermaphrodite and she finds that Alvaro is gay. But the troubled and outcast Alex has the right to choose what gender she wants for her.
Yellow Hair 2 (2001)
The first half of the film is told in a non-consecutive narrative format, introducing the three principal characters in turn and taking them up to the events in the convenience store. There are four chapters: "Pornography in Blue", "A Space Man", "Documentary" and "Last Scene". Characters include J, a transsexual biker who works as a nightclub singer, played by transsexual actress Harisu.
Documentaries About Transsexual, Transgender, or Gender Non-Conforming/ Crossdressing People
I haven't watched many of these, but one that I really liked was I Am A Girl (2010), a short film, which can be found on Youtube.
13 Genders (2004)
13 Genders is an intimate and personal documentary. The interviewees attempt to articulate their interactions with and attitudes toward their own gender expression, intersex and transgender issues, gender in entertainment and the workplace, sexual preference and the future of gender. The non-expert interviews, woven together with music and movie clips, are sometimes funny, often contradictory and occasionally surprisingly similar.
Becoming Chaz (2011)
Documentary. Documentary following Chaz (formerly Chastity) Bono's gender transition. Includes interviews with family members and friends as the transition is followed.
Between the Lines – India's Third Gender (2005)
A documentary on the lives of three 'hijras', biological men who dress as women though class themselves as neither gender: they are India's self-identified third gender.
Boy I Am (2006)
While female-to-male transgender visibility has recently exploded in this country, conversations about trans issues in the lesbian community often run into resistance from the many queer women who view transitioning as a "trend" or as an anti-feminist act that taps into male privilege. Boy I Am is a feature-length documentary that begins to break down that barrier and promote dialogue about trans issues through a look at the experiences of three young transitioning FTMs in New York City--Nicco, Norie and Keegan--as they go through major junctures in their transitions, as well as through the voices of lesbians, activists and theorists who raise and address the questions that many people have but few openly discuss.
A Boy Named Sue (2000)
Theo is a female-to-male transsexual. This documentary follows his six-year process of becoming a man. Among those affected by his change is his girl friend Lisi who has to deal with what this change means to her.
Brandon Teena Story, The (1998)
Documentary about Brandon Teena (aka Teena Brandon), a transgendered man, who was murdered along with two others in 1993 in rural Nebraska. The story is told through interviews with people who knew Brandon, recorded interrogation and trial transcripts, and photographs and file film footage.
Call Me Malcolm (2005)
Documentary. Call Me Malcolm is a documentary about a 27 year-old transgender seminary student, and his struggle with faith, love and gender identity.In 1977, a boy was born in a girl's body. After several years of self-doubt and confusion, the boy learned that he was Transgendered, and four years ago he took the necessary steps to externally live into the gender he had always been internally. The first of these steps was taking on his new name: Malcolm.
Drag Kings On Tour (2004)
In Drag Kings on Tour, a feature documentary in the spirit of "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," we tour North America in a motor home with a lively ensemble of drag kings as they perform a politically charged burlesque in cities as diverse as Biloxi, Mississippi; St. Louis, Missouri; and Toronto, Ontario.The drama of the film lies between the kings' interpersonal relationships and their interaction with audience members across the country. The Kings confront traditional definitions of masculinity and femininity, as both men and women learn about themselves their attractions, and identities regardless of their sexual orientation.
Gender Rebel (2006)
Documentary. What does it mean to be on the newest frontier of sexual identity, to identify not as male or female, but something that's a little of both - or neither? Gender Rebel, profiles 3 biological females who reject the traditional, binary concept of gender, preferring instead to occupy a point on the vast spectrum that they feel lies between "male" and "female."
Georgie Girl (2001)
Documentary. Georgina Beyer is a transexual of Maori descent who was elected in 1999 to represent her district in New Zealand's National government. Beyer has been a showgirl, a sex worker and now a politician. This is her story.
How Do I Look (2006)
How Do I Look is a documentary about the Harlem House Ball competitions, also known as "Drag Balls". It is an artistic empowerment and HIV/AIDS awareness community project.
I Am a Girl (2010)
Short film/documentary (Joppe really exists) Very good (on YouTube). Every 13-year-old girl dreams of that nice, but hard-to-get, boy. And Joppe is no different, consulting her friend on how to ask Brian out. But just how should she tell Brian that she was born a boy?
I Am Jazz: A Family in Transition (2011)
A documentary that tells the story of Jazz, an 11-year-old transgender girl.She started living as a girl when she was just a toddler, and her family has been very supportive in helping her make the transition. She's gotten a fair amount of press in the past, and is far more poised than most girls her age.
Just Call Me Kade (2002)
The inspiring true story of Kade Farlow Collins 14, FTM (female to male) transgendered, and living with an incredibly understanding family in Tucson Arizona.
Let Me Die a Woman (1978)
A documentary on the work of sex-change specialist Dr.Leo Wollman, including interviews with Dr.Wollman and a few of his patients, with an illustrated lecture on the various aspects of transsexuality plus actual footage of a sex-change operation, which is what gives the film its notoriety.
Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She (2005)
Documentary. Examines the diversity of human sexual and gender variance around the globe, with commentary by scientific experts and first-hand accounts of people who do not conform to a simple male/female binary.
No Dumb Questions (2001)
A documentary about three sisters, aged 6, 9 and 11, struggling to understand why and how their Uncle Bill is becoming a woman.
Opposite Sex: Rene's Story, The (2004)
Rene, 31, a female-to-male gender reassignment candidate took hormones for years and "passed" as a man for all of his adult life. Married to his high-school sweetheart, Wona, a heterosexual woman, for 12 years, no one would guess Rene was biologically a woman. Living under a veil of secrecy and lies, Rene and Wona's lives seemed fine until someone "outted" the couple at their beloved church and everything they knew was destroyed. The public revelation of Rene's secret starts to unravel his marriage to Wona. Through all of it, Rene continues to hold on to his lifelong obsession to become a biological male and goes on a cross-country search to find the best transgender surgeon, only to discover that the current surgery options are flawed.
Renee (2011)
During the 1970's, Dr. Richard Raskin was a respected surgeon and a nationally ranked professional tennis player. A Yale graduate, Raskin was married to a Ford model and with whom he had recently had a son. In 1976, Raskin underwent permanent, life-altering surgery. Dr. Raskin was no longer - enter Dr. Renee Richards. The Life and Times of Dr. Renee Richards is a documentary that highlights the issues of the modern transgender life with Dr. Richards at the center. Since her time in the tennis spotlight, she has been a hero, villain, roll model and all around controversial figure. Footage includes US Open tennis coverage, family members including Renee's son, sister and former wife.
She's A Boy I Knew (2007)
Using interviews, animation, old family footage, and voice mail, Vancouver filmmaker Gwen Haworth documents her male-to-female gender transition partially through the voices of her anxious but loving family, best friend, and wife. Calling for a new era of DIY transgender self-representation, Haworths feature debut is a comic, heartbreaking, and uplifting autobiography that breaks away from the marginalized depictions of transsexuals that populate mainstream media and focuses on the interpersonal relationships of a family who unexpectedly find their bonds strengthening as they overcome their preconceptions of gender and sexuality.
Shinjuku Boys (1996)
A documentary about love and gender. This documentary is set in the New Marilyn night club in Tokyo, Japan - where the hosts are women who have chosen to live as men. They can only make their living as hosts in a nightclub with other 'wannabes' like them. The young women who come there often have relationships with them but the underlying fear is whether such a relationship can withstand the pressures on a girl to get married and have children. All three boys deal with this in different ways. These three hosts, the Shinjuku Boys, take us into their lives.
Sir: Just A Normal Guy (2002)
Jay Snider is a 30 year old woman transitioning to a man. This film documents that process and includes interviews with him as well as his ex-husband Dave, his queer pal Sean Doig, and Kari his lesbian girlfriend.
Southern Comfort (2001)
Southern Comfort documents the final year in the life of Robert Eads, a female-to-male transsexual. Eads, diagnosed with ovarian cancer, was turned down for treatment by two dozen doctors out of fear that treating such a patient would hurt their reputations. By the time Eads received treatment, the cancer was too advanced to save his life. Filmmaker Kate Davis follows Robert and a group of trans-gendered Southerners in this captivating and truly touching documentary.
Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen (2008)
The documentary is brought to life by the stories of six thoughtful, eloquent and diverse transmen. Preachers, teachers, students and activists educate us simply by making their presence known. Each man brings a colorful and complex richness as he describes his relationship to himself, as well as others in his life.
Straightlaced: How Gender's Got Us All Laced- Up (2009)
A powerful documentary about the lives of teens and young adults as seen through the gender lens. Approaching society's ideas and ideals of gender through clothes, sexuality, sports, dance, safety, consumerism and emotion, the film addresses the complexities of conceptions of masculinity and femininity for Generation Z.
TransGeneration (2005)
What is it like to be a man trapped in a woman's body? How does a woman become a man? TransGeneration, a dramatic and mesmerizing eight-part series, is a year-in-the-life look at four college students--Gabbie, Lucas, Raci, and T.J.--who are juggling the challenges of academia with their commitment to transition from their birth sex. Faced with life-altering choices--about how to deal with parents and society, whether or not to take hormone therapy and undergo sex re-assignment surgery--these four remarkable individuals deal with their deeply misunderstood identities in starkly unique ways. In every moment of this radical, paradigm-busting film, these collegiate transgendered students blow up stereotypes while coming to terms with how to change their bodies to fit their minds.
Two Spirits (2009)
Documentary. Filmmaker Lydia Nibley explores the cultural context behind a tragic and senseless murder. Fred Martinez was a Navajo youth slain at the age of 16 by a man who bragged to his friends that he 'bug-smashed a fag'. But Fred was part of an honored Navajo tradition - the 'nadleeh', or 'two-spirit', who possesses a balance of masculine and feminine traits. Through telling Fred's story, Nibley reminds us of the values that America's indigenous peoples have long embraced.
Venus Boyz (2002)
A film journey through a universe of female masculinity. A legendary Drag King Night in New York is the point of departure for an odyssey to transgendered worlds, where women become men - some for a night, others for their whole lives. What motivates them? What changes take place? What do they dream of? The drag kings of New York meet in clubs and change lustfully into their male alter egos, parodying them and exploring male eroticism and power strategies. In London we see women experiment with hormones to become new men and 'cyborgs'. Masculinity and transformation as performance, subversion or existential necessity.
What Sex Am I (1985)
In this informative documentary, director Lee Grant interviews several Americans who have undergone sex-change operations. As of 1985, about 2500 Americans a month undergo operations that transform them from male to female, or vice-versa. Grant provides the history-making precedent of Christine Jorgensen, an American soldier who went to Denmark for the operations that would change his gender. After some black-and-white television coverage of the "new" Christine, she is interviewed here again, about 30 years later. As Grant points out, the combination of operations and hormonal therapy changes more than the physical aspects of the individual -- the effect on one's emotions and social interactions can be devastating, and so counseling is often provided. In one instance filmed by Grant, a man regretted his decision, but there was nothing that could be done to reverse the changes.
XX to XY: Fighting to be Jake (2003)
Short. Interview with Jake a young transgendered Brit who is undergoing the process of changing from female to male.
Fictional Films About/With Gender Non-Conforming/Crossdressing Characters
A rather long list of fictional films about gender non-conforming or cross-dressing characters. Some of my favorites were Tomboy (2011), The Challengers (1990), Victor and Victoria (1982), and XXY (2007).
1st Shop of Coffee Prince, The (2007)
A tomboy is mistaken for a young man, but maintains the deception for the sake of employment. The situation is complicated when her male boss begins to develop feelings for this "boy".
20 Centimeters (2005)
A narcoleptic transvestite who yearns to become a transsexual dreams up elaborate musical numbers in which she's the star.
A Little Bit of Lippy (1992)
Rick Fairley is happily married, but he is a secret cross-dresser. Eventually his wife finds out and is horrified, and her parents are even more so. However, as she reconciles herself to the discovery, her Mother realises that her own very conventional marriage lacks a certain something.
Abroad with Two Yanks (1944)
Arriving in Australia after the Battle of Guadacanal, two American Marines compete with each other by stealing the other's Australian girlfriend. Their intense rivalry leads to their arrest and escape from confinement dressed as a woman.
Adventures of Huck Finn, The (1993)
Huckleberry Finn is a young boy in the 1840's, who runs away from home, and floats down the Mississippi River. He meets a run away slave named Jim and the two undertake a series of adventures based on the Picaresque novel by Mark Twain. As the story progresses the duo exploit an array of episodic enterprises, while Huckleberry slowly changes his views of bigotry. Along the way, Huck and Jim meet the King and Duke, who ultimately send the protagonists towards a different route on their journey. As Huck begins to have a change of heart, he gradually begins to distinguish between right and wrong, and conclusively, Huck is faced with the morale dilemma between the world's prejudice, of which he's grown up with, and the lessons Jim has taught him throughout the story about the evils of racism. (Huck disguises himself as a girl for a short time)
Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The (1994)
Two drag-queens (Anthony/Mitzi and Adam/Felicia) and a transsexual (Bernadette) contract to perform a drag show at a resort in Alice Springs, a resort town in the remote Australian desert. They head west from Sydney aboard their lavender bus, Priscilla. En route, it is discovered that the woman they've contracted with is Anthony's wife. Their bus breaks down, and is repaired by Bob, who travels on with them.
Albert Nobbs (2011)
Albert Nobbs struggles to survive in late 19th century Ireland, where women aren't encouraged to be independent. Posing as a man, so she can work as a butler in Dublin's most posh hotel, Albert meets a handsome painter and looks to escape the lie she has been living.
All About My Mother/ Todo sobre mi madre (1999)
A single mother in Madrid sees her only son die on his 17th birthday as he runs to seek an actress's autograph. She goes to Barcelona to find the lad's father, a transvestite named Lola who does not know he has a child. First she finds her friend, Agrado, a wild yet caring transvestite; through him she meets Rosa, a young nun bound for El Salvador, but instead finds out she is pregnant by Lola. Manuela becomes the personal assistant of Huma Rojo, the actress her son admired, by helping Huma manage Nina, the co-star and Huma's lover. However, Agrado soon takes over when Manuela must care for Hermana Rosa's risky pregnancy.
All the Queen's Men (2002)
A mismatched team of British Special Services agents led by an American must infiltrate, in disguise, a female-run Enigma factory in Berlin and bring back the decoding device that will end the war.
Anything for Love/ Just One of the Girls (1993)
Chris constantly is pushed around by bully Kurt and his gang. When he has to change to the same school as them, he decides to disguise in women's clothes on his way to school to avoid his tormentors. However already the first morning he runs into two teachers when still dressed up as female - so he's bound to the role. He learns of the advantages soon, when he manages to become best (girl-)friend to cheerleader Marie. Only when his coach sees how much he enjoys cleaning the women's showers, she becomes suspicious...
As You Like It (1936)
A duke usurps his brother's land and power, banishing him and his retinue into the forest of Arden. The banished duke's daughter, Rosalind, remains with her cousin Celia. She has fallen in love with Orlando, but he has his own tyrannical brother to contend with, so he joins those in the forest. Rosalind, now banished, disguises herself as a young man, with Celia as her servant, and follows Orlando into the forest. There, nature stirs love's fires in various rustics as well as in those from the court. Phebe, a shepherdess loved by Silvius, is herself smitten with the disguised Rosalind. Can true love find a way, and can brothers be reconciled and harmony restored?
As You Like It (2006)
Rosalind, the daughter of Duke Senior (the banished duke), is raised at the court of Duke Frederick (who is younger brother to Duke Senior and took over his dukedom), with her cousin Celia (daughter to Duke Frederick). She falls in love with a young man named Orlando, but before she can even think twice about it, she is banished by Duke Frederick, who threatens death if she comes near the court again. Celia, being Rosalind's best friend, goes with Rosalind (who is disguised as a boy, Ganymede) and Touchstone, the court's fool, to the forest of Arden. Upon their arrival in the forest, they happen upon Orlando and his manservant, who are fleeing the wrath of Orlando's eldest brother. What follows is an elaborate scheme devised by the cross-dressing Rosalind to find out the verity of Orlando's supposed passion for her, and to further capture his heart, through the witty and mischievous façade of Ganymede.
Associate, The (1996)
Laurel Ayres (Whoopi Goldberg) is a lawyer trying to make it but unfortunately she works at a law firm where she does all the work but all the senior lawyers like Frank Peterson grab all the credit. She then leaves and starts her own firm. While trying to find clients Laurel pretends that she has a white male partner named Robert Cutty. And when she starts to do well all of her clients want to meet Cutty which is difficult since he doesn't exist.
Bad Education (2004)
An examination on the effect of Franco-era religious schooling and sexual abuse on the lives of two longtime friends. Handsome, enigmatic Ángel (Gael García Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ángel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told.
Ballad of Little Jo, The (1993)
Based on a true story, this is the tale of Josephine Monaghan, a young woman of the mid-19th century who is thrown out of her parents' home after being seduced by the family's portrait photographer and giving birth to an illegitimate child. Josephine quickly learns that young, female, pretty, and alone are a bad combination for life in the wild west. In her desperation to survive, Josephine disguises herself as "Jo", a young man, and struggles to make a life for herself in a dingy frontier mining town. Can "Little Jo" live and love without revealing his/her secret?
Baran (2001)
In a building site in present-day Tehran, Lateef, a 17-year-old Turkish worker is irresistibly drawn to Rahmat, a young Afghan worker. The revelation of Rahmat's secret changes both their lives.
Big Momma's House (2000)
An FBI agent disguises himself as an old lady to protect a beautiful federal witness and her son.
Big Momma's House 2 (2006)
On his latest assignment, FBI agent Malcolm Turner goes undercover as Big Momma, and works as a nanny for an unhappy woman who is under investigation for murder.
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011)
FBI agent Malcolm Turner and his stepson Trent go undercover at an all-girls performing arts school after Trent witnesses a murder.
Birdcage, The (1996)
Armand Goldman owns a popular drag nightclub in South Miami Beach. His long-time lover Albert stars there as Starina. Their son Val comes home to announce his engagement to Barbara Keely, daughter of Kevin Keely, US Senator, and vice president of the Committee for Moral Order. The Senator and family descend upon South Beach to meet Val and his father and "mother" and what ensues is comic chaos.
Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, The (2005)
Can a 12-year old lad who wishes he were a girl navigate the mean streets of Manila? Maxi cooks, cleans, and sews for his father and older brothers who are petty criminals. He's sweet, clever and hardworking, at ease with being gay, pinning a flower in his hair, swinging his hips when he walks, vamping with friends. He's seen adults hug and kiss and he's watched romantic movies, so on the verge of puberty, he develops a crush on Victor, a kindly young cop. Maxi's heart and loyalties are on a collision course: Victor is investigating crimes that lead him to Maxi's family. In the land of the morning, is there a place for this child of the sun returning?
Blue Skies Again (1983)
A hard-hitting, fast, sure-handed baseball player tries to break into the sport by applying for a spot on a minor-league team. The only problem is that the player is female, which engenders resistance and resentment among many players and officials.
Boy! What a Girl! (1947)
Two musical producers are trying to scrape enough money together to finance their show. When one of their backers doesn't show. They convince transvestite Tim Moore to impersonate the second female backer.
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
In the 1970s, a foundling lad, Patrick "Kitten" Braden, comes of age by leaving his Irish town for London, in part to look for his mother and in part because his trans-gender nature is beyond the town's understanding.
Butch Jamie (2007)
The film follows the story of Jamie, a struggling butch lesbian actress who gets cast as a man in a film.
Butterfly Lovers (2004)
A beautiful girl disguises herself as a man and lives under one roof with a young male scholar for three years without revealing her true identity. They become "sworn brothers," soul mates and lovers. In a world in which marriage is determined by social status and arranged by parents, what is their inescapable Romeo-and-Juliet-type of fate?Based on a Chinese folktale.
Camp (2003)
After a series of Broadway flops, songwriter Bert Hanley (Dixon) goes to work at a musical camp for young performers. Inspired by the kids, he finds an opportunity to regain success by staging an altogether new production. (One of the kids is a budding drag queen,and many of the boys are gay)
Carry On Jack (1963)
On his way to Venus, his first ship, Albert Poop-Decker finds his Midshipman's uniform stolen by Sally in a Plymouth house of ill-repute. He then finds himself press-ganged onto Venus anyway, where Sally is indeed posing as the Midshipman.
Chachi 420 (1998)
Wealthy Janki falls in love with poor Jaiprakash, much to the displeasure of her parents, and ends up getting married, and living with her husband. She subsequently gives birth to a daughter. Differences surface between the couple, and Janki leaves Jaiprakash and moves back in with her parents. Jaiprakash wants to see his daughter, but is prevented by Durgaprasad, Janki's dad, so he assumes the guise of a woman, calls himself Laxmi, and starts working as a nanny for his daughter. Complications arise when Durgaprasad gets attracted to Laxmi and wants to marry 'her'.
Challengers, The (1990)
After her father dies, Mackie and her mom move to a new town. As she makes new friends, she discovers a band she wants to join. The only problem is, the band consists of only boys and no girls are allowed. She comes up with the idea to dress like a boy to join the band and be part of "The Challengers". Balancing out between dressing up as a guy in the band and a being normal girl with her best friend Jenny is harder than she thought.
Cockettes, The (2002)
On New Year's Eve, 1969, a flamboyant ragtag troupe of genderbending hippies took the stage of San Francisco's Palace Theater and The Cockettes were born. For the next 2 1/2 years, these outrageous drag performers created 20 shows with titles like "A Crab on Uranus Means You're Loved" and "Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma," and were featured in four underground films. But when the Cockettes flew to New York City to appear Off Broadway - well, you'll just have to see what happened when New Yorkers took a look at them. Documentarians Weissman and Weber have crafted a record of a wondrous time and a wild group in The Cockettes.
Cockpit (2012)
After getting fired from his current job as a pilot and dumped by his current wife, he seeks to find a new job. Out of desperation on the job market he disguises himself as a woman in order to get a job from Silver, a company seeking a female pilot. The lines between his female and male life as well as his personal and love life starts to become a blur which he eventually cannot handle.
Connie and Carla (2004)
A mob mix-up in Chicago sends two chanteuses screaming for L.A., where they score a perfect gig: posing as drag queens on the dinner theater/cabaret circuit. Things get extra-weird when a guy falls for one of the girls.
Cut Sleeve Boys (2007)
Ray Yeung's comedy Cut Sleeve Boys tells the story of two Chinese/British gay men named Mel and Ash. The two middle-aged friends attend the funeral of a former acquaintance named Gavin, and begin to question where they are in their own lives as a result. Mel starts to wonder how much longer he can maintain his endless string of plastic surgeries to maintain his looks. Ash decides to try life as a transvestite in order to find a man who will stay with him. Soon a secret from Gavin's past complicates matters for the two protagonists
Das Wirtshaus im Spessart (1958)
This was the first of a trilogy of "Spessart" parodies by director Kurt Hoffmann, each starring Liselotte Pulver in the title role. This particular take-off is concerned with highway bandits and kidnapped nobility. Everything begins when Countess Franziska (Pulver) and her fiancée and entourage are accosted and brought to an inn where they are kept hostage. But the intrepid Countess escapes, reaches home, and then is refused any assistance from her father. He is not going to pay the ransom demand. So she goes back disguised as a man to save the hostages on her own. Circumstances eventually lead to their release, but by then, she and the ringleader have fallen in love. Songs and general enthusiastic hijinks enliven the story, clichéd or not
Dating the Enemy (1996)
A couple wake up one morning to find they have now switched bodies.
Delinquent in Drag (1988)
Anime. Does being the only guy in an all girl school sound like paradise? It might be, if the girls knew you where a guy, but to stay in school teenage pervert Banji can't let can't let anyone find out his chromosomes don't match. Banji's status conscious parents want him to go to a good school, but not enough to spend the money on a good co-ed school. Now, in addition to studying math and science, Banji has to learn how to put on a bra and makeup. His life has become a living hell. Not only is he at the bottom of the social pecking order, he must also got to conceal his inner-masculinity from the pretty classmate girl who's stolen his heart while avoiding the female bullies who threaten to expose his less-than-feminine charms in the locker room.
Dil Bole Hadippa! (2009)
A feisty cricket-expert Punjabi girl enters the men's cricket team to play in the Cricket World Cup. However, she is in a predicament when she falls for her handsome cricket coach.
Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde (1995)
The story takes place in modern times and concerns a bumbling, young chemist who tampers with his great-grandfather's formula, accidentally transforming himself into a beautiful businesswoman who is hellbent on taking over his life.
Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971)
Dr. Henry Jekyll, in attempting to find a toxin that will wipe out all common diseases, accidentally stumbles upon a formula that transforms him into a gorgeous but evil woman. He needs female hormones for his experiments, so a number of London women meet bloody deaths.
Famous Five, The (1957/1964/1978/1995/2008/2012)
Three of the children, Julian, Dick and Anne Bannard, are brothers and sister. Their father is Quentin Kirrin's brother. Quentin Kirrin is married to Fanny Kirrin; their daughter is Georgina Kirrin, a tomboy who insists on being called George and is often mistaken for a boy. During their holidays, Julian, Dick and Anne are regularly sent to the seaside village of Kirrin to stay with their Aunt Fanny, Uncle Quentin, and cousin George. George owns a large mongrel dog, Timothy, who is very much part of the group and a character in his own right. Timmy accompanies the four children on every adventure.
Fast Break (1979)
David Greene is a New York basketball enthusiast, who wants to coach. He is then offered the coaching job at a small Nevada college. He brings along some players, who are a bit odd but good. Like Swish who unknown to the rest of the team is a girl. Preacher, who's being sought by some nefarious characters. And D.C., who's a fugitive. And along with some of the students at the college, he turns them into a contender. In order to give the tam the respect they deserve and some exposure, Greene schemes to try and get the number 1 team led by Bo Winnegar, to play them.
Female Trouble (1974)
The world’s been turned upside down in John Waters’ raucous, razor-sharp satire. Being gay is normal, and being straight is considered “sick”. Of course, then there’s Divine playing both a woman and a man who inevitably get together and do the nasty. Utter madness.
Flawless (1999)
An ultraconservative police officer (DeNiro) suffers a debilitating stroke and is assigned to a rehabilitative program that includes singing lessons - with the drag queen next door.
Flying With One Wing (2003)
Based on a true story. A girl who grew up in a rural area of Sri Lanka who has to hide her sexual identity. She impersonates herself as a male after coming of age and falls in love with another girl and starts living with her, while a gay young man continuously tries to win her heart.
Fourplay (2012)
Fourplay is four tales of sexual triumph and travail set in four American cities. In Skokie, a closeted lesbian woman's infatuation with her minister's wife is sublimated during a weekend of dog sitting; in Austin, a young couple struggle with opposing desires about conception and arrive at a startling compromise; in Tampa, a young gay Latino man plagued with self-doubt finds a surreal nirvana in a public mall restroom; and in San Francisco, a cross-dressing sex-worker faces a challenging assignment with a quadriplegic man, arranged by the man's wife.
Fram för Iilla Märta (1945)
Stig Järrel, dressed up as a female cellist, is hilarious in this light-weighted comedy.
Girls Will Be Girls (2003)
Three actresses at various places on the Hollywood food chain navigate the minefield of love, aging, and ambition. Oh, and they're all played by men!
Glen or Glenda (1953)
A psychiatrist tells two stories: one of a transvestite (Glen or Glenda), the other of a pseudohermaphrodite (Alan or Anne).
Grilled (2006)
Maurice (Romano) and Dave (James) are door-to-door meat salesmen who need to make a sale to keep their jobs. After several houses with no luck, they meet Loridonna (Sofia Vergara), who is interested in the guys' meat as well as what they are selling. However, an emergency call offsets them, as they now go to the home of Mafia princess Suzzane (Juliette Lewis). Once there, they then encounter mobster Tony (Kim Coates) and two hitmen.
Hana Kimi (2006/7/11/12)
The series centers on Mizuki Ashiya, a Japanese girl who lives in the United States. One day, she sees a track and field competition on TV, and becomes attracted to one of the high jump competitors, Izumi Sano. She begins to idolize the young athlete and eventually transfers to Japan to attend the same school that Sano attends. There is a catch, however: Sano attends an all-boys high school, named Osaka Gakuen and Mizuki must disguise herself as a boy to enter.
Hanazakarino Kimitachihe (2006)
In America, Lu Rui Xi watches a documentary on Taiwanese high jumper Zuo Yi Quan. Inspired by his jumps, Rui Xi decides that she wants to meet her idol and therefore transfers to Ying Kai University which he attends in Taiwan. However, the school is an all-boys school and thus Rui Xi disguises herself as a boy in order to attend the school.
He's A Woman, She's A Man (1994)
A typical everyday HK movie fan Wing idolizes the beautiful female singer Rose and her producer Sam as the fairy tale couple. By chance she posed as an amateur male singer and moves in with 'his' new producer Sam. The no-nonsense Wing develops a great friendship with Sam, but screws up Sam's love life with Rose.
He's My Girl (1987)
Bryan and Reggie are best friends who are in the music business in Missouri. When Reggie enters Bryan for a chance to go to L.A., Bryan wins the contest and wants to bring Reggie with him. However, Bryan must bring a girl. In an effort to make sure Bryan gets his shot, Reggie decides to pose as a girl. When the duo arrive in L.A., both fall in love with two women and they must stop the promoter of the contest when he steals Bryan's song for his star, Simon Sledge.
Heart is Deceitful Above All Things, The (2004)
The dysfunctional twenty-three years old Sarah takes her six years old natural son Jeremiah from the home of his beloved foster parents with the support of the social service to live with her. Along the years, the boy shares her insane and lowlife style and is introduced to booze and drugs and is mentally, physically and sexually abused by Sarah, her lovers and her religiously fanatic family, as well as being forced to cross-dress to act as Sarah's little sister.
Hello, I'm Your Aunt! (1975)
Unemployed and homeless Babbs Baberley is being chased by the police who attempt to arrest him for vagrancy. Babbs finds himself in a rich house, where he encounters Charlie and Jackie. Babbs' unsuccessful attempt to disguise himself as a woman gives Charlie and Jackie an idea. By threatening to surrender Babbs to the (successfully bribed) police, they force their unexpected visitor to dress once again as a woman and pass himself for Donna Rosa d'Alvadorez, Charlie's millionaire aunt who is expected to arrive with a visit from Brazil. Charlie and Jackie want Babbs to seduce Judge Criggs with the irresistible charms of a millionaire widow and to trick the Judge into giving his nieces, Annie and Betty, a permission to marry Charlie and Jackie. Complications to the scheme ensue.
Holiday Heart (2000)
A drag queen takes in a drug addict and her daughter and helps raise the daughter.
Homicidal (1961)
The story centers around a murderous scheme to collect a rich inheritance. The object of murder is Miriam Webster, who is to share in the inheritance with her half brother Warren, who lives with his childhood guardian Helga in the mansion where Warren and Miriam grew up. Confined to a wheelchair after recently suffering a stroke, Helga is cared for by her nurse Emily, a strange young woman who has formed a close bond with Warren.
Hot Chick, The (2003)
Jessica Spencer is the hottest, most popular girl in high school. After stealing some earrings, she gets a big dose of reality when she wakes up in the body of a 30-something lowlife male, Clive, a career criminal. Clive finds himself in Jessica's body. Now it's up to Jessica (in Clive's body) to find a way to get her body back, while Clive (in Jessica's body) takes advantage of his new body to set in motion a crime spree to put the blame on Jessica!
I Don't Want to Be a Man (1918)
A teenaged tomboy, tired of being bossed around by her strict guardian, impersonates a man so she can have more fun, but discovers that being the opposite sex isn’t as easy as she had hoped. What ensues is a gender-bending comedy that was decades ahead of its time.
I Was A Male War Bride (1949)
It is the story of French Army officer Henri Rochard (Grant) who must pass as a war bride in order to go back to the United States with Women's Army Corps officer Catherine Gates (Sheridan). The film is noted as being a low key screwball comedy with a famous final sequence featuring Cary Grant impersonating a female Army nurse.
It's a Boy Girl Thing (2006)
The next door neighbors Nell Bedworth and Woody Deane have opposite behaviors and hate each other: the virgin geek Nell is polite, sensitive and well-prepared to go to Yale, while Woody is rude and his greatest expectation is to join a mediocre university due to his abilities playing football. When Nell and Woody are assigned to visit a museum together, they argue in front of a statue of an Aztec god. During the night, their souls swap bodies, bringing difficult situations to them. They first try to damage each others reputation in high school, but soon they discover that their dream of joining college can only happen with mutual respect and support.
Joan of Arc (1999)
Ten years before her death, Joan hears voices. Six years later, from the village of Domremy, she begins her mission to unite France under King Charles. First she leads a defense of Vaucouleurs against the Burgundians, then obtains safe passage to Charles, the Dauphin. He uses her, as the embodiment of the mythical "Maid of Lorraine," to raise an army, and he sends her to the rescue of Orléans. After Charles is crowned, Joan leads a disastrous campaign in Paris, where her brother dies. Then she's the victim of Charles's manipulations: she's captured in Burgundy, sold to the English, examined by Bishop Cauchon, found a heretic by the Inquisition, and burned at the stake.
Just Like A Woman (1992)
Gerald is a yuppie-like transvestite in his thirties. His wife arrives home earlier than expected and discovers female attire spread over their apartment. Not knowing anything about his habit, she misinterprets this and throws him (and the attire) out of their home and marriage. He rents a room in Monica's house, recently divorced and around 50. Their relation- ship evolves from landlady/tenant over friends to lovers. Monica learns about, begins to understand and finally appreciates and supports Gerald- ine, Gerald's alter ego. His transvestitism, a rarely filmed subject, it's ups and downs, is treated with a lot of respect, warmth and humour.
Just One of the Guys (1985)
Terry Griffith has got it all -- looks, popularity, the perfect college boyfriend, and an article that's a shoo-in to win her a summer internship at the local newspaper... or so she thinks. When Terry's journalism teacher passes her article up in favor of a couple of pieces written by boys, Terry is convinced that sexism is to blame. Determined to win the internship at any cost, Terry goes undercover at a rival high school to resubmit her article... as a boy. But Terry gets more than she bargained for when she finds herself fending off a bully and the advances of an oversexed female admirer, and falling for her new pal Rick.
Juwanna Mann (2002)
Juwanna Mann follows the story of Jamal Jeffries, the reigning 'bad boy' of basketball, whose undisciplined on-court antics land him out of the league and without any prospects. Financially strapped and untrained in anything but basketball, Jamal comes up with a plan so outrageous it just might work: dress up like a woman and try out for the woman's basketball league. To his surprise, he makes it, but now the real challenge begins - to cease being Jamal and start new life as Juwanna. Matters become even more complicated when Juwanna realizes that he is falling for his teammate Michelle, who shows him that there is more to women than meets the eye.
King of Masks, The (1996)
Master Liang, a famous impersonator of female parts at the Sichuan Opera, is enchanted by the art of the street performer Wang, known as the King of Masks. He offers him an engagement at the opera, but Wang says he is a solitary by nature. His only sorrow is that he has no male descendant who can carry on the art of the changing masks after his death. To solve the problem Wang buys an 8 year old orphan. His happiness turns into dejection, when he finds out that "the boy" actually is a girl. Despite his displeasure he keeps the girl and trains her as an acrobat.
Kinky Boots (2005)
Charles Price may have grown up with his father in the family shoe business, but he never thought that he would take his father's place. Yet, the untimely death of his father places him in that position, only to learn that Price & Sons Shoes is failing. While in despair at his failed attempts to save the business, Charles has a chance encounter with the flamboyant drag queen cabaret singer, Lola. Her complaints about the inadequate footwear for her work combined with one of Charles' ex-employees, Lauren, leads to a suggestion to change the product to create a desperate chance to save the business: make men's fetish footwear. Lola is convinced to be their footwear designer and the transition begins. Now this disparate lot must struggle at this unorthodox idea while dealing both the prejudice of the staff, Lola's discomfort in the small town and the selfish manipulation of Charles' greedy fiancée who cannot see the greater good in Charles' dream.
La Cage aux Folles (1978)
Two gay men living in St. Tropez have their lives turned upside down when the son of one of the men announces he is getting married. They try conceal their lifestyle and their ownership of the transvestite club downstairs when the fiancée and her parents come for dinner.
Lady Oscar (1979)
Oscar François de Jarjayes was born female, but her father who longed for a son and an heir insisted she be raised as a boy, alongside, Andre Grandier, the grandson of her nanny. When Oscar matures into an adult she is selected to be captain of the guards at the Palace of Versailles under King Louis XVI and Marie Antonette. Oscar soon learns the problems of the monarchy and the plight of the poor which will eventually lead to the French Revolution. She also finds herself torn between her true love for the independent, but lower-class Andre and her duties as a member of aristocracy and a trusted subject of the King and Queen.
Ladybugs (1992)
To climb the corporate ladder to success, a guy agrees to coach the company's all girl soccer team with the help of his secret weapon: his fiancee's son.
Little Sister (1992)
Bobby is a college freshman and as part of a fraternity prank, he poses as Roberta and becomes pledged into a sorority. There he falls madly in love with Diana. As the game escalates, Bobby finds it increasingly hard to keep his twin identities separate.
M. Butterfly (1993)
Loosely based on true events, the film concerns René Gallimard, a French diplomat assigned to Beijing, China in the 1960s. He becomes infatuated with a Chinese opera performer, Song Liling, who spies on him for the Government of the People's Republic of China. Their affair lasts for 20 years, with Gallimard all the while apparently unaware (or willfully ignorant) of the fact that in traditional Chinese opera, all roles are performed by men.
Madame Sata (2002)
Loose portrait of João Francisco dos Santos, also known as Madame Satã, a sometime chef, transvestite, lover, father, hero and convict from Rio de Janeiro.
Mascara (1987)
A respected police commissioner has a reputation as a fervent opera lover, but by night he also enjoys plunging into the transvestite scene. In addition, he harbors a longing for his very own sister. When he learns that his wife has been murdered, he tries to implicate the set-designer who has designs on his sister.
Mendol-Ikemen Idol (2008)
The story revolves around three ordinary girls named Asahi, Nami, and Hinata who are aiming to become idols, but they repeatedly fail in their auditions. One day, they witness a serious crime, and they are forced to flee from the culprits. Fortunately, they are saved by a producer who is willing to let them debut, but they have to hide their true identities and dress up as boys instead.
Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
Irreverent satire of Biblical films and religious intolerance focuses on Brian, a Jew in Roman-occupied Judea. After joining up with an anti-Roman political organization, Brian is mistaken for a prophet, and becomes a reluctant Messiah. All-male cast.
Motocrossed (2001)
Andrea Carson loves motocross, despite the fact that her father finds her unsuited for the sport, being that she is "just a girl". When her twin brother Andrew breaks his leg just before a big race, their father is forced to go to Europe to find a replacement rider. In the meantime, Andrea secretly races in Andrew's place with her mother's help.
Mr. Headmistress (1998)
Tucker recently got out of prison, but is soon sought after by other bad men. So to escape them, he disguises himself as the new Headmistress of an all-girl school.
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
After a bitter divorce, an actor disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend secret time with his children held in custody by his ex.
Mulan (1998)
Disney movie. To save her father from death in the army, a Chinese maiden secretly goes in his place and becomes one of China's greatest heroes in the process.
My Friend Joe (1996)
During the course of one summer, a young Irish lad named Chris befriends an American boy named Joe. The two couldn't be more different, yet they become inseparable. Things turn horribly wrong however, when Chris discovers his new best friend isn't a he, but a she. The sadness only begins as Chris learns why Joe's gender must be kept a secret.
My Summer as a Girl (1994)
Desperate for a summer job, a teenage boy decides to masquerade as a girl to land a job as a chambermaid.
National Velvet (1944)
Although National Velvet was the first starring role for 11-year-old Elizabeth Taylor, the early part of the film belongs to Mickey Rooney in the showier role of Mike Taylor, a headstrong English ex-jockey. Soured on life by a serious accident, Mike plans to steal from the country family that has taken him in, but his resolve is weakened by the kindness of young Velvet (Taylor). The two find a common bond in their love of horses. Velvet wins an "unbreakable" horse in a raffle, and enters the animal in the Grand National Sweepstakes. Though Mike is unable to ride the horse, he aids Velvet in her plan to disguise herself as a jockey; she wins the race...but the story isn't over quite yet.
No Bikini (2007)
Short film. This is an enduring film about a girl named Robin that at seven years old, decides to go without her bikini top at a summer camp with surprising results!
Nobody's Perfect (1990)
Steve is a college freshman who plays tennis for the school. But he falls desperately in love with Shelly, also a tennis player. It's all downhill from there. Steve can't eat, he can't sleep, his grades drop, and he gets kicked off the tennis team. What can he do? Well, his resourceful friend suggest turning Steve into a woman in order to get him close to Shelly who doesn't know he is alive.
Nuns on the Run (1990)
Brian and Charlie (B & C) work for a gangster. When the boss learns they want to "leave", he sets them up to be killed, after they help rob the local Triads of their drug dealing profits. B & C decide to steal the money for themselves, but when their escape doesn't go to plan, they have to seek refuge in a Nuns' teacher training school. Disguised as nuns, B & C have to avoid their boss, Triads, police and Brian's girlfriend. There's also the problem of them being men disguised as nuns in an all women institution.
Offside (2006)
"Offside" is a comedy movie about a group of Iranian girls who attempts to enter Tehran's Azadi Stadium dressed as boys in order to watch a big football match but some get caught and arrested. After the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran, women are not allowed to enter the stadiums.
Orlando (1993)
Young nobleman Orlando is commanded by Queen Elizabeth I to stay forever young. Miraculously, he does just that. The film follows him as he moves through several centuries of British history, experiencing a variety of lives and relationships along the way, and even changing sex.
Osama (2003)
A 12-year-old Afghan girl and her mother lose their jobs when the Taliban closes the hospital where they work. The Taliban have also forbidden women to leave their houses without a male "legal companion." With her husband and brother dead, killed in battle, there is no one left to support the family. Without being able to leave the house, the mother is left with nowhere to turn. Feeling that she has no other choice, she disguises her daughter as a boy. Now called 'Osama,' the girl embarks on a terrifying and confusing journey as she tries to keep the Taliban from finding out her true identity. Inspired by a true story, Osama is the first entirely Afghan film shot since the fall of the Taliban.
Painter of the Wind (2008)
Based on the bestselling historical fiction novel by Lee Jung-myung that took artistic license with the premise that perhaps the Joseon painter Shin Yun-bok had really been a woman, it centers on Yun-bok, a talented young painter who disguises herself as a boy to search for her father’s murderer. She meets Kim Hong-do a master painter who guides her into becoming a great artist, and they develop a strong friendship of mentor and disciple.
Paper Bag Princess (1994)
Cartoon adaptation of the Robert Munsch children's story.This engaging and imaginative animated kids' movie tells the tale of a brave princess who sets out to save a prince from a violent-seeming dragon--only to discover that things are not always as they appear.
Paper Dolls (2006)
Paper Dolls is a documentary film by award winning filmmaker Tomer Heymann about a group of transvestite Filipinos who emigrate to Israel to take care of elderly religious Jewish men. On their one day off per week, they perform as drag performers in a group called the Paper Dolls.
Peacock (2010)
A train accident in rural Nebraska gradually unveils a mystery involving the town's bank clerk. John Skillpa, a quiet bank clerk living in tiny Peacock, Nebraska, prefers to live an invisible life. This might have to do with John's secret: he has another personality no one knows about, a woman who each morning does his chores and cooks him breakfast before he starts his day. Then, in a moment, everything changes...
Pitch Black (2000)
The space transport vessel "Hunter-Gratzner" carrying 40 people on-board crashes on a desert planet when the ship is struck in a meteor storm. There are only 12 survivors, among them are pilot Carolyn Fry (Who has assumed command after the ship's captain is killed), bounty hunter William J. Johns, religious man Abu Al-Walid, Antiques dealer Paris P. Ogilvie, runaway teenager Jack, settlers John 'Zeke' Ezekiel and his lover Sharon 'Shazza' Montgomery and Richard B. Riddick, a dangerous escaped convict. Marooned, the 10 survivors finds the barren and hot desert-scape has sunlight from three suns. Not only must they find food and water and worry about Riddick, the survivors find themselves being hunted by the planet's flesh-eating alien inhabitants when the planet is engulfed in darkness, which happens every 22 years, as they emerge from underground to hunt and eat all signs of life...
Posukiwany poszukiwana (1973)
Falsely accused Warsaw art museum assistant goes into hiding as a woman.
Prime Suspect 3 (1993)
Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison moves to a new district and is put in charge of a vice investigation instead of homicide. But soon a homicide case impinges on her new job when a very young male prostitute is murdered in the apartment of Vera Reynolds, a female impersonator. Soon Jane is on the trail of the boy's brutal young pimp (played by David Thewlis). But her investigation is complicated by the Old Boy's Network, which is spying on her and is more concerned with preventing scandal than bringing the villain to justice.
Princess of Thieves (2001)
When her father is captured by The Sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John, Robin Hood's daughter sets out to help the son and rightful heir of King Richard the Lionheart sit on the throne as well as rescue her captive father.
Quarterback Princess (1983)
Tami Maida wants to play quarterback for the high school football team. However, because she is a girl, everyone from the coach to her next door neighbor is against her. Tami goes out to prove that not only can she play football but she can win the state championship. Not only does Tami succeed, she also becomes the homecoming queen. She proves she can excel at a boys sport and still be feminine.
Queen Christina (1933)
The movie is about 17th-century Swedish queen Christina, who feels that she can best function in a male-dominated world by adopting men's clothes and attitudes (this cross-dressing element adds a subliminally gay subtext which curiously makes the subsequent events all the more poignant). Fiercely devoted to her country and the welfare of her people, Christina has long since abandoned all thoughts of pursuing any kind of a romance -- but changes her mind when she meets and falls in love with Spanish envoy Antonio (John Gilbert).
Rocky Horror Picture Show, The (1975)
It's the weird and wonderful as newly engaged couple Brad and Janet encounter a problem when they car halts in the rain. They both look for contact only to find themselves at the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter a transvestite. A place to stay is offered, but will Brad and Janet want to remain there? Especially when a large group of Transylvanians dance to the 'Time Warp', Dr. Frank-N-Furter builds his own man and a whole host of participation for the audience to enjoy.
Schwarzer Jäger Johanna (1934)
Eine norddeutsche Bürgerstochter lernt im Jahr 1809 einen Freicorpskämpfer kennen, der das Schwarze Corps des Herzogs von Braunschweig befehligt. Von den Franzosen verfolgt, schliesst sie sich in schwarzer Husarenuniform dem Major an.
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Will Shakespeare is a known but struggling poet, playwright and actor who not only has sold his next play to both Philip Henslow and Richard Burbidge but now faces a far more difficult problem: he is bereft of ideas and has yet to begin writing. He is in search of his muse, the woman who will inspire him but all attempts fail him until he meets the beautiful Viola de Lesseps. She loves the theatre and would like nothing more than to take to the stage but is forbidden from doing so as only men can be actors. She is also a great admirer of Shakespeare's works. Dressing as a man and going by the name of Thomas Kent, she auditions and is ideal for a part in his next play. Shakespeare soon see through her disguise and they begin a love affair, one they know cannot end happily for them as he is already married and she has been promised to the dour Lord Wessex. As the company rehearses his new play...
She's the Man (2006)
When her brother decides to ditch for a couple weeks in London, Viola heads over to his elite boarding school, disguises herself as him, and proceeds to fall for one of her soccer teammates. Little does she realize she's not the only one with romantic troubles, as she, as he, gets in the middle of a series of intermingled love affairs.
Some Like It Hot (1959)
When two Chicago musicians, Joe and Jerry, witness the St. Valentine's Day massacre, they want to get out of town and get away from the gangster responsible, Spats Colombo. They're desperate to get a gig out of town but the only job they know of is in an all-girl band heading to Florida. They show up at the train station as Josephine and Daphne, the replacement saxophone and bass players. They certainly enjoy being around the girls, especially Sugar Kane Kowalczyk who sings and plays the ukulele. Joe in particular sets out to woo her while Jerry/Daphne is wooed by a millionaire, Osgood Fielding III. Mayhem ensues as the two men try to keep their true identities hidden and Spats Colombo and his crew show up for a meeting with several other crime lords.
Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things (1971)
Stanley and Paul, a pair of friends on the run from the law, rent a house in the suburbs, where they decide the best way to lay low is for Paul to dress as a woman and pretend to be Stanley's Aunt Martha. Not too long after the pair move into their new home, Paul suddenly murders a young woman Stanley brings home with him. Paul's violent tendencies continue to spin out of control, and soon nobody who comes near is safe from him.
Sorority Boys (2002)
After three rowdy guys get booted from their frat house, they dress up as women and pledge the "ugly girl" sorority, where they figure they'll blend right in. In their new environment, the men relinquish their frat mentality and realize how hurtful they have been to women over the years. When their less-than-stunning female forms earn them an invite to a "dog catcher" party at their old frat, they decide to brave the harassment so they can grab the rest of their belongings from the house and make a clean break.
Stage Beauty (2004)
A female theatre dresser creates a stir and sparks a revolution in seventeenth century London theatre by playing Desedmona in Othello. But what will become of the male actor she once worked for and eventually replaced?
Stonewall (1995)
Who could have guessed that a bunch of men in dresses would breath life into the movement to win equal rights for gay men and lesbians? Certainly not the police who raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular "drag" bar in Greenwich Village. After a long history of police raids, extortion, and brutality, a gaggle of drag queens at the Stonewall decide they have had enough and begin to riot when the police try to load them into a paddy wagon. Told by "La Miranda" (Hector), a regular customer at the Stonewall Inn, the film is a recounting of events that led up to that fateful day in 1969. "Matty Dean" is the handsome angry young man that La Miranda meets at the Stonewall one day and with whom she/he quickly falls in love. "Bostonia" is the self-styled Queen Mother of the drag queens and guides each initiate gently "into the life."
Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010)
A historical drama about a girl who disguises herself as a boy while attending Sungkyunkwan, the Joseon Dynasty's highest educational institute, where no women were allowed. Set during an era when society does not allow females to be educated nor employed, Kim Yoon-hee disguises herself as her brother, Kim Yoon-shik, in order to make ends meet for her family.
Superstar in a Housedress (2004)
Superstar in a Housedress examines the life and legend of Warhol transvestite superstar Jackie Curtis who was a poet, playwright, performer, and one of the great personalities of his time. Jackie both lived and performed sometimes as a man, sometimes as a woman - and died tragically of a drug overdose under bizarre circumstances when he was only 38. The film features on-camera interviews with actor Harvey Fierstein who played Jackie's mother in "Americka Cleopatra" when he was 18, Ellen Stewart, founder of LaMama Experimental Theater Club, John Vaccaro, founder of the Playhouse of the Ridiculous, Paul Morrissey, Director of the Andy Warhol films, and surviving superstars Holly Woodlawn and Joe Dallesandro, plus 24 other friends and colleagues of Jackie's....
Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
A family in route to New Guinea is shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island. The family is Mother and Father Robinson, their three sons and an adopted daughter, who masqueraded as a boy at first. They are forced to remain on the island because of the damage to the ship and the pirates that are roaming the islands. They create a home on the island (centering around a huge tree house) and explore the island and its wildlife. Plenty of adventure ensues as the family deals with issues of survival and pirates, and the brothers must learn how to live on the island with an uncertain future.
Switch (1991)
Steve Brooks is a sexist and the prototype macho. Unfortunately one day he is killed by one of his girlfriends. In heaven, though, there is no place for men like him and he is sent back to earth in the body of a woman so that he can see how women are treated by men like the one he once was.
Sylvia Scarlett (1935)
Escaping to England from a French embezzlement charge, widower Henry Scarlett is accompanied by daughter Sylvia (Katharine Hepburn) who, to avoid detection, "disguises" herself as a boy, "Sylvester." They are joined by amiable con man Jimmy Monkley (Cary Grant), then, after a brief career in crime, meet Maudie Tilt, a giddy, sexy Cockney housemaid who joins them in the new venture of entertaining at resort towns from a caravan. Through all this, amazingly no one recognizes that Sylvia is not a boy...until she meets handsome artist Michael Fane, and drama intrudes on the comedy.
Tipping the Velvet (2002)
"Tipping the Velvet" tells the story of Nancy Astley, a young girl who works as cook and waitress in her Father's seaside restaurant - that is until she witnesses the extraordinary performance of a new-to-town male impersonator - Kitty Butler - and begins to undergo a complete life transformation. Suddenly whipped up - and quickly flung down - by her love affair with Kitty, she experiences both euphoria and deep disillusion as she embarks on a seven-year journey of self-discovery - finally realizing that a life of sensation just isn't enough.
To Faro (2008)
Melanie meets Jenny and falls in love. But Jenny thinks she's met Miguel.
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995)
After jointly winning a local drag queen pageant in New York City, Noxeema Jackson and Vida Boheme win the right and are given the round trip airfare to compete in the Drag Queen of America pageant in Hollywood, California. Vida's style reflects her past of growing up in upper class suburban Pennsylvania. One of their fellow New York contestants, Chi-Chi Rodriguez, is a straight-talking but naive and inexperienced drag queen. Seeing that Chi-Chi needs some drag queen confidence (despite her bravada), Vida and a reluctant Noxeema decide to cash in their plane tickets and buy an older model Cadillac convertible and drive to Hollywood with Chi-Chi. Their drive takes them through much of the country where alternate lifestyles are less tolerated than they may be in New York or Los Angeles...
Tomboy (2011)
A family moves into a new neighborhood, and a 10-year-old named Laure deliberately presents as a boy named Mickäel to the neighborhood children. It is heavily implied that Mickäel is a closeted transgender boy. This film follows his experiences with his newfound friends, his potential love interest, Lisa, his younger sister and his parents. It focuses in on the significance of gender identity in social interaction from an early age, the difficulties of being transgender and young, and how Mickäel navigates these in the background of childhood play and love.
Tootsie (1982)
Michael Dorsey is an unemployed actor with an impossible reputation. In order to find work and fund his friend's play he dresses as a woman, Dorothy Michaels, and lands the part in a daytime drama. Dorsey loses himself in this woman role and essentially becomes Dorothy Michaels, captivating women all around the city and inspiring them to break free from the control of men and become more like Dorsey's initial identity. This newfound role, however, lands Dorsey in a hot spot between a female friend/'lover,' a female co-star he falls in love with, that co-star's father who falls in love with him, and a male co-star who yearns for his affection.
Torch Song Trilogy (1988)
Harvey Fierstein's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway hit was adapted for the screen by Fierstein himself. The playwright also repeats his stage role of female impersonator Arnold Beckoff, aka nightclub entertainer "Virginia Hamm." The three-part plotline, whittled down to accommodate the film's 117-minute running time, concerns Arnold's seriocomic efforts to find a lasting relationship. We first meet Arnold in 1971, when his heart is broken by his bisexual lover, Ed (Brian Kerwin). Next we find Arnold in 1973, enjoying short-lived happiness with his true love, Alan (Matthew Broderick). The final act takes place in 1980: Arnold, still grieving over Alan's sudden death and struggling to raise the young boy that the couple had adopted, has a long-anticipated showdown with his uncompromising mother, superbly played by Anne Bancroft.
Triple Echo, The (1972)
Deserting soldier dresses as a woman to escape detection; liking the female role he goes to a dance with another soldier and is exposed.
Triumph of Love, The (2002)
In an unidentified country in 18th century Europe, a usurper's daughter has inherited the throne and feels guilty about her family's crimes. She learns that a rightful heir exists but has been taught to hate her and reject all love, and who additionally is kept in seclusion to protect him from her. Spying on his household, she falls in love at the first sight of him, suggesting an obvious happy ending as regards the throne. But to even get close enough to him to talk about it, she must embark on a series of bribes, deceptions, and seductions, including disguising herself as a man...
Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler, The (1988)
Wherever best-friends Tyke Tiler and Danny Price are, there is usually trouble - stolen money, a sheep's skeleton, fights in class - and it's usually trouble that Tyke has to sort out. Their last term at Cricklepit Combined School is full of the usual fun and madness, but then Tyke learns that much more is at stake. Is it possible to keep hapless Danny out of trouble? And what final surprise does Tyke have in store? (Very good, the gender of Tyke is unknown until the end.)
Twelfth Night: Or What You Will (1996)
The classic Shakespearean comedy about mistaken identity and gender confusion is brought to the screen once again. Two twins, Viola and Sebastian, are separated when their ship capsizes. Each believes that the other has drowned. Viola washes ashore on the coast of Illyria. She disguises herself as a man and assumes the name Cesario so that she can take a position as an aide to the Duke, Orsinio. Orsinio desires Olivia, who refuses his attentions. Orsinio sends Cesario as an emissary to Olivia. The foppish Sir Andrew Aguecheek also seeks Olivia's love. He is a friend of her besotted uncle, Sir Toby Belch. With the clownish philosopher Feste, all the members of Olivia's household plot to embarrass the dour Malvolio, a butler who has no tolerance for frivolity. They fool Malvolio into thinking that Olivia desires him, and when he confesses his love, Olivia orders him imprisoned as a madman. Sebastian then turns up and is mistaken for Cesario. A series of mishaps follows.
Uuno Turhapuro In The Army / Uuno Turhapuro armeijan leivissä (1984)
Uuno is forced to complete his mandatory military service when it is revealed that he only spent one day in the army in his youth. As is typical of the Turhapuro series his family and friends become closely tied in with these events. His friends Härski Hartikainen and Sörsselssön return to the army for a refresher course and by chance Uuno's father-in-law, Councillor Tuura is made the Finnish Defence Minister. In one of the most memorable scenes, Uuno's wife, Elisabeth, dresses as Uuno and substitutes him for a day as Uuno has an apparently urgent meeting (at a restaurant) and while becoming lost in the woods with a malfunctioning radio, Tuura accidentally declares war on Sweden.
Victor Victoria (1982)
In 1934 Paris, trained coloratura soprano Victoria (Julie Andrews), a native Brit, can't get a job as a singer and is having trouble making ends meet. She doesn't even have enough money for the basics of food and shelter. Gay cabaret singer Carole 'Toddy' Todd may befall the same fate as Victoria as he was just fired from his singing gig at a second rate club named Chez Lui. To solve both their problems, Toddy comes up with what he considers an inspired idea: with Toddy as her manager, Victoria, pretending to be a man, get a job singing as a female impersonator. If they pull this scheme off, Toddy vows Victoria, as her male alter ego, will be the toast of Paris and as such be extremely wealthy. That alter ego they decide is Polish Count Victor Grazinski, Toddy's ex-lover who was disowned by his family when they found out he was gay. The Count auditions for the city's leading agent...
Viktor und Viktoria (1933)
Aspiring singer Susanne takes over for ham actor Viktor at a small cabaret in Berlin where he works a woman impersonator and per chance she's discovered by an agent, who thinks, that she really is a man. She becomes famous, but her situation becomes troublesome, when she falls in love with Robert.
Wasabi Tuna (2004)
A group of friends who take Halloween way too seriously kidnap Anna Nicole Smith's beloved pet Sugar-Pie. It's up to a bunch of drag queens dressed as Anna to bring Sugar-Pie back.
Whale Rider (2002)
On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.
White Chicks (2004)
After an unsuccessful mission, FBI agents Kevin Copeland and Marcus Copeland fall in disgrace in the agency. They decide to swap their bad position with his superior Section Chief Elliott Gordon working undercover in an abduction case, disguised as the two spoiled white daughters of a tycoon, Brittany and Tiffany Wilson, getting in hilarious situations.
Wild Tigers I Have Known (2006)
Junior high in a time of rotary phones. Cougars have been spotted in the area. Logan is 13, the odd kid, with an active imagination and few friends. His young, single mother seems stressed. Latency is giving way to puberty, and Logan, who keeps a tube of lipstick in his dresser, may be gay or, more mysterious, transgender. He stares at himself in the mirror. He becomes friends with Rodeo, older and more mature, good-looking, with girlfriends. They take walks. Logan calls Rodeo and pretends to be a girl. Will he disclose himself to Rodeo? The kids at school talk. The school wants to promote kindness and tolerance. There are stories of child suicide. How do we find our way?
World's Fastest Indian, The (2005)
For 25 years in Invercargill at the south end of New Zealand, Burt Munro (1899-1978) has been working on increasing the speed of his motorcycle, a 1920 Indian. He dreams of taking it to the Bonneville Salt Flats to see how fast it will go. By the early 1960s, heart disease threatens his life, so he mortgages his house and takes a boat to Los Angeles, buys an old car, builds a makeshift trailer, gets the Indian through customs, and heads for Utah. Along the way, people he meets, including a transvestite motel clerk, are charmed by his open, direct friendliness. If he makes it to Bonneville, will they let an old guy on the flats with makeshift tires, no brakes, and no chute? And will the Indian actually respond?
XXY (2007)
In a small coastal town of fishermen in Uruguay, the biologist Kraken works and lives in a house at the sea side with his wife Suli and their aggressive fifteen year-old daughter Alex. When Suli welcomes her former best friend Erika that comes with her husband, the surgeon Ramiro and their teenage son Alvaro to spend a couple of days with her family, Kraken learns that his wife invited Ramiro to operate Alex. Meanwhile Alex and Alvaro feel attracted by each other; however, Alvaro finds that Alex is hermaphrodite and she finds that Alvaro is gay. But the troubled and outcast Alex has the right to choose what gender she wants for her.
Yentl (1983)
In an Ashkenazic shtetl in Poland, Yentl Mendel is the boyishly klutzy daughter and only child of long widowed Rebbe ("Talmud Teacher") Mendel, who teaches Talmud (a codification of Jewish Law) to local boys - and to Yentl, but secretly because girls were not allowed to learn the law in those days. When her father dies, Yentl is all alone in the world. She takes the momentous decision to leave the village and - disguised as a boy and calling herself by the name of her late brother, Anshel - seeks and gets admitted to a Yeshiva, to study the texts, traditions, subtleties and complexities of Torah, Talmud, etc.
Young Americans (2000)
This series portrays life at Rawley Summer Academy, an elite school in Connecticut where boys with a bright Ivy League future spend the summer industriously in classes and rowing training on the lake. It's mainly told from the viewpoint of Will Krudski, a gifted, genuinely inquisitive student and future writer, who feels guilty having cheated at the entry exams. His roommate, Scout Calhoun, is a school legacy who makes an effort to become friendly with some underprivileged local kids and falls in love with the daughter of a garage owner who turns out to be family. Most of his classmates are golden spoon boys, but still have their problems, among each-other, at home and sometimes with the locals. Actually Jacqueline 'Jake' Pratt is a girl pretending to be a boy as the only way to get in, causing great confusion for Hamilton, the school dean's son, who begins to fall for her.
Zerophilia (2006)
In this provocative teen comedy, Luke, a young man insecure about his masculinity discovers he's a Zerophiliac, with the ability to change sex at will. Join Luke as he journeys into the extraordinary world of Zerophilia where so many crazy questions arise, only one question matters: "Whom do you love?"
I think, once again, this might be one of the most complete lists of books in this genre. It's a 35 page Word document! I also have a list of fiction books about/with transgender characters. I've obviously not read every single one, but a lot sound very interesting. As I find more, I'll add them. Is there a way to load a pdf document on here?
Daughter of Fortune – Judy Allende
Orphaned at birth, Eliza Sommers is raised in the British colony of Valparaíso, Chile, by the well-intentioned Victorian spinster Miss Rose and her more rigid brother Jeremy. Just as she meets and falls in love with the wildly inappropriate Joaquín Andieta, a lowly clerk who works for Jeremy, gold is discovered in the hills of northern California. By 1849, Chileans of every stripe have fallen prey to feverish dreams of wealth. Joaquín takes off for San Francisco to seek his fortune, and Eliza, pregnant with his child, decides to follow him, in part disguised as a Chinese boy.
Callie Shaw, Stableboy: A Novel – Judy Alter
Many people in her small, Depression-era, central Texas town, including Callie's Aunt Edna, who has raised the girl, believe that horse racing is the "devil's work." Despite this fact, 15-year-old Callie dresses as a boy and gets a job in the stables. She becomes involved in the moral quandary of gambling; the inequities of income; and a mystery that involves a doped horse, the unexplained death of another, and the disappearance of a third. The girl also encounters fixed races, suicides, and big winners and desperate losers. She wins the support and friendship of the track owner, who helps reunite her with her long-lost father. At novel's end, there is a possible romance between Callie and an up-and-coming young trainer.
The Extra Man – Jonathan Ames
Meet Louis Ives: well groomed, romantic, and as captivating as an F. Scott Fitzgerald hero. Only this hero has a penchant for ladies’ clothes, and he’s lost his teaching post at Princeton’s Pretty Brook Day School after an unfortunate incident involving a colleague’s brassiere. Meet Henry Harrison: former actor, failed but brilliant playwright, and a well-seasoned escort for New York City’s women of means. He dances alone to Ethel Merman records, second-acts operas, and performs his scrappy life with the dignity befitting a self-styled man of the world. What can this ageless Don Quixote of the Upper East Side have to offer a young gentleman such as Louis? What, indeed.
The Academy – Emmaline Andrews
The Academy. Where things are not always as they seem…My name is Kris Jameson and I’m a student at the Royal Academy. I’m at the top of all my classes, what they call a “model student.” There’s only one problem—the Academy is an all boys school and I’m a girl. It started as a prank when I took my brother’s place. But things got complicated when I caught Broward, the school bully, in a compromising position. They got even worse when I was assigned my roommate—the handsome but enigmatic North who saved me several times from the bully’s attacks. Now the consequences of my deception are coming back to haunt me. The penalty for fraud at this exclusive school is much worse than simple expulsion—I could lose a hand. Worse, so could my beloved brother. With so much at stake, it’s imperative that I keep my secret safe. And the person I’m closest to, North, is the one I have to be most wary of. The trouble is, I think I’m falling in love with him…
Broken Moon – Kim Antieau
Scarred physically and psychologically by Pakistani traditionalists who avenged her brother's alleged assault on another girl by cutting his sister's face and body, Nadira accepts that she has been ruined. Now 18, she focuses her love on her 6-year-old brother, entertaining him with stories from A Thousand and One Nights. Her father is dead and she works as a servant in a Karachi household to support Umar and their mother, who live with cruel Uncle Rubel. When he sells Umar to kidnappers who take children to the desert to become camel jockeys, she disguises herself as a boy to follow him. In the Bedouin country she tames young bullies as well as the fastest camel, hoping to be allowed to go to the races where she might encounter her brother and win their freedom. Nadira's forbearance and skillful storytelling make her sad situation bearable, and the romantically happy ending will satisfy readers caught up in her life.
From Alice to Zen and Everyone in Between – Elizabeth Atkinson
Alice likes playing soccer and working on her go-kart with her dad. But when she moves to the suburbs, she learns from Zen, the boy down the street, that she has no hope of fitting in at her new middle school unless she starts acting more "like a girl." At first, Alice doesn't mind that she isn't just like Haley and Yvette, the school's reigning princesses. Then she realizes that being different can set you apart...and being friends with someone like Zen can set you way apart. Why does being yourself have to be so complicated?
Anomaly – Thea Atkinson
A chance meeting with a compassionate nurse promises a much needed respite until the tormented drug addict from next door puts J on a renewed path of self destruction that threatens to re-ignite all the fears he's spent years trying to manage: his sobriety, his identity, his fragile sense of self.
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – Avi
Not every thirteen-year-old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial, and found guilty. But I was just such a girl, and my story is worth relating even if it did happen years ago. Be warned, however: If strong ideas and action offend you, read no more. Find another companion to share your idle hours. For my part I intend to tell the truth as I lived it.
Silver Dollar Girl – Katherine Ayres
It has been over a year since 12-year-old Valentine Harper's father went to Colorado in 1885 hoping to strike silver, and she has grown tired of waiting for him to send for her. Though her aunt treats her nicely, her uncle is resentful of having an extra person in the house, and her nasty cousin plays increasingly mean pranks on her. After finding five gold coins hidden in a doll her father sent her, she decides to venture out West and find him. Disguised as a boy, she begins a journey that will test her courage and open her eyes to a whole new world. Vallie maintains her disguise upon arriving in Aspen, takes a job at a local cafe, and begins the arduous task of finding her father.
Tragedy of Miss Geneva Flowers – Joe Babcock
Set in Minneapolis in the 1990s, the story charts the turbulent quest of 16-year-old Erick Taylor, who, in short order, comes out of the closet, drops out of school, leaves home, and moves in with his best friend, David, a drag queen whose performance name is "Miss Chloe." Immediately star-struck, the self-indulgent, rather dim Erick vows he, too, will become a fabulous performer (under the name Miss Geneva Flowers), but his dreams are derailed by the reality of his growing addiction to crystal meth.
The Education of Bet – Lauren Baratz-Logsted
When Will and Bet were four, tragic circumstances brought them to the same house, to be raised by a wealthy gentleman as brother and sister. Now sixteen, they’ve both enjoyed a privileged upbringing thus far. But not all is well in their household. Because she’s a girl, Bet’s world is contained within the walls of their grand home, her education limited to the rudiments of reading, writing, arithmetic, and sewing. Will’s world is much larger. He is allowed—forced, in his case—to go to school. Neither is happy. So Bet comes up with a plan and persuades Will to give it a try: They’ll switch places. She’ll go to school as Will. Will can live as he chooses. But once Bet gets to school, she soon realizes living as a boy is going to be much more difficult than she imagined.
Drummer Girl – Karen Bass
The Fourth Down needs a drummer, and Sidney's easily the best in the school. But the all-male band has conditions for her to be allowed in—such as dressing like a girl. Accustomed to invisibility, Sid soon discovers the consequences to her makeover. It's not only that playing kit in a skirt is impractical. But as someone once taunted about her sexuality for being a drum-playing girl who likes shop class, now Sid is forced to deal with guys who think her new look makes her fair game. Sidney begins to realize the price of compromising who you really are.
Alison's Fierce & Ugly Halloween – Marion Dane Bauer
Alison is back and she does not want to be a pretty fairy or a princess with a sparkly crown this Halloween. Instead, she dresses as a pirate. Although she tries to be fierce and ugly while trick-or-treating, everyone keeps calling her cute. Frustrated, she pelts the elderly Miss Sheldon's porch with pebbles, making a mess. Alison's feelings of guilt ruin her night, but the following day she resolves her troubles.
Shadows of Disaster – Cathy Beveridge
In this fascinating historical novel, twelve-year-old Jolene travels back in time to the year 1903 and finds herself in the coalmining town of Frank on the eve of Canada's deadliest rockslide. Disguised as a boy, Jolene faces many challenges, the hardest being whether she can save herself and her grandfather from the Frank Slide.
The Folk Keeper – Franny Billingsley
Corinna is a survivor. Not only was she able to transform herself into a boy named Corin to escape the drudgery of life as a female orphan but taught herself to become a Folk Keeper in the process. As a Folk Keeper, Corinna is responsible for watching over the elusive and sometimes dangerous Folk that live underground. Relatively happy with the control she now has over her life, Corinna suddenly finds herself at a loss after she is whisked off to Marblehaugh Park, a wealthy family's seaside manor, where whispers of her own dark past await.
Boy2Girl - Terence Blacker
Matthew's American cousin, Sam, has come to London to live with the family. Sam is a charismatic, funny kid, but can he be trusted to be a reliable friend? Matthew and his "mates" decide that Sam must undertake a challenge in order to prove himself: he must start off his new year at their school posing as a girl. It turns out that Sam makes a great girl. He fools everyone and has an electrifying effect at Bradbury Hill School. And the longer the prank goes on, the more hilarious -- and serious -- the repercussions.
The Famous Five Series – Enid Blyton
Meet the Famous Five: Julian, Dick, Anne, their cousin George and her dog Timmy. Ruined castles and rolling moors; mysterious islands and hidden caves: the five can find adventure wherever they are. Join them at Kirrin Cottage, or away on their holidays as they encounter smugglers, scoundrels and spies. Thankfully, Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny are always around to offer lashings of ginger beer.
The Little Ships: The Heroic Rescue at Dunkirk in WWII – Louise Borden
In May of 1940 - the early days of World War II -- half a million British and French soldiers were trapped in France. Weak and wounded, they needed aid. Help came in the form of countless small craft, steered by brave young men, in the legendary armada of "little ships" that sailed aross the English Channel. Many people wanted to be a part of the rescue mission. Here is the story of a girl who was so determined to help that she disguised herself as a boy to blend in with the men as they sailed toward Dunkirk.
Toliver's Secret – Esther Wood Brady
When her grandfather is injured, 10-year-old Ellen Toliver replaces him on a top-secret patriotic mission. Disguised as a boy, she manages to smuggle a message to General George Washington.
Godspeed: A Novel – Lynn Breedlove
Jim is a butch bike messenger and speedfreak who is suddenly faced with an ultimatum by her girlfriend: clean up or get out. Unable to kick her drug habit, Jim ends up unemployed and alone, so as a newly hired band roadie, she takes off for New York from San Francisco and starts to finally clean up. But even after changing her ways, Jim still finds herself dissatisfied and in desperate search of the ultimate rush.
Brooklyn, Burning – Steve Brezenoff
When you're sixteen and no one understands who you are, sometimes the only choice left is to run. If you're lucky, you find a place that accepts you, no questions asked. And if you're really lucky, that place has a drum set, a place to practice, and a place to sleep. For Kid, the streets of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, are that place. Over the course of two scorching summers, Kid falls hopelessly in love and then loses nearly everything and everyone worth caring about. But as summer draws to a close, Kid finally finds someone who can last beyond the sunset.
London Reign – A.C. Britt
Boston's Boldest Boy-Toy London's got a huge secret...and doesn't want it to ever come out! As this attractive, aggressive, androgynous teenager relentlessly tries to hide this dangerous scandal, charming London constantly battles great turmoil, the unpredictability of inner-city streets, verbal lashings and extreme physical abuse from an alcoholic father while enduring an exhausting tug-of-war of a tumultuous love triangle. Bouncing back-and-forth to the urban streets of Boston and Detroit, after being seriously rejected from family and ostracized from home, young London experiences a series of life-altering events that test London's strength, courage, survival skills, identity, and the quest for real love, acceptance and understanding.
Look fir High Hearts – Rita Mae Brown
April 12,1861. Bright, gutsy and young,Geneva Chatfield marries Nash Hart in Albemarle County, Virginia, the same day Fort Sumter's guns fire the start of the Civil War. Five days later she loses him as Nash joins the Confederate Army. Geneva, who is known as the best rider since Light Horse Harry Lee, cuts her hair, dons a uniform, enlists as "Jimmy Chatfield," then rides off to be with her beloved Nash. But sensitive Nash recoils in horror from the violence of war, while Geneva is invigorated by the chase and the fight. Can she be all the man her husband isn't? She'll sure as hell try. But there is a complication, and his name is Major "Mars" Vickers. This macho major, to his own shock and amazement, finds himself inexplicably attracted to the young soldier named "Jimmy."
Christina, Queen of Sweden – Veronica Buckley
Christina abdicated the throne of Lutheran Sweden in 1654, at age 28, presumably in order to convert to Catholicism. Buckley presents a wide-ranging, entertaining exploration of the dynamics of the queen's decision and unusual life. Attracted to both men and women, yet disgusted by the idea of sex, Christina was most comfortable in masculine garb, critical of women and bitterly aware of the limitations society placed on women. Buckley weaves these threads together in a lively portrait, laying out the background to her story in fluid prose, from political and military aspects of the Thirty Years' War to machinations of the papal and French courts and the fragile state of the monarchy in Sweden.
Bone Dance – Emma Bull
This novel focuses on Sparrow, an androgynous trader of old and extremely rare videos and CDs in a post-Armageddon Minnesota. Sparrow gets caught up in an internecine fight between two Horsemen, the last survivors of the group of powerful telepaths who caused the apocalypse. Sparrow is sometimes masculine, sometimes feminine, sometimes neither, always believable.
The Pirate Captains Daughter – Eve Bunting
At age fifteen, Catherine's life is about to change. Her mother has just died and Catherine can't stand the thought of being sent to live with her aunt in Boston. She longs for a life of adventure. After she discovers her father's secret life as captain of the pirate ship Reprisal, her only thoughts are to join him on the high seas. Catherine imagines a life of sailing the blue waters of the Caribbean, the wind whipping at her back. She's heard tales of bloodshed and brutality but her father's ship would never be like that. Catherine convinces her father to let her join him, disguised as a boy. But once the Reprisal sets sail, she finds life aboard a pirate ship is not for the faint of heart. If her secret is uncovered, punishment will be swift and brutal.
Proud Man – Katharine Burdekin
Originally published in England in 1934, this searing, timely novel offers and incisive critique of the sexual politics and militarism of England, and the West as a whole, in the post-World War I years. The novel is told from the perspective of a "Genuine Person" who has been hurtled thousands of years back in time from a future society whose citizens are peaceful, androgynous, self-fertilizing, vegetarian, and without national government and artificial social divisions of gender and class. Taking on first female, then male form, the Genuine Person confronts the reality of England in the 1930s: a society deeply troubled by fascism, the aftermath of war, gender and class divisions, religious hypocrisy, national chauvinism, and the breakdown of families and other social institutions. The protagonist is drawn into relationships with a priest who teachers her/him the English language, a woman struggling with sexual politics and sexual identity, and a man haunted by a murder he committed, driven by his deeply ingrained hatred and fear of women. This powerful novel by a master of dystopian fiction raises disturbing questions about war and peace and the nature of human relationships in an oppressive culture.
Kat Incorrigible – Stephanie Burgis
"I was twelve years of age when I chopped off my hair, dressed as a boy, and set off to save my family from impending ruin." Twelve-year-old Katherine Ann Stephenson has just discovered that she’s inherited her late mother’s magical talents, and despite Stepmama’s stern objections, she’s determined to learn how to use them. But with her eldest sister Elissa’s intended fiancÉ, the sinister Sir Neville, showing a dangerous interest in Kat’s magical potential; her other sister, Angeline, wreaking romantic havoc with her own witchcraft; and a highwayman lurking in the forest, Kat’s reckless heroism will be tested to the utmost. If she can learn to control her new powers, will Kat be able to rescue her family and win her sisters their true loves?
Stealing Freedom – Elisa Carbone
The moment Ann Maria Weems was born, her freedom was stolen from her. Like her family and the other slaves on the farm, Ann works from sunup to sundown and obeys the orders of her master. Then one day, Ann's family -- the only joy she knows -- is gone. Just 12 years old, Ann is overcome by grief, struggling to get through each day. And her only hope of stealing back her freedom and finding her family lies in a perilous journey: the Underground Railroad. She disguises herself as a boy and escapes at age 13. Ann Maria Weems was an actual slave who lived in the mid-1800s near the author's home in Maryland.
The Passion of New Eve – Angela Carter
This story follows Evelyn, a young Englishman, along a journey through mythology and sexuality. It is a story of how he learns to be a woman, first in the brutal hands of Zero, the ragtime Nietzsche, then through the ancient Tristessa, the beautiful ghost of Hollywood past.
Ridiculous – D.L. Carter
After the death of her miserly cousin, Antony North, Millicent Boarder is determined her family should never be poor or vulnerable again. To protect them she conceals her cousin's death and assumes his identity. Now she must face the Ton and the world as Mr. North and accept the price she must pay for her family's safety -- she will never be loved.
Which means, of course, at this point she will meet the perfect man.
Mina – Jonatha Ceely
Amid the lush fields and gardens of an English estate, in a kitchen where every meal is a sumptuous feast, a young servant called Paddy anxiously hides her true identity. Using coal soot and grease, she conceals her flaming head of red hair and covers her body, desperate to keep the job she needs to survive. But the girl, whose real name is Mina, cannot conceal from herself the pain of her past or the beauty of an Ireland she remembers with love and grief—until she meets a man who convinces her to trust him, a man hiding sorrows of his own.
Hiding My Candy – The Lady Chablis
Born Benjamin Edward Knox in Quincy, Florida, "The Doll" always knew she was different. At a Tallahassee club, in her teens, she found the drag mother who would set her on the path to stardom. Before long, The Lady Chablis had a headline drag act replete with trademark saucy wit, down-home wisdom, and, of course, breasts. The rest is "Miss Thang" history....
Sweet Masquerade – Marion Chesney
Romance Novel. The tenth earl of Berham did not know what to do. An attractive 32-year-old bachelor, he had been appointed guardian of the young Freddie Armstrong, the eighteen-year-old grandson of his late father’s dear friend. That was bad enough. Then he discovered that this boy was really a girl! It was against all convention and against his personal code to keep a young lady concealed in his own home. He had to find a solution. The earl’s frequent visitor, Lady Clarissa Rennenord, heartily agreed - but for less noble reasons. Lady Clarissa hoped to snare the earl in marriage and she did not want any competition. She recommended that Freddie be sent to a seminary. No one but Lady Rennenord knew what a horrid place it was. No one, including Lady Rennenord, had expected Freddie to escape… Now Freddie was back, and the earl found her presence unsettling in more ways than one…
I'm Deborah Sampson: A Soldier in the War of the Revolution - Patricia Clapp
Relates the experiences of the woman who disguised herself as a man in order to enlist and fight in the American Revolution. Based on true accounts.
Hill Hawk Hattie – Clara Gillow Clark
Pa used to call Ma and me his girls. Now, he just says, 'girl,' orders me around with curse words like I'm nothing. I'm not nothing, though, 'cause I feel too mean inside to be that. The year is 1883, Hattie's ma has died, and it seems that she took with her the sugar that kept Hattie and Pa sweet. Just when Hattie thinks things can't get any worse, Pa stops calling her 'girl' altogether and wants her to dress as a boy and help him on his next river-rafting trip. Soon eleven-year-old Hattie finds herself alongside Pa and two other Hill Hawks, shipping logs down the dangerous Delaware. On the angry river, Hattie's pluck is sorely tested as she fields Pa's criticism, plunges over waterfalls, and tries to keep the rowdy river men from discovering her secret.
Seven Daughter and Seven Sons - Barbara Cohen
In an ancient Arab nation, one woman dares to be different.Buran cannot -- Buran will not-sit quietly at home and wait to be married to the man her father chooses. Determined to use her skills and earn a fortune, she instead disguises herself as a boy and travels by camel caravan to a distant city. There, she maintains her masculine disguise and establishes a successful business. The city's crown prince comes often to her shop, and soon Buran finds herself falling in love. But if she reveals to Mahmud that she is a woman, she will lose everything she has worked for.
War Comes to Willy Freeman - James Lincoln Collier
Willy Freeman's life changes forever when she witnesses her father's death at the hands of the Redcoats and returns home to find that the British have taken her mother as a prisoner to New York City. Willy, disguised as a boy, begins her long search for her mother and luckily finds a haven at the famous Fraunces Tavern. But even with the help of Sam Fraunces and her fellow worker, Horace, Willy knows that to be black, female, and free leaves her open to danger at every turn. What will tomorrow bring ?
Star-Crossed - Linda Collison
Patricia Kelley has been raised a proper British lady--but she's become a stowaway. Her father is dead, and her future in peril. To claim the estate that is rightfully hers, she must travel across the seas to Barbados, hidden in the belly of merchant ship. It is a daring escapade, and the plan works--for a time. But before she knows it, Patricia's secret is revealed, and she is torn between two worlds. During the day, she wears petticoats, inhabits the dignified realm of ship's officers, and trains as a surgeon's mate with the gentle Aeneas MacPherson; at night she dons pants and climbs the rigging in the rough company of sailors. And it is there, alongside boson's mate John Dalton, that she feels stunningly alive.
Molly the Drummer Boy – Harriet T. Comstock
Molly was an odd name for a boy, you will say, especially for a soldier boy, and a brave one at that. But before you can understand, you will have to read my story. When you have finished I feel quite sure that you will do what I did after reading the bit of old history; give a hearty thought of thanks to the brave drummer, who, during the war of the Revolution passed like a gleam of brightness, fun-and alas! sadness through the scenes of war and bloodshed; winning the friendship of all, the esteem and consideration of General Washington himself, and lastly a page or so in history.
Wraeththu – Storm Constantine
In this powerful and elegant story set in a future Earth very different from our own, a new kind of androgynous human has evolved to challenge the dominion of Homo sapiens. This new breed is stronger, smarter, and far more beautiful than their parent race, and are endowed with psychic as well as physical gifts. They are destined to supplant humanity as we know it, but humanity won't die without a struggle.
The Dragonslayers – Bruce Coville
Fourteen-year-old Princess Wilhelmina, the "most willful person anyone in the kingdom had ever met," wants to kill a dragon herself, more to prevent the indignity of being married off to a dragonslayer than to save the kingdom. Predicated on a rather gruesome grudge (the witch Grizelda has lost her husband and son to the king's war and creates a dragon to murder the king's child), the story builds to the confrontation between the beast and two sets of slayers: an elderly squire and his page, and a disguised Willie and her talking bear. The adventure is confused by some mysterious family ties, spirits of the forest, a remorseful witch, and repentant royalty.
Pope Joan – Donna Woolfolk Cross
For a thousand years people have denied her existence--Pope Joan, the woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to rule Christianity for two years. Now this compelling novel animates the legend with a portrait of an unforgettable woman who struggles against restrictions her soul cannot accept. When her older brother dies in a Viking attack, the brilliant young Joan assumes his identity and enters a Benedictine monastery where, as Brother John Anglicus, she distinguishes herself as a scholar and healer. Eventually drawn to Rome, she soon becomes enmeshed in a dangerous mix of powerful passion and explosive politics that threatens her life even as it elevates her to the highest throne in the Western world.
Heart's Blood – Gail Dayton
Master conjurer Grey Carteret regains consciousness in a London gutter next to a concerned street urchin and not far from the body of a man murdered by magic. Some fool is hoping to use murder to raise a demon. Arrested for the crime, Grey must rely on the street urchin for help. But the lad turns out to be a comely lass, and she wants something in exchange. Pearl Parkin, a gently reared lady struggling to survive in London’s slums, sees magic as a way out of the life she finds herself trapped in. But blackmailing Grey into making her his apprentice has unexpected consequences. As they plunge into the hunt for the murderer, Pearl discovers that the things she once desperately wanted are not so important after all, and that she must risk her blood, her heart, and her very life to grasp the love she needs.
The Wild Orchid: A Retelling of the Ballad of Mulan – Cameron Dokey
Wielding a sword as deftly as an embroidery needle, Mulan is unlike any other girl in China. When the emperor summons a great army, each family must send a male to fight. Tomboyish Mulan is determined to spare her aging father and bring her family honor, so she disguises herself and answers the call. But Mulan never expects to find a friend, let alone a soul mate, in the commander of her division, Prince Jian. For all of Mulan's courage with a bow and arrow, is she brave enough to share her true identity and feelings with Prince Jian?
Survival! Cave-in – Kathleen Duey
Liam Quinn worries about Paddy, his frail younger brother, working in the breaker -- one of the dirtiest, most exhausting jobs in the mine. But without the money Paddy earns, they'll never be able to send for their younger sisters and be a complete family again. It's a dream come true when Paddy finally escapes the breaker and gets hired as a trapper -- but then he gets sick. Rory Hamilton, the Quinn's landlady's daughter, comes up with a daring plan to keep Paddy's job open -- if she can overcome her dread of the mines that killed her father and brother. Just going underground tests Rory's courage. How will she survive when a cave-in traps her and Liam in the dustfilled air and unrelenting darkness of the mine?
The Winter War - William Durbin
When the Soviet Union invades its tiny neighbor Finland in November 1939, Marko volunteers to help the war effort. Even though his leg was weakened by polio, he can ski well, and he becomes a messenger on the front line, skiing in white camouflage through the forests at night. The dark forest is terrifying, and so are the odds against the Finns: the Russians have 4 times as many soldiers and 30 times as many planes. They have 3000 tanks, while the Finns have 30. But a tank is no help in the snowy forest–a boy on skis is. And the Russians don’t know winter the way the Finns do, or what tough guerrilla warriors the Finns are. Marko teams up with another messenger, Karl. Gradually Marko learns that Karl’s whole family was killed by the Russians. And Karl has a secret–he’s really Kaari, a girl who joined up to get revenge for her family’s deaths.
The Breadwinner - Deborah Ellis
Young Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan. Because he has a foreign education, her father is arrested by the Taliban, the religious group that controls the country. Since women cannot appear in public unless covered head to toe, or go to school, or work outside the home, the family becomes increasingly desperate until Parvana conceives a plan. She cuts her hair and disguises herself as a boy to earn money for her family. Parvana’s determination to survive is the force that drives this novel set against the backdrop of an intolerable situation brought about by war and religious fanaticism.
Lady Rogue - Suzanne Enoch
Romance story of Christine "Kit" Brantley is masquerading as a boy because her mission is to spy on Alexander Cale, the Earl of Everton. It doesn't take long for Alex to see through her disguise. Who would mistake this enchanting, albeit cheeky, chit for a lad? Alex is determined to discover the real reason Kit is in London, but as he's dragged into one escapade after another, he finds himself succumbing to her charm and spirit.
Lieutenant Nun: Memoir of a Basque Transvestite in the New World – Catalina de Erauso
One of the earliest known autobiographies by a woman, this is the extraordinary tale of Catalina de Erauso, who in 1599 escaped from a Basque convent dressed as a man and went on to live one of the most wildly fantastic lives of any woman in history. A soldier in the Spanish army, she traveled to Peru and Chile, became a gambler, and even mistakenly killed her own brother in a duel. During her lifetime she emerged as the adored folkloric hero of the Spanish-speaking world. This delightful translation of Catalina's own work introduces a new audience to her audacious escapades.
The Last Report on the Miracles At Little No Horse - Louise Erdrich
For more than a half century, Father Damien Modeste has served his beloved people, the Ojibwe, on the remote reservation of Little No Horse. Now, nearing the end of his life, Father Damien dreads the discovery of his physical identity, for he is a woman who has lived as a man. To further complicate his quiet existence, a troubled colleague comes to the reservation to investigate the life of the perplexing, possibly false saint Sister Leopolda. Father Damien alone knows the strange truth of Leopolda's piety and is faced with the most difficult decision: Should he tell all and risk everything . . . or manufacture a protective history though he believes Leopolda's wonder-working is motivated solely by evil?
Daughter of the Dreat Zandini - Cary Fagan
The Great Zandini comes from a long line of renowned magicians. It is now time for his son, Theodore, to carry on the family tradition. Unfortunately, the boy has no interest or talent in the conjuring arts. Zandini doesn't acknowledge the considerable skills of his daughter, Fanny, and persists in trying to mold Theo. The conjurer's show-stopping return to the Parisian stage falls flat when his son fails miserably - his "Miraculous Catch" only garners the wig of the mayor's wife. In an attempt to save her family's name, Fanny disguises herself as a boy and matches magical wits with her father.
Natalie's Good Fortune - Anthony R. Fanning
In 1722, after the death of her mother in England, sixteen year old Natalie Satterfield sails across the Atlantic to join her father in the American colonies. Her life is forever changed when the ship she sails upon is attacked by pirates. Managing to escape, Natalie is marooned on an uncharted tropical island in the Caribbean Sea. Natalie finds she is not alone, but shares her island home with a marooned privateer and pirate known as Black John Hayes, a fearsome and courageous veteran of Queen Anne s War. The life of the pampered and privileged London merchant's daughter is soon filled with adventure and peril the likes of which she has only previously known in books, facing pirates, cannibals, storms at sea, starving madmen, and most of all, the merciless tutoring of her new mentor. The two build a boat in which to escape their island prison, Natalie finds strength within her own heart that she never imagined existed. As she pushes ever forward to the American coast, others join the small crew and Natalie learns more of men and boys, and of herself, than she ever would have at the posh garden parties of her genteel upbringing. Having overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Natalie reunites with her father only to find he has begun a new life separate from his family in England. Devastated by rejection, Natalie plots against her father, but finds the opportunity to have revenge on the very pirates who forced her marooning in the first place.
Kingston by Starlight - Christopher John Farley
Irish-born Anne Bonny is only a teenager when she is left destitute by her mother’s death. Abandoned by her father, she seems destined to be forgotten by the world. But Anne chooses to seek her fortune in the lush tropics of the colonial West Indies, where she passes herself off as a young man named Bonn. She finds work as a ship’s hand, sailing under the command of Calico Jack Rackam, a notorious and charismatic pirate with a bounty on his head. Calico Jack has his heart set on raiding the Madrid Galleon, the richest ship in the Caribbean, which sails from Kingston laden with Cuban gold and Jamaican rum. Bonn is entranced by the sea and by the ship’s violent crew, which includes a mysterious swordfighter named Read, who, it turns out, has a secret life of his own. Calico Jack soon discovers Bonn’s and Read’s true identities, but it is only when the three pirates are captured that their darkest secrets begin to surface. In the shadow of the gallows, a strange twist of fate reveals a shocking betrayal that may save Bonn from death, while permanently changing everything she has known about her past and the world around her.
Reckless Angel – Jane Feather
Romance Novel. The injured "boy" Sir Daniel Drummond rescues from a British battlefield is no boy at all, but a vivacious young enchantress fleeing her tyrannical father. Moved by her plight, her spirit, and her mesmerizing beauty--and his own young daughters' need for a mother-- the dashing nobleman impulsively offers to wed Henrietta "Harry" Ashby, who promptly throws his life and household into disarray. Headstrong, impetuous, wildly unconventional, "Harry" knows precious little about wifely duties. But the irrepressible miss understands the importance of unwavering loyalty when danger threatens. And she knows daring ways to set a man's passions aflame-- and the sensuous secret to transforming a marriage of convenience into a union of everlasting ecstasy and love.
Drag King Dreams – Leslie Feinberg
This is the story of Max Rabinowitz, a butch lesbian bartender at an East Village club where drag kings, dykes dressed as men, perform. A veteran of the women's and gay movement of the past 30 years, Max's mid-life crisis hits in the midst of the post-9/11 world. Max is lonely and uncertain about her future fearful, in fact, of America's future with its War on Terror and War in Iraq with only a core group of friends to turn to for reassurance. Max is shaken from her crisis, however, by the news that her friend Vickie, a transvestite, has been found murdered on her way home late one night. As the community of cross-dressers, drag queens, lesbian and gay men, and "genderqueers" of all kinds stand up together in the face of this tragedy, Max taps into the activist spirit she thought had long disappeared and for the first time in years discovers hope for her future.
Alphabet of Dreams - Susan Fletcher
Of royal heritage, their family scattered when their father tried to overthrow the king, 15-year-old Mitra and her younger brother Babak are living in the catacombs of Rhagae in ancient Persia. Mitra disguises herself as a boy and they beg and steal to survive. Then Babak tells of a dream that comes true and Mitra discovers that when Babak sleeps with an item from another person next to his skin, he dreams their dreams. For a time, Mitra parlays this somewhat frightening talent into coppers, saving up for passage to Palmyra, where some kin may still exist. They are soon discovered by a magus, Melchior, who wants Babak to dream only for him. Their journey finally takes them to Bethlehem.
Bandit's Moon - Sid Fleischman
An exciting novel set in the days of the California Gold Rush. After young Annyrose breaks her ankle, she is left with the evil O. O. Mary by her brother, who continues on to make his fortune in the mines. She is saved from this horrible fate by the Mexican bandit Joaquin Murieta, who has come for revenge against the people who murdered his family and stole his land. Thinking that Annyrose is a boy, Joaquin takes her along with his gang so that she can teach him to read. During her travels with the band, Annyrose gains an understanding of the injustices the ruthless bandits are avenging and becomes friends with Joaquin and the others despite her fears and objections. She alternately helps and hinders their endeavors and is ultimately reunited with her brother.
Tamir Trilogy - Lynn Flewelling
For three centuries a divine prophecy and a line of warrior queens protected Skala. But the people grew complacent and Erius, a usurper king, claimed his young half sister’s throne. Now plague and drought stalk the land, war with Skala’s ancient rival Plenimar drains the country’s lifeblood, and to be born female into the royal line has become a death sentence as the king fights to ensure the succession of his only heir, a son. For King Erius the greatest threat comes from his own line — and from Illior’s faithful, who spread the Oracle’s words to a doubting populace. As noblewomen young and old perish mysteriously, the king’s nephew — his sister’s only child — grows toward manhood. But unbeknownst to the king or the boy, strange, haunted Tobin is the princess’s daughter, given male form by a dark magic to protect her until she can claim her rightful destiny. Only Tobin’s noble father, two wizards of Illior, and an outlawed forest witch know the truth. Only they can protect young Tobin from a king’s wrath, a mother’s madness, and the terrifying rage of her brother’s demon spirit, determined to avenge his brutal murder....
The Princess Knight - Cornelia Funke
Violet is a young princess who wishes she could show the world that she is just as brave and strong as her brothers. But her strict father insists that she get married, and her brothers only mock her when she wants to be included in their fun. So Violet decides to use her intelligence and bravery to show everyone--once and for all--what she's made of. Disguising herself as a boy, Violet takes part in a knights' jousting tournament. When she wins the contest, she reveals her true identity--and wins the prize of freedom!
The Sandman, Vol 5: A Game of You - Neil Gaiman
Volume Five of New York Times best selling author Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed creation THE SANDMAN collects one of the series’ most beloved storylines. Take an apartment house, add in a drag queen, a lesbian couple, some talking animals, a talking severed head, a confused heroine and the deadly Cuckoo. Stir vigorously with a hurricane and Morpheus himself and you get this fifth installment of the Sandman series.
The Mysterious Private Thompson - Laura Gansler
Resurrecting a lost hero of the Civil War, The Mysterious Private Thompson tells the remarkable story of Sarah Emma Edmonds (1841–98), who disguised herself as a man and defended her country at a time of war. Drawing on Edmonds's journals and those of the men she served with, Laura Leedy Gansler recreates Edmonds’s experience in some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, including both the First and the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, and the Battle of Fredericksburg, during which she served with distinction in combat as a “male” nurse and braved enemy fire as a mail carrier. Gansler also investigates Edmonds's claim to have been a spy, going behind enemy lines disguised as a slave (by staining her skin with silver nitrate), as a Confederate soldier, and even, ironically, as a peddler woman. After two years of valiant service, the young soldier, who twice rejected medical attention for injuries sustained in the line of duty for fear of being discovered, was struck down with malaria. Rather than risk detection by a military doctor, “Franklin Thompson” disappeared and was marked down as a deserter. Twenty years later, having resumed her female identity, Edmonds emerged from obscurity to fight for her pension and reunite with her surprised former comrades, who had not known their brother-in-arms was a woman. This intimate portrait is, above all, a personal drama about the lengths one daring woman was willing to go to chart her own destiny.
Commitment Hour - James Alan Gardner
In the 25th century, teenage Fullin, along with his lover, Cappie, and the other villagers of Tober Cove, enjoy the right of selecting what gender they will be for their adult lives: the "Commitment Hour" of the title, is the night when the two must make the big decision.
Scarlet - A.C. Gaughen
Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.
Babe in Boyland - Jody Gehrman
Natalie writes the relationship column for her high school newspaper. Then she is accused of knowing nothing about guys and giving girls bad relationship advice, so she decides to disguise herself as a guy and spend a week at Underwood Academy, the private all-boys boarding school in town. And in the process, she learns about guys, though in ways she never expected. But when she starts to fall for her dreamy roommate, things get even more complicated.
Ash: A Secret History - Mary Gentle
For the beautiful young woman Ash, life has always been arquebuses and artillery, swords and armour and the true horrors of hand-to-hand combat. War is her job. She has fought her way to the command of a mercenary company, and on her unlikely shoulders lies the destiny of a Europe threatened by the depredations of an Infidel army more terrible than any nightmare.
Ilario: The Lions' Eye - Mary Gentle
Set in an alternative medieval world in which Carthage has survived to become a mighty empire, this impressive first in a new fantasy series from British author Gentle introduces a highly unusual protagonist, the hermaphrodite Ilario. A native of Iberia, Ilario is visiting Carthage en route to Rome, where he/she plans to serve as an apprentice to a master painter, when he/she is sexually violated and becomes the slave of Rekhmire', an amiable Egyptian and castrato by choice, who wants Ilario for his/her artistic abilities. Meanwhile, Ilario's mother, ashamed of her offspring's deformity, schemes to kill Ilario. Eventually, Ilario hooks up with Masaccio, an actual pre-Renaissance artist, from whom he learns to paint in perspective.
Halfway Human - Carolyn Ives Gilman
Halfway Human is the story of a "bland" named Tedla. Blands are gender-neutral inhabitants of Gammadis, a planet that also has traditional male and female sexes. In Gammadis society, blands are less than human, objects to be owned and used, brutally trained for a life of servitude and obedience. No bland has ever left Gammadis, until Tedla turns up on Capella Two, where it lands in the care of a xenologist named Val. As Val tries to help Tedla recover from a lifetime of misuse, readers come to learn Tedla's life story, a tale that is at times difficult to take but that is fascinating nonetheless.
Cat Royal Series: Cat Among the Pigeons - Julia Golding
Readers once again find orphaned Cat backstage at Drury Lane, but she doesn't stay there for long. The slave master who owned her friend Pedro has returned to claim "his property," and Cat and her friends, who include a group of adult abolitionists, won't have it. While trying to protect him, however, Cat gets herself into trouble and must go into hiding disguised as a boy at the aristocratic Westminster School.
Eon Duology - Alison Goodman
Sixteen-year-old Eon has a dream, and a mission. For years, he's been studying sword-work and magic, toward one end. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye-an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a twelve-year-old boy. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured. When Eon's secret threatens to come to light, she and her allies are plunged into grave danger and a deadly struggle for the Imperial throne. Eon must find the strength and inner power to battle those who want to take her magic...and her life.
Joan of Arc – Mary Gordon
One would expect nothing less from Gordon (Spending) than a splendid, spare account of Joan's life -- and she delivers in this slender but satisfying account, a new entry in the Penguin Lives series. The facts of Joan of Arc's life are straightforward: she was born in 1412, in Domremy, France, to a peasant family; she participated in the Hundred Years' War but was in active military service for only a year; and she was burned at the stake at 19.
X, A Fabulous Child's Story – Lois Gould
X is loved by its classmates but despised by adults because no one knows if it is a boy or girl. Available online.
Cherry Single - Valory Gravois
As David Nunley returns from Army duty in Viet Nam, he jumps pell-mell into anti-war demonstrations, photographing for underground newspapers, and spiritual pursuits -- all the while crossdressing in secret. He gradually opens up to the allure of crossing over into the feminine world, and enjoys the sexual and psychic thrills of becoming "Natalie" in the company of others. Against the background of a distant and disapproving father, he traverses relationships with women until one grabs him by his panties. This is a novel which pays close attention to the realities of crossdressing.
Ammonite - Nicola Griffith
Change or die. These are the only options available on the planet Jeep. Centuries earlier, a deadly virus shattered the original colony, killing the men and forever altering the few surviving women. Now, generations after the colony has lost touch with the rest of humanity, a company arrives to exploit Jeep–and its forces find themselves fighting for their lives. Terrified of spreading the virus, the company abandons its employees, leaving them afraid and isolated from the natives. In the face of this crisis, anthropologist Marghe Taishan arrives to test a new vaccine. As she risks death to uncover the women’s biological secret, she finds that she, too, is changing–and realizes that not only has she found a home on Jeep, but that she alone carries the seeds of its destruction. . . .
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin
When the human ambassador Genly Ai is sent to Gethen, the planet known as Winter by those outsiders who have experienced its arctic climate, he thinks that his mission will be a standard one of making peace between warring factions. Instead the ambassador finds himself wildly unprepared. For Gethen is inhabited by a society with a rich, ancient culture full of strange beauty and deadly intrigue—a society of people who are both male and female in one, and neither. This lack of fixed gender, and the resulting lack of gender-based discrimination, is the very cornerstone of Gethen life. But Genly is all too human. Unless he can overcome his ingrained prejudices about the significance of "male" and "female," he may destroy both his mission and himself.
The Minstrel's Tale - Berit I. Haahr
Judith of Nesscliffe is 13 years old and her stepfather thinks it's time she married. Her future husband is at least 30 years older than she is and already has five daughters--some of them older than Judith. Now he wants a son and heir. Judith has other ideas. Wearing boys' clothing to disguise herself, Judith becomes Jude and runs away from home. With only a falcon for company, she sets out on a 150-mile journey to join the King's Minstrels. Along the way, she is attacked by thieves and forced to defend herself against the advances of a young woman who thinks that "Jude" would make an ideal husband. But she also finds her own true love as well as a way to live the life she chooses.
The Gentleman Outlaw and Me - Mary Downing Hahn
Eliza Yates is 12 years old in 1887 when she runs away from her cruel aunt and uncle and sets off for Tinville, Colorado, in search of her missing father. After being accosted by a tramp, she disguises herself as a boy, and it is "Elijah Bates" who meets up with Calvin Featherbone, an 18-year-old who calls himself the "Gentleman Outlaw." He is also headed for Tinville, in search of that town's Sheriff Yates, a man he believes shot his father in the back.
Girl Meets Boy - Kelly Milner Halls
All of these stories except the last are told in pairs, with female authors writing from the girls’ perspective and male authors from the guys’. Each gender remembers things differently, though some of the timeframes overlap, and delivers unique information. In the first set of linked stories by Chris Crutcher and Kelly Milner Halls, Johnny wants to stop lying, so he enlists Wanda, a troubled girl with her own issues, for help. Neither of them expects to fall in love or to end up where that leads. In Joseph Bruchac’s and Cynthia Leitich Smith’s pair, Bobby has a crush on Nancy, a bruiser who punched her last date. Could someone that strong ever be interested in a guy who used to be bullied? And in James Howe’s and Ellen Wittlinger’s selections, Max is nervous about meeting a boy he has been chatting with online. He’s even more surprised when it turns out that Alex is a girl.
Midnight Rider - Joan Hiatt Harlow
Fourteen-year-old Hannah is an orphan living with her cruel aunt Phoebe in Salem, Massachusetts. Hannah recently lost her mother, and now her only comfort is her horse, Promise. But when her money-hungry aunt sells the horse and then indentures Hannah to the Boston family of a British general, Hannah vows to retrieve Promise at all costs, and join the fight for freedom. In Boston, as disagreements between the Whigs and the Tories run high and Americans prepare for revolution, not only does Hannah begin secret meetings with the Sons of Liberty disguised as a boy, but she is also reunited with Promise. Together with her beloved horse, Hannah takes a bold step to join the fight for freedom and sets off on a dangerous mission. Will she and Promise succeed?
Call of the Sea - Rebecca Hart
Elysandra Winters has always yearned for a life of adventure on the rolling seas and is willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill her dream. When her Privateer father continually refuses to allow his only daughter to sail, Ellie defies him, disguises herself as a boy, and goes in search of a captain who will give her a chance to prove her worth. Thanks to the cursed selkie blood coursing through his veins, Daniel O'Rourke needs the sea to survive. After giving up on his humanity and spending three years in seal form, he decides to give his human side another chance. Daniel goes in search of a job and a sense of normalcy, earning himself a position aboard Captain Winter's ship, The Siren's Call. However, his new captain's first assignment has nothing at all to do with sailing, and everything to do with his headstrong young daughter. Years later, when the leader of a band of bloodthirsty pirates murders Captain Winters, Daniel and Elysandra's lives come crashing back together with the force of a hurricane. Both experts in deception, they must find a way to trust each other in order to quell the raging storm between them or have any hope of hunting down the captain's killer.
Samantha and the Cowboy - Lorraine Heath
A romance novel. When she manages to get herself hired for the cattle drive, all of Samantha's prayers seem to be answered. The hundred dollars she'll earn will pull her family's Texas farm out of ruin and pay off their debts. But keeping the cowhands fooled that she's a boy becomes harder than she'd expected where one cowboy in particular is concerned. Matthew Hart wants two things: to forget the tragedies he witnessed on the front lines of the War Between the States, and to reclaim his cowboy life. The last thing he wants is the responsibility of a tagalong youngster on the cattle drive. His closed mind and hardened heart are territory best left unexplored, until a fateful moment turns his world upside down. Matt discovers what and who "Sam" really is, and he is furious. But soon a stronger emotion takes hold, and bound by Samantha's secret, Matt is torn between revealing her identity and his own sudden and frightening love for her.
I Will Fear No Evil - Robert A. Heinlein
Johann Sebastian Bach Smith was immensely rich -- and very old. Though his mind was still keen, his body was worn out. His solution was to have surgeons transplant his brain into a new body. The operation was a great success -- but the patient was no longer Johann Sebastian Bach Smith. He was now fused with the very vocal personality of his gorgeous, recently deceased secretary, Eunice -- with mind-blowing results! Together they must learn to share control of her body.
Silence: A Thirteenth-Century French Romance – Heldris
The Roman de Silence, an Arthurian romance of the thirteenth century, tells of a girl raised as a boy, equally accomplished as a minstrel and knight, whose final task, the capture of Merlin, leads to her unmasking.
Dark Horse Series - Mary H. Herbert
After her entire clan was massacred, a young woman assumes her brother's identity and becomes a warrior - all to exact revenge upon the chieftain who ordered her family slain. But the chieftain, Lord Medb, has resurrected the forbidden art of sorcery and plans to destroy all who oppose him in this dark ages fantasy world.
The Corinthian - Georgette Heyer
Romance Novel. Sir Richard Wyndham, an accomplished Corinthian, is being forced into marriage by his family, who want him to have an heir. Depressed by the life laid out before him, he nevertheless agrees to this course. The night before he is to announce his choice he comes across Penelope Creed, a young girl in boys' clothes, hanging helplessly from an upper story window. She is a very wealthy orphan who is running away from her own distasteful marriage plans. The two become allies, leave London in search of Miss Creed's childhood sweetheart, and find themselves in the middle of a dangerous game of mystery, theft, and murder.
These Old Shades - Georgette Heyer
Romance Novel. The Duke is known for his coldness of manner, his remarkable omniscience, and his debauched lifestyle. Late one evening, he is accosted by a young person dressed in ragged boy's clothing running away from a brutal rustic guardian. The Duke buys "Leon" and makes the child his page. "Leon" is in fact Leonie, and she serves the Duke with deep devotion. When he uncovers the true story of her birth, he wreaks an unforgettable revenge on her sinister father in a chilling scene of public humiliation.
The Masqueraders - Georgette Heyer
Romance Novel. Their infamous adventurer father has taught Prudence Tremaine and her brother Robin to be masters of disguise. Ending up on the wrong side of the Jacobite rebellion, brother and sister flee to London, Prudence pretending to be a dashing young buck, and Robin a lovely young lady.
A Murder for Her Majesty - Beth Hilgartner
Horrified at having witnessed her father's murder and fearing that the killers are agents of Queen Elizabeth I, eleven-year-old Alice Tuckfield hides in the Yorkshire cathedral by disguising herself as one of the choirboys.
Ship of Magic – Robin Hobb
Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships--rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. The fortunes of one of Bingtown's oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia. For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy unjustly denied her--a legacy she will risk anything to reclaim. For Althea's young nephew Wintrow, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard ship, Vivacia is a life sentence. But the fate of the Vestrit family--and the ship--may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider. The ruthless pirate Kennit seeks a way to seize power over all the denizens of the Pirate Isles...and the first step of his plan requires him to capture his own liveship and bend it to his will....
Troubadour - Mary Hoffman
As a young noblewoman in thirteenth-century France, Elinor may live a life of comfort, but she has little control over her own future. She is secretly in love with the much older Bertrand, a troubadour who often travels to her family's home. Bertrand has a secret of his own - he is a member of a religious sect that the powerful Catholic church wants to destroy, considering them heretics. When Elinor learns her parents wish to marry her off to a man old enough to be her grandfather, she decides she must avoid that fate at all costs. To escape, she disguises herself as a boy and runs away from home with a band of troubadours, hoping to one day be reunited with Bertrand.
Stravaganza Series – Mary Hoffman
Lucien is seriously ill but his life is transformed when an old Italian notebook gives him the power to become a stravagante, a time traveller with access to 16th century Italy. He wakes up in Bellezza (Venice) during carnival time and meets Arianna, a girl his own age who is disguised as a boy in the hope of being selected as one of the Duchessa's mandoliers.
Mountain Valor - Gloria Houston
Based on a true story embellished by folklore, this account of a North Carolina mountain girl's courage paints a realistic, stark picture of the Civil War while preserving the flavor and customs of long-ago Appalachia. While her father, brothers and uncle are off fighting opposite sides of the war, 11-year-old Valor, her mother, a young cousin and two faithful servants are left to run the farm. Two vicious raids by Yankee soldiers leave the family ravaged and without livestock. Vowing revenge, Valor sets out to retrieve the animals and murder the red-bearded soldier who was especially villainous. Disguised as a boy and armed with two of her father's guns, Valor undertakes a dangerous journey to the enemy campsite, along the way experiencing a frightening encounter with a grizzly bear.
No Girls Allowed: Tales of Daring Women Dressed as Men - Susan Hughes
A female pharaoh? A woman general in the Kahn's army? A female Viking raider? No way, you say? Look again. Appearances can be deceiving... Based on legends, poems, letters and first-hand accounts, these seven biographical tales tell of women who disguised themselves as men. From ancient Egypt through the Middle Ages to the 19th century, this historically accurate graphic treatment is perfect to transport readers back to bygone eras. The lives of these daring women were often filled with danger and the fear of discovery. However, for the sake of freedom, ambition, love or adventure, these women risked everything. No Girls Allowed brings a contemporary edge to a part of history largely untold - until now.
The Blindfold - Siri Hustvedt
Iris Vegan, a young, impoverished graduate student from the Midwest, finds herself entangled with four powerful but threatening characters as she tries to adjust to life in New York City. Mr. Morning, an inscrutable urban recluse, employs Iris to tape-record verbal descriptions of objects that belonged to a murder victim. George, a photographer, takes an eerie portrait of Iris, which then acquires a strange life of its own, appearing and disappearing without warning around the city. After a series of blinding migraines, Iris ends up in a hospital room with Mrs. O., a woman who has lost her mind and memory to a stroke, but who nevertheless retains both the strength and energy to torment her fellow patient. And finally, there is Professor Rose, Iris’s teacher and eventually her lover. While working with him on the translation of a German novella called The Brutal Boy, she discovers in its protagonist, Klaus, a vehicle for her own transformation and ventures out into the city again--this time dressed as a man.
Rose of Versailles - Riyoko Ikeda
Manga. The Rose of Versailles focuses on Oscar Francoes de Jarjayes, a girl raised as a man to become her father's successor as leader of the Palace Guards. A brilliant combatant with a strong sense of justice, Oscar is proud of the life she leads, but becomes torn between class loyalty and her desire to help the impoverished as revolution brews among the oppressed lower class. Also important to the story are her conflicting desires to live life as both a militant and a regular woman as well as her relationships withMarie Antoinette, Count Axel von Fersen, and servant and best friend Andre Grandier.
Duchess By Night – Eloisa James
Romance Novel. Harriet, Duchess of Berrow, is tired of her title and the responsibilities that come along with it. Enough with proper tea parties and elegant balls; what Harriet really wants is to attend an outrageous soiree where she can unleash her wildest whims and desires. But to attend such an event—especially if the event in question is Lord Justinian Strange's rollicking fete, filled with noble rogues and rotters, risqué ladies and illicit lovers—would be certain scandal. That's why she must disguise herself ...Looking forward to a night of uninhibited pleasure, Lord Strange is shocked to discover that beneath the clothes of a no-good rake is the most beautiful woman in the room. Why is a woman like her risking her reputation at his notorious affair? And can he possibly entice her to stay...forever?
The Male Cross-Dresser Support Group - Tama Janowitz
She's Pamela Trowel, a New Yorker, single and singular: holed up in her swampy basement apartment when she isn't peddling guns and ammo ads for "Hunter's World" magazine. Pamela attracts Manhattan's wrongest kind of men: the cinematographer-exhibitionist Alby; her masochistic, creepy, boss-of-all-bosses Daniel; her cross-dressing psychiatrist Martin, who conducts his pracice in a bar. Pamela is batting zero - until she meets Abdhul, a wise young urchin who follows her home from a pizza parlor, and worms his way into her heart.
L'Enfant de sable - La nuit sacrée – Tahar Ben Jelloun
The first chapter, "Man" shows a person cloistered herself in her room. In the next chapter, a storyteller tells his story.His father wanted a son, but had only daughters. When the eighth child was born, he made everyone believe that he is a son, and named Ahmed. Ahmed is raised as a boy, with privileges that were not his seven sisters.
Raptor - Gary Jennings
Raptor is an historical novel set in the late fifth and early sixth centuries. It purports to be the memoirs of an Ostrogoth, Thorn, who has a secret: he is a hermaphrodite and takes on the name, "Thorn the Mannamavi". Thorn discovers his sexuality rather unorthodoxly during his early teens. After he is banished from both a monastery and, later, a convent, he travels throughout the dying Roman Empire on a quest to meet his fellow Ostrogorths.
The Girl in the Mask - Marie-Louise Jensen
Set in Georgian England, fifteen-year-old Sophia is trapped by the limitations of living in a man's world. Forced by her father to give up everything she loves, Sophia is ordered to make a new life in Bath. By day, she is trapped in the social whirl of balls and masquerades. By night, she secretly swaps her ball gowns for breeches, and turns to highway robbery to get her revenge ...When one man begins to take a keen interest in her, Sophia must keep her distance, or risk unmasking her secret life.
Babylonne - Catherine Jinks
Early thirteenth-century Languedoc is a place of valor, violence, and persecution. At age sixteen, Babylonne has survived six bloody sieges. She's tough, resourceful, and — now that her strict aunt and abusive grandmother intend to marry her off to a senile old man —desperate. Disguised as a boy, Babylonne embarks on an action-packed adventure that amounts to a choice: trust the mysterious Catholic priest — a sworn enemy to her Cathar faith — who says he's a friend of her dead father, Pagan. Or pursue a fairy-tale version of her future, one in which she'll fight and likely die in a vicious war with the French. Though Babylonne never knew her irreverent father, fans of Catherine Jinks's novels about Pagan Kidrouk will be sure to see the resemblance in his feisty daughter.
The Little Knight - Elizabeth Johnson
Prince Peter and Princess Leonora are the hero and heroine of a new and amusing fairy tale with a sly plot. ""I won't be a lady and sew a fine seam. I will be a knight and follow my dream,"" declares haughty Princess Leonora when her father offers her in marriage to any knight who can capture the horn of the unicorn, drive the giant from the West Wood and get rid of the dragon at the North Border. In order to outwit the suitors, disguised as a knight, the Princess herself wins the three tests -- but only with the help of Peter who was convinced all Princesses were dull.
Rivka's Way - Teri Kanefield
Fifteen-year-old Rivka Liebermann, the daughter of a highly respected doctor in Prague’s walled Jewish quarter, has just learned of her arranged betrothal to Oskar Kara, her brother’s friend. Although Oskar seems gentle, kind, and wise, she hardly knows him. Whenever she thinks of the upcoming marriage, she feels a terrible pain in her stomach. Rivka thinks that if she could just leave the quarter for one day, she’d be happy. She wants desperately to walk through the streets of the city and see the marketplaces and bridges and hills her brother Jakob has described to her. But it is forbidden for a girl to leave the quarter on her own. But what if she dressed as a Gentile boy? How difficult would it be to walk past the guard at the gate and explore the city? Does she dare? Once the plan enters her head, ivka can’t let it go. She assembles a disguise and secretly leaves the quarter on her own. What she experiences outside the walls changes forever the way she thinks of her family, of the relations between Jews and Christians, and of herself and Oskar.
Gold-Rush Phoebe - Kathleen Karr
Gold-Rush Phoebe is a humerous book about pioneers and the gold rush. It is about a pioneer girl who dresses as a boy so she can search for gold in California and have adventures.
Ice Song - Kirsten Imani Kasai
Sorykah Minuit is a scholar, an engineer, and the sole woman aboard an ice-drilling submarine in the frozen land of the Sigue. What no one knows is that she is also a Trader: one who can switch genders suddenly, a rare corporeal deviance universally met with fascination and superstition and all too often punished by harassment or death. Sorykah’s infant twins, Leander and Ayeda, have inherited their mother’s Trader genes. When a wealthy, reclusive madman known as the Collector abducts the babies to use in his dreadful experiments, Sorykah and her male alter-ego, Soryk, must cross icy wastes and a primeval forest to get them back. Complicating the dangerous journey is the fact that Sorykah and Soryk do not share memories: Each disorienting transformation is like awakening with a jolt from a deep and dreamless sleep. The world through which the alternating lives of Sorykah and Soryk travel is both familiar and surreal. Environmental degradation and genetic mutation run amok; humans have been distorted into animals and animal bodies cloak a wild humanity. But it is also a world of unexpected beauty and wonder, where kindness and love endure amid the ruins.
Shield of Three Lions – Pamela Kaufman
Eleven-year-old Alix is the daughter of the baron of Wanthwaite, whose lands along the Scottish border are among the best in England. But when her family is killed and her lands seized, Alix is forced to flee from the only home she’s ever known. Her one hope of restoring her inheritance is to plead her case to King Richard the Lion Heart, who is far away in France, preparing to go on his Crusade. Alix resolves to follow him. She cuts her hair, dresses as a boy, and takes the road south to London. Disguised as a beautiful young boy, Alix is more than befriended by the handsome and mysterious King Richard, even becoming his favorite page. Their relationship sets tongues wagging and places Alix in considerable danger as the battle for Jerusalem unfolds.
No Girls Allowed - Alan N. Kay
Fighting isn't a boys club only. Set during the American Civil War, "No Girls Allowed" tells the story of Mary Adams and Lynn Rhodes, two young women who, barred from society from fighting, dare to do their part anyway. Mary goes onto the field as a war nurse, while Lynn puts on the uniform of a soldier, her true gender unbeknownst to her fellow soldiers or her superiors.
Anna Sunday - Sally M. Keehn
Twelve-year-old Anna Sunday has always been a dutiful daughter, even taking care of her little brother after her ma died. But now she’s faced with a bigger tragedy. Her father, a Union soldier fighting in the Civil War, has been shot and is feared dead. Anna won’t believe that she’s lost her father forever, and neither will her little brother, Jed. They are convinced that all Pa needs is them, and they have to get to him. But everyone knows a journey across Rebel lines is not safe—especially for a girl. So Anna does the unthinkable. She cuts off her long curls, puts on a pair of trousers, and sets out on an unforgettable quest to save her father. During the journey, Anna encounters some of her worst fears, but nothing can prepare her for what she finds when she reaches the battlefield.
Miss Grimsley's Oxford Career – Carla Kelly
Romance novel. Disguised as her own brother in order to realize her dream of attending the male-only Oxford University, Miss Ellen Grimsley finds her cover blown when a handsome lord, himself disguised as a humble scholar, falls in love with her.
The Secret Journey - Peg Kehret
Twelve-year-old Emma Bolton is determined to join her parents on their voyage to France. She'll do anything to escape Aunt Martha and hateful Cousin Odolf. So she disguises herself as a boy and sneaks aboard a vessel she's told is her parents' ship. Too late, Emma discovers that she's a stowaway on Black Lightning, the most notorious slave ship afloat!
Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler - Gene Kemp
Wherever best-friends Tyke Tiler and Danny Price are, there is usually trouble stolen money, a sheep's skeleton, fights in class and it's usually trouble that Tyke has to sort out. Their last term at Cricklepit Combined School is full of the usual fun and madness, but then Tyke learns that much more is at stake. Is it possible to keep hapless Danny out of trouble? And what final surprise does Tyke have in store? Also as a movie.
Riding the Pony Express - Deborah Kent
When 15-year-old Lexie's father dies and her brother, a former Pony Express rider, is wanted for robbery, she is faced with a choice: be sent back East without her beloved horse or dress as a boy and head out on her own to clear her brother's name.
Newsgirl - Liza Ketchum
It's the spring of 1851 and San Francisco is booming. Twelve-year-old Amelia Forrester has just arrived with her family and they are eager to make a new life in Phoenix City. But the mostly male town is not that hospitable to females and Amelia decides she'll earn more money as a boy. Cutting her hair and donning a cap, she joins a gang of newsboys, selling Eastern newspapers for a fortune. And that's just the beginning of her adventures. Participating in the biggest news stories of the day, Amelia is not a girl to let life pass her by, even and especially when it involves danger!
Hard Times for Jake Smith - Aileen Kilgore
It's 1935, Depression time, and the Wildsmith family is forced to sell their sow pig, then their cow, then their beloved hunting dog. Finally, the parents pack up the kids and, without telling them where they're going, leave their Alabama farm. Along the way, Mary Jake is handed a handkerchief with something tied inside, and she is instructed to take the left fork of the road to town, where she is to present the handkerchief at a stone house. So begins the adventure of an abandoned girl who chooses her own path, dyes herself in a stump full of walnut-colored water, and disguises herself as a boy in order to survive. Mary Jake Wildsmith is now Jake Smith, headed for strange and exciting adventures in a very different world.
I Am Not Myself These Days: A Memoir - Josh Kilmer-Purcell
By day, Josh drudges off to a Soho-based advertising firm where he creates ad campaigns for corporate clients. At night, he dons live goldfish to complete the look of Aqua, a 7-foot-tall award-winning drag queen who trolls gay clubs in search of her next drink/one night stand. In between, he spends his time trying to build a stable, loving relationship with someone whose beeping pager is a constant reminder of the pair's almost inevitable fate. Yet even as Josh's escapades get increasingly absurd, Kilmer-Purcell is always there to remind us that the story we're reading is real, and that fundamental human emotions and desires are essentially universal. In the end, everyone just wants to be loved and to fit in somewhere.
My Princess Boy - Cheryl Kilodavis
Dyson loves the color pink and sparkly things. Sometimes he wears dresses, and sometimes he wears jeans. He likes to wear his princess tiara, even when climbing trees. He’s a Princess Boy, and his family loves him exactly the way he is. Inspired by the author’s son—and by the author’s own initial struggles to understand his choices—this is a story about unconditional love and one remarkable family. It is also a call for tolerance and an end to bullying and judgments, and a loving reminder that the world is a brighter place when we accept people for who they are.
Soldier's secret: the story of Deborah Sampson - Sheila Solomon Klass
In the 1700s, women’s responsibilities were primarily child rearing and household duties. But Deborah Sampson wanted more from life. She wanted to read, to travel—and to fight for her country’s independence. When the colonies went to war with the British in 1775, Deborah was intent on being part of the action. Seeing no other option, she disguised herself in a man’s uniform and served in the Continental army for more than a year, her identity hidden from her fellow soldiers.
A Question of Will - Lynne Kositsky
Set in London, this novel begins with Perin Willoughby taking a summer-school course on Shakespeare. On a field trip to the Globe Theatre, she becomes separated from the rest of the class and is sucked through time during an eclipselike occurrence into the bard's world. She meets a colorful, smelly, rambunctious cast of characters and immediately falls for a hot blond, John Pyke. The only problem is that he and everyone else thinks that she's a boy.
The Feverbird's Claw - Jane Kurtz
Twice, on the last day of her childhood, Moralin sees death coming straight at her. The first time, in the fighting yard, she saves herself. But the second time, outside the city walls...Moralin is captured by the Arkera, age-old enemies of her people. They dress in rough clothes and use a language Moralin can't understand. Why have they kidnapped her? Why are they taking her with them into the heart of the red forest, where the fire-breathing skulkuk lives? And if Moralin can escape, can she survive the skulkuk and the other perils of the wilderness? Moralin is about to face death again. She is also about to uncover secrets -- secrets about the Arkera, her own people, and herself.
The Privilege of the Sword - Ellen Kushner
Welcome to Riverside, where the aristocratic and the ambitious battle for power in the city's ballroom, brothels and boudoirs. Into this alluring world walks Katherine, a well-bred country girl versed in the rules of conventional society. Her mistake is thinking that they apply. For Katherine's host and uncle, Alec Campion, aka the Mad Duke Tremontaine, is in charge here—and to him, rules are made to be broken. When Alec decides it would be more amusing for his niece to learn swordplay than to follow the usual path to marriage, her world changes forever. Blade in hand, it's up to Katherine to navigate a maze of secrets and scoundrels and to gain the self-discovery that comes to those who master: the privilege of the sword.
The Day Joanie Frankenhauser Became A Boy - Lin Lantz
Joanie’s mom wants her to act more "like a girl," but who can play basketball in a skirt and cute plastic sandals? When Joanie’s family moves to a new town, a typo on the school records makes her "John" instead of "Joan," and she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself. But how long can she keep pretending? And even if she could keep her identity secret, would she want to? Being a boy is no walk in the park!
A Different Twist - Elizabeth Levy
Christi Bay could sing and act better than almost anyone else in her school. Phil Grey, a famous actor and Christi's idol, arrives in town to direct a production of Oliver using local kids for the street urchins. Christi can hardly wait for the auditions. But she and her best friend Lizbeth are disappointed: boys only are to be cast. They won't even get the chance to meet Phil! Then they come up with a master plan. Let Christi disguise herself as a boy. She would cut her hair, wear Lizbeth's brother's old clothes and ratty sneakers and think mean, nasty boy thoughts. Chris Bayton, alias Christi Bay does get a part in the play and a chance to work with Phil Grey. She should be the happiest girl in the world! How come she feels so rotten then? Could it be that now she's so confused that even Lizbeth is mad at her? She hasn't told her parents how she got the part in the play and she's feeling guilty about lying to Phil. Should she tell the truth and risk being fired from the play?
Cutting Loose - Michael Z. Lewin
Jackie is Jack Cross to everyone except Nance, a Wild West show trick shooter in turn-of-the-century New York who has her own secrets to hide. A slick-fielding second baseman with a good bat, Jackie must never drop her disguise if she is to continue to play professional baseball. But when Nance is murdered by a knife-thrower who does know Jackie's secret, the young ballplayer takes off on a transatlantic chase that changes her life. Set on two continents, in three different time-periods, with a fascinating cast of characters including Buffalo Bill Cody, Jack the Ripper, and a musical star named Ruby the Red who has still another hidden life, Cutting Loose is a multi-layered page-turner filled with insights and surprises.
Freedom Beyond the Sea - Waldtraut Lewin
Fleeing the Spanish Inquisition, a Jewish girl disguises herself and signs on as a ship’s boy, little knowing that she is headed for unknown waters with Christopher Columbus. In Spain at the end of the 15th century, Jews are persecuted, robbed, expelled from their homes, and murdered. Esther, the daughter of the rabbi of Cordoba, flees from home dressed as a boy. She is the only one in her family who escapes the bloodhounds of the Inquisition. Esther is lucky: Through craft and bribery, she manages to sign on as a ship’s boy to get out of the country. At last she thinks she is safe. But she soon finds out that her ship is on a dangerous journey, sailing west across the ocean into unknown waters, searching for a new route to India. Her captain’s name? Christopher Columbus — a man who proves to have a keen eye for deception. It seems only a question of time before he discovers Esther’s secret.
The Monk - Matthew Gregory Lewis
"The Monk" is Matthew G. Lewis's 1796 novel which is the tale of a monk who is tempted by carnal desire and led down a ruinous path of ungodliness. Ambrosio, a pious, well-respected monk in Spain, is lustfully tempted by his pupil, Matilda, a woman who has disguised herself as a monk. Having satisfied himself with her, he is overcome with carnal desire for the innocent Antonia. With the help of Matilda, who is actually Satan in disguise, Ambrosio seduces Antonia, a seduction that would ultimately lead to his downfall. Recognized as one of the first novels of the gothic genre, "The Monk" is a classic tale of the tragic ruin that may befall one tempted by desire.
The Secret Magdalene – Ki Longfellow
Raised like sisters, Mariamne and Salome are indulged with riches, position, and learning-a rare thing for females in Jerusalem. But Mariamne has a further gift: an illness has left her with visions; she has the power of prophecy. It is her prophesying that drives the two girls to flee to Egypt, where they study philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy in the Great Library of Alexandria. After seven years they return to a Judaea where many now believe John the Baptizer is the messiah. Salome too begins to believe, but Mariamne, now called Magdalene, is drawn to his cousin, Yeshu’a, a man touched by the divine in the same way she was during her days of illness. Together they speak of sharing their direct experience of God; but Yeshu’a unexpectedly gains a reputation as a healer, and as the ill and the troubled flock to him, he and Magdalene are forced to make a terrible decision. This radical retelling of the greatest story ever told brings Mary Magdalene to life-not as a prostitute or demon-possessed-but as an educated woman who was truly the “apostle to the apostles.”
Booty: Girl Pirates on the High Seas – Sara Lorimer
Brief but colorful accounts of 12 women who terrorized sailors in waters throughout the world, from the ninth century to the 1930s. Subjects range from Alfhild, a Viking who roamed the Baltic and North Seas, to Lai Choi San of Macao, who was probably the original "Dragon Lady." Americans include Mary Read and Anne Bonny. Through these fascinating misfits, readers get a close-up view of many cultures and times, and each life is made vivid and memorable.
Wicked Will: A Mystery of Young William Shakespeare - Bailey MacDonald
To the outside world, Tom Pryne is an orphan traveling Elizabethan England with his uncle’s theater troupe. In actuality, “Tom” is Viola, in disguise because her parents’ Catholic sympathies have put them at odds with the law and forced them into hiding. When the actors arrive in the sleepy little town of Stratford-on-Avon, Viola’s uncle is arrested for murder, and she joins forces with Will Shakespeare, a local boy with a penchant for trouble and a smart turn of phrase, to uncover the real culprit.
Love Evolution – Michelle Mankin
After the death of her twin brother, nineteen year old guitar prodigy Avery Jones finds herself desperate, alone, and out of options. Hope arrives in the form of a job opening with Brutal Strength, one of the biggest rock bands out there. Only problem is temperamental lead singer Marcus Anthony doesn't want a woman in the group. So Avery and her manager Trevor come up with a plan involving a Bieber haircut and men's clothing. No one seems to be onto their little con. But what happens when Avery starts falling for Marcus? Will she be able to continue with the farce or will the whole thing come crashing down around her like a house of cards?
Disney's Mulan Classic Storybook – Lisa Ann Marsoli
Based on a Chinese folktale, a young girl dresses up like a boy and goes off to battle in order to keep her elderly father safe at home. Along the way she meets a cast of unforgettable characters who teach her all about acceptance and self-respect. Full color.
Rosie in Chicago: Play Ball! - Carol Matas
Life in Chicago sure is busy for Rosie. Between school and working as an usher in her father's nickelodeon, she has little time for play. She hears all about the Chicago baseball scene, though, from Abe, one of her younger brothers. He's always talking about the fierce rivalry between two teams, the Tigers and the Chavarim. Things really heat up when the Chavarim's top player gets hurt, with only one deciding game left in the season. The team's in a bind and they need help...fast! With an arm and a spirit stronger than most boys', Rosie seems to her brothers an obvious choice for a substitute player. Maintaining her disguise as a boy to play with the all-male Chavarim is a big enough challenge without having to deal with bullies on the other team -- and the sidelines -- who are standing between her and a win. But fortunately for the Chavarim, nothing can stop this girl!
Ghost Riders – Sharon McCrumb
In 1861 the Civil War reached the mountainous South - where the enemy was your neighbor, the victims were your friends, and the wrong army was whichever one you joined. When Malinda Blalock's husband, Keith, joined the army, she dressed as a boy and went with him. They spent the war close to home in the North Carolina mountains, acting as Union guerilla fighters, raiding the farms of Confederate sympathizers and making as much trouble as they could locally. As hard riding, deadly out-laws, Keith and Malinda avenged Confederate raids on their kin and neighbors. McCrumb also brings to her story the larger-than-life narrative of the historical political figure Zebulon Vance, a self-made man and Confederate governor, who was from the mountains and fought for the interests of Appalachia within the hierarchy of the Confederacy. Linking the forces of historical unrest with the present-day stories of mountain wisefolk Rattler and Nora Bonesteel, McCrumb weaves two overlapping narratives. It is up to Nora Bonesteel and Rattler to calm the Civil War ghosts who are still wandering the mountains, and prevent a clash between the living and the dead.
Esther – Sharon E. McKay
Told as fiction, Estherportrays the remarkable, nearly incredible life and times of Esther Brandeau, a young girl who lived in the eighteenth century, and who was the first Jew to set foot in New France. That she did so disguised as a boy, and that the eventual discovery of her deceit became an international incident, is but one part of Esther's dramatic story. With an emerging Canadian nation as its backdrop, Esther's story encompasses the quest for gender equality and the larger quest for freedom—as real to a teenager in 1735 as it is today.
Cycler - Lauren McLaughlin
As far as anyone at her high school knows, Jill McTeague is an average smart girl trying to get her dream date to ask her to the prom. What no one knows, except for Jill’s mom and dad, is that for the four days Jill is out of school each month, she is not Jill at all. She is Jack, a genuine boy—complete with all the parts. Jack lives his four days per month in the solitude of Jill’s room. But his personality has been building since the cycling began. He is less and less content with his confinement and his cycles are becoming more frequent. Now Jill’s question about the prom isn’t who she'll go with, but who she'll be when the big night arrives.
Sex and Death in Television Town - Carlton Mellick III
A band of hermaphrodite gunslingers fight for their lives in a desert infested with crispy black demons. Along with a motley collection of survivors (including a sex-crazed female samurai modified to resemble a bipedal stegosaurus) they take refuge in the only safe haven left: Telos . . . a strange town near the end of the world, where the citizens have televisions instead of heads.
A + E 4ever - Ilike Merey
Asher Machnik is a teenage boy cursed with a beautiful androgynous face. Guys punch him, girls slag him and by high school he's developed an intense fear of being touched. Art remains his only escape from an otherwise emotionally empty life. Eulalie Mason is the lonely, tough-talking dyke from school who befriends Ash. The only one to see and accept all of his sides as a loner, a fellow artist and a best friend, she's starting to wonder if Ash is ever going to see all of her...
Bloody Jack Series - L.A. Meyer
Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas. There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret. This could be the adventure of her life--if only she doesn't get caught....
Breakfast on Pluto - Patrick McCabe
Mr. Patrick "Pussy" Braden, the enduringly and endearingly hopeful hero(ine) whose gutsy survival and yearning quest for love resonate in and drive the glimmering, agonizing narrative in which the troubles are a distant and immediate echo and refrain. Twenty years ago, her ladyship escaped her hometown of Tyreelin, Ireland, fleeing her foster mother Whiskers (prodigious Guinness-guzzler, human chimney) and her mad household, to begin a new life in London. There, in blousey tops and satin miniskirts, she plies her trade, often risking life and limb amongst the flotsam and jetsam that fill the bars of Piccadilly Circus. But suave businessmen and lonely old women are not the only dangers that threaten Pussy. It is the 1970's and fear haunts the streets of London and Belfast as the critical mass of history builds up, and Pussy is inevitably drawn into a maelstrom of violence and tragedy destined to blow his fragile soul asunder.
The Blue Sword – Robin McKinley
Harry Crewe is an orphan girl who comes to live in Damar, the desert country shared by the Homelanders and the secretive, magical Hillfolk. Her life is quiet and ordinary-until the night she is kidnapped by Corlath, the Hillfolk King, who takes her deep into the desert. She does not know the Hillfolk language; she does not know why she has been chosen. But Corlath does. Harry is to be trained in the arts of war until she is a match for any of his men. Does she have the courage to accept her true fate?
The Outlaws of Sherwood – Robin McKinley
Robin Longbow is a sub-apprentice forester in Sherwood Forest, barely eking out a living-and barely able to control his temper when he is confronted by the taunts of the Chief Forester's favorite. One careless shot, and he has killed the man. From then on, Robin is on the run-but he is not alone. Joined first by his friends Much and Marian, then by more and more people who despise the Norman lords who tax them blind, Robin builds a community of Saxon outlaws deep in Sherwood who risk the gallows and the sword for the sake of justice and freedom.
Secrets at Sea - Sabre Moore
When seventeen-year-old Zandra learns of the future her foster parents have planned for her, she knows what she must do. Disguised as a boy named Zander Knight, she hires onto the Chaser, a beautiful ship whose mission is not as it seems. Soon Zandras life becomes a web of Secrets at Sea, even her own identity is shrouded in lies. What she once thought was a small price to pay for her dreams becomes more complicated as she gains a nickname, a father, friends and falls in love. When Zandra is captured by a pirate from her past, she learns of the strains and changes of time. When a truth is revealed, there is yet another secret waiting to take its place.
Runaway Girl - Ruth Morris
Joanne Mitchell, an orphan, couldn't put up with Aunt Lillian and Uncle Fred any more, so, disguising herself as a boy and calling herself Joe Casey, Joanne takes an old horse, Darkie, and runs away. Later, an old drover, chance encountered, gives her a puppy which she names Abbie and the trio travel all around Queensland finding adventure. Joanne meets some people named Mitchell and wants to stay with them. But the Mitchells want a boy so she runs away again, almost reaching the decision that she must return to her uncle and aunt. And then the unexpected happens. Exciting and well written.
The Invisibles: Apocalipstick - Grant Morrison
In the second volume of this series of action and intrigue, the Invisibles, including new recruit Dane McGowan, try to prepare as the Conspiracy's shock troops launch their greatest direct attack on them ever. And as this hidden war between authority and anarchy continues, the origin of Lord Fanny, the transvestite shaman who can call down the Earth's most ancient and terrifying magic, is finally revealed. But as conspiracies and hidden truths create a labyrinth of deception and distrust, even the power of this shaman may not be enough to keep the Invisibles alive to fight another day.
The Paper Bag Princess - Robert Munsch
The Princess Elizabeth is slated to marry Prince Ronald when a dragon attacks the castle and kidnaps Ronald. In resourceful and humorous fashion, Elizabeth finds the dragon, outsmarts him, and rescues Ronald -- who is less than pleased at her un-princess-like appearance. Also as a cartoon adaptation.
Princess Ben - Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Benevolence is not your typical princess. With her parents lost to assassins, Princess Ben ends up under the thumb of the conniving Queen Sophia. Starved and miserable, locked in the castle’s highest tower, Ben stumbles upon a mysterious enchanted room. So begins her secret education in the magical arts: mastering an obstinate flying broomstick, furtively emptying the castle pantries, setting her hair on fire... But Ben’s private adventures are soon overwhelmed by a mortal threat to her kingdom. Can Ben save the country and herself from foul tyranny?
Hana-Kimi - Hisaya Nakajo
Manga. The series centers on Mizuki Ashiya, a Japanese girl who lives in the United States. One day, she sees a track and field competition on TV, and becomes attracted to one of the high jump competitors, Izumi Sano. She begins to idolize the young athlete and eventually transfers to Japan to attend the same school that Sano attends. There is a catch, however: Sano attends an all-boys high school, named Osaka Gakuen and Mizuki must disguise herself as a boy to enter.
Daughter of Venice - Donna Jo Napoli
In 1592, Donata is a noble girl living in a palazzo on the Grand Canal. Girls of her class receive no education and rarely leave the palazzo. In a noble family, only one daughter and one son will be allowed to marry; Donata, like all younger daughters, will be sent to a convent. Donata longs to be tutored like her brothers and to see the Venice she has glimpsed only on the map. What is the world beyond her balcony, beyond what she sees when she glides, veiled, in a gondola down the canal? She dresses as a boy and escapes the palazzo on the Grand Canal to see the world before she is shut away, and to try to find a way to escape her fate. Donata risks everything; she changes her life, and her family’s life, forever when she walks through the door and encounters a Venice she never knew existed.
Gender Blender - Blake Nelson
Tom and Emma played together when they were in fourth grade, but now that they are sixth graders, they don't get along. Both are unhappy when they are teamed up for a gender-differences project for their health class. Then, a collision on a trampoline results in a body switch. As Tom and Emma frantically try to impersonate one another, each gains insight into the other's life. Just as they decide they'll have to remain switched forever, another blow to the head switches them back. Their health teacher is impressed with their reports, and Emma and Tom make tentative steps toward friendship.
The Only Life That Mattered: The Short and Merry Lives of Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack Rackam - James L. Nelson
Fed up with an outlaw existence, Calico Jack Rackam swears off the pirate life, until he meets Anne Bonny, a woman who would as soon stab a man as give him a good tumble—that is, unless he's a pirate. Soon Jack finds himself out on the high seas, with Anne by his side and his men spoiling for action.
The Girl-Son - Anne E. Neuberger
A story based on the life of Induk Pahk, a Korean educator, whose widowed mother disguised her as a boy at the age of eight in order for her to attend school; a choice forbidden to girls in the early 20th-century in Korea.
The Floating Islands - Rachel Neumeier
When Trei loses his family in a tragic disaster, he must search out distant relatives in a new land. The Floating Islands are unlike anything Trei has ever seen: stunning, majestic, and graced with kajurai, men who soar the skies with wings. Trei is instantly sky-mad, and desperate to be a kajurai himself. The only one who fully understands his passion is Araene, his newfound cousin. Prickly, sarcastic, and gifted, Araene has a secret of her own . . . a dream a girl cannot attain. Trei and Araene quickly become conspirators as they pursue their individual paths. But neither suspects that their lives will be deeply entwined, and that the fate of the Floating Islands will lie in their hands...
A Family Apart - Joan Lowery Nixon
This first book of the Orphan Train Quartet tells the story of Frances Mary, 13, eldest of the six Kelly children. Life in New York's grim 19th century slums consists of hardship for the poor but honest Kelly clan. When widowed Mrs. Kelly feels that she is no longer capable of providing for her children, she sends them west on the Orphan Train, to be adopted by farm families. Frances masquerades as a boy in order to be adopted with Petey, the brother she promised her mother she would protect. The practical difficulties Frances faces in maintaining this disguise are handled in an amusing and thoughtful manner. Since Frances and Petey are adopted by a couple with strong abolitionist sympathies, it should come as no surprise that Frances, just days after her arrival on the farm, finds herself helping two runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad.
A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury – Edith Pargeter (AKA Ellis Peters)
It is 1399. Henry Bolingbroke, unjustly banished and deprived of his inheritance by Richard II, returns to claim his rights and deposes the king to become Henry IV of England. He is aided by the powerful lords of Northumberland, especially by his friend, Harry Percy. But the triumph of his accession quickly turns sour in the face of ever-growing crises in his new kingdom, and Wales is the most pressing and troublesome of these. The specter of Richard holds sway beyond the grave, and the shadow of regicide, the memory of past crimes, and growing doubts and divisions cause a dangerous rift. The king also has powerful enemies who are all too willing to take advantage of this.
Rickshaw Girl - Mitali Perkins
Ten-year-old Naima longs to earn money to help her poor Bangladeshi family, but her talent in painting traditional patterns, or alpanas, is no use. While considering whether she could disguise herself as a boy and try to drive her father's rickshaw, she wrecks the vehicle and its painted tin sides on a test-drive, threatening the family's sole livelihood.
Joan of Arc: Her Story – Régine Pernoud
In an exquisite English translation from the bestselling French edition,Joan of Arc: Her Story now appears for American readers. From the French peasant girl who led an army to the icon burned at the stake, Joan has been a blank slate on which thousands have written. Pernoud and Clin clear away the myths so that modern readers can see Joan as she was and include a glossary of important individuals, historical events and interpretations of Joan through the ages. Joan of Arc: Her Story is the thrilling life of a woman who obsesses us even to this day.
One Corpse Too Many (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael) – Ellis Peters (AKA Edith Pargeter)
An ingenious killer disposes of a strangled corpse on a battlefield. Brother Cadfael discovers the body, and must then piece together disparate clues--including a girl in boy's clothing, a missing treasure and a single flower--to expose a murderer's black heart.
Alanna Series - Tamora Pierce
And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Disguised as a girl, Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page. But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies. Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's first adventure begins -- one that will leard to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land. Alanna's journey continues...
Protector of the Small Series – Tamora Pierce
Ten years after the proclamation that girls are eligible for a page's training at the court of King Jonathan of Tortall, 10-year-old Keladry applies and is accepted, but on probation, a condition never forced on male applicants. Resolutely accepting the challenge, the hostility of the royal training master, and harassment by fellow pages, Kel makes her way through this difficult year. Trained from early childhood by stoic Yamani warriors, she is capable of hiding her feelings, fearless in a fight, and willing to work hard to develop the necessary physical capacity.
What Happened to Lani Garver - Carol Plum-Ucci
The close-knit residents of Hackett Island have never seen anyone quite like Lani Garver. Everything about this new kid is a mystery: Where does Lani come from? How old is Lani? And most disturbing of all, is Lani a boy or a girl?
Claire McKenzie isn't up to tormenting Lani with the rest of the high school elite. Instead, she befriends the intriguing outcast. But within days of Lani's arrival, tragedy strikes and Claire must deal with shattered friendships and personal demons--and the possibility that angels may exist on earth.
The Anubis Gates - Tim Powers
The colonization of Egypt by western European powers is the launch point for power plays and machinations. Steeping together in this time-warp stew are such characters as an unassuming Coleridge scholar, ancient gods, wizards, the Knights Templar, werewolves, a woman disguised as a man, and other quasi-mortals, all wrapped in the organizing fabric of Egyptian mythology. In the best of fantasy traditions, the reluctant heroes fight for survival against an evil that lurks beneath the surface of their everyday lives.
On Borrowed Wings - Chandra Prasad
Adele Pietra has heard her mother say that her destiny is carved in the same brilliantly hued granite her father and brother cleave from the Stony Creek mine: she is to marry a quarryman. But when Adele's brother, Charles, dies in a mining accident, Adele sees the chance to change her life. Enrolling at Yale as Charles, Adele assumes his identity -- and gender -- as a way to leave behind her mother's expectations and the limitations of her provincial Connecticut town. To her own surprise, hair chopped and chest bound, Adele falls in naturally with a lively crew of undergraduates.
Monstrous Regiment - Terry Pratchett
War has come to Discworld ... again. And, to no one's great surprise, the conflict centers around the small, arrogantly fundamentalist duchy of Borogravia, which has long prided itself on its unrelenting aggressiveness. A year ago, Polly Perks's brother marched off to battle, and Polly's willing to resort to drastic measures to find him. So she cuts off her hair, dons masculine garb, and -- aided by a well-placed pair of socks -- sets out to join this man's army. Since a nation in such dire need of cannon fodder can't afford to be too picky, Polly is eagerly welcomed into the fighting fold—along with a vampire, a troll, an Igor, a religious fanatic, and two uncommonly close "friends." It would appear that Polly "Ozzer" Perks isn't the only grunt with a secret. But duty calls, the battlefield beckons.
Hannah Pritchard: Pirate of the Revolution - Bonnie Pryor
Upon finding her family murdered by British redcoats, Tories, and Iroquois Indians, Hannah Pritchard begins a long and difficult journey in search of revenge and adventure. The former New York farm girl wants the opportunity to fight the British, and she finds it aboard an American privateer ship during the Revolutionary War. However, Hannah must hide her female identity to be able to work as a cabin boy aboard the Sea Hawk. Follow Hannah s brave story as this teenager discovers a wild life at sea, forges new friendships, and learns the bittersweet taste of revenge.
Rue for Repentance – Felicia Pulman
After her mother dies and her home is burned to the ground, Janna is forced to flee for her life disguised as John. She is given shelter at a manor farm, but all is not as it seems. A child goes missing and Janna puts her life on the line to find him, but who can she turn to for help—Edwin, the outlaw who stole from her in the forest; the villain Godric, who has turned against her; or Hugh, the handsome nobleman, who stands to gain everything if the child dies? Janna needs all her courage, wit, and common sense to solve the mystery of the child's disappearance, but time is running out.
Pirates! - Celia Rees
Nancy Kington, daughter of a rich merchant, suddenly orphaned when her father dies, is sent to live on her family's plantation in Jamaica. Disgusted by the treatment of the slaves and her brother's willingness to marry her off, she and one of the slaves, Minerva, run away, dress as men, and join a band of pirates. For both girls the pirate life is their only chance for freedom in a society where both are treated like property, rather than individuals. Together they go in search of adventure, love, and a new life that breaks all restrictions of gender, race, and position. Told through Nancy's writings, their adventures will appeal to readers across the spectrum and around the world.
Sovay - Celia Rees
In 1794 England, the beautiful Sovay dons a man's cloak and holds up stagecoaches in broad daylight. Posing as a highway robber began as a lark to test a suitor's devotion. But when she lifts the wallet of one of England's most dangerous men, Sovay begins to unravel a web of deceit and duplicity.
Here Lies Arthur - Philip Reeve
Arthur is a brutal, bullying tyrant, and not terribly bright. His fame stems solely from the stories spun by Myrrdin, a traveling bard and trickster. But this story is not primarily Arthur's. It is Gwyna's, a child who is rescued by Myrddin when her village is sacked and burned. Myrrdin takes her under his care, disguising her first as the Lady of the Lake, and then as a boy. When adolescence arrives, Myrrdin reintroduces her to Arthur's court as a maid and she falls in love with Peredur, who has spent his childhood disguised as a girl.
Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy- Seymour Reit
In 1861, when war erupted between the States, President Lincoln made an impassioned plea for volunteers. Determined not to remain on the sidelines, Emma Edmonds cropped her hair, donned men’s clothing, and enlisted in the Union Army. Posing in turn as a slave, peddler, washerwoman, and fop, Emma became a cunning master of disguise, risking discovery and death at every turn behind Confederate lines.
Girl in Blue - Ann Rinaldi
The year is 1861. When spirited teenager Sarah Louisa learns that she is to be married off to her despicable neighbor, she runs away from home. Disguising herself as a boy, Sarah boldly joins the army--and before long is a soldier in the Civil War. Sarah navigates the joys and hardships of army life, all the while struggling to keep her true identity a secret. But Sarah's real adventure is only just beginning. A chance encounter with a detective soon draws her into a web of mystery, intrigue, and romance--and Sarah's courage will be put to the test as never before.
Caroline - Willo Davis Roberts
Her disguise would keep her safe, but not from love. If only men and boys were going to California, then Caroline would become a -- boy! Caroline just wants the same adventures her brothers have. But they're headed west to California to find gold, and that's no place for a girl to be. So Caroline takes matters -- and scissors -- into her own hands. By cutting her hair and donning the clothes of a gold-hungry young boy, Caroline goes west. One of the young men traveling with her was handsome Dan Riddle, who treats her the way he would any young boy. But underneath the clothes of the boys pounds the heart a young woman, and while Caroline thinks her quest is for adventure, she finds that it is for love.
Maledicte – Lane Robins
Seething with decadent appetites unchecked by law or gods, the court of Antyre is ruled by the last of a dissolute aristocracy. But now to the kingdom comes a handsome, enigmatic nobleman, Maledicte, whose perfect manners, enchanting charisma, and brilliant swordplay entice the most jaded tastes . . . and conceal a hunger beyond reckoning. For Maledicte is actually a woman named Miranda–a beautiful thief raised in the city’s vicious slums. And she will do anything–even promise her soul to Black-Winged Ani, the most merciless of Antyre’s exiled gods–to reclaim Janus, the lover whose passion still haunts her dreams. As her machinations strike at the heart of Antyre’s powerful noble houses, Miranda must battle not only her own growing bloodlust, but also her lover’s newly kindled and ruthless ambitions. As Ani’s force grows insatiable and out of control, Miranda has no choice but to wield a weapon that may set her free...or forever doom her and everything she holds dear.
A Cowboy Named Ernestine - Nicole Rubel
Picture Book. Brought from Ireland to Lizard Lick, Texas, mail-order bride Ernestine realizes her intended is an inconsiderate boor. Having "seen neater pigs and more courteous donkeys," she disguises herself as a man, sneaks out, and becomes a cattle herder to earn money for a ticket home.
Freak Show - James St. James
Teenage drag queen Billy Bloom explodes onto the conservative scene at Eisenhower Academy, where he finds love and a band of blond sadists. St. James tells the oldest story in the book, the one where an outcast seeks the homecoming crown, only this time a queen wants to be Queen.
To Race a Dream - Deborah Savage
When 15-year-old Theodora Harris moves to Savage, Minnesota, she has no idea that the fastest horse on earth, Dan Patch, lives next door. Suddenly, Theo can think of nothing but horses. The only trouble is, she's a girl--and in 1906 girls cannot even work in the stables, much less race. But Theo is determined to be a jocket, and through her friendship with the amazing Dan Patch, Theo dares to follow her dreams.
Shadow Man - Melissa Scott
In the far future, human culture has developed five distinctive genders due to the effects of a drug easing sickness from faster-than-light travel. But on the planet Hara, where society is increasingly instability, caught between hard-liner traditions and the realities of life, only male and female genders are legal, and the "odd-bodied" population are forced to pass as one or the other. Warreven Stiller, a lawyer and an intersexed person, is an advocate for those who have violated Haran taboos. When Hara regains contact with the Concord worlds, Warreven finds a larger role in breaking the long-standing role society has forced on "him," but the search for personal identity becomes a battleground of political intrigue and cultural clash.
As You Like It - William Shakespeare
Frederick has usurped the Duchy and exiled his older brother, Duke Senior. The Duke's daughter Rosalind has been permitted to remain at court because she is the closest friend and cousin of Frederick's only child, Celia. Orlando, a young gentleman of the kingdom who has fallen in love at first sight with Rosalind, is forced to flee his home after being persecuted by his older brother, Oliver. Frederick becomes angry and banishes Rosalind from court. Celia and Rosalind decide to flee together accompanied by the jester Touchstone, with Rosalind disguised as a young man and Celia disguised as a poor lady.
The Merchant of Venice – William Shakespeare
In 16th century Venice, when a merchant must default on a large loan from an abused Jewish moneylender for a friend with romantic ambitions, the bitterly vengeful creditor demands a gruesome payment instead.
Twelfth Night - William Shakespeare
Viola is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria and she comes ashore with the help of a captain. She loses contact with her twin brother, Sebastian, whom she believes to be dead. Disguising herself as a young man under the name Cesario, she enters the service of Duke Orsino through the help of the sea captain who rescues her. Orsino has convinced himself that he is in love with Olivia, whose father and brother have recently died, and who professes to refuse to see any suitor till seven years have passed, the Duke included. Orsino uses Cesario as an intermediary to profess his passionate love before Olivia. Olivia, believing Viola to be a man, falls in love with this handsome and eloquent messenger, while Viola has fallen in love with the Duke who regards her as his confidant.
Saint Joan – George Bernard Shaw
A play based on the life of Joan of Arc. In 1429 A.D., a young country girl known simply as Joan of Arc, or sometimes simply as The Maid, is given an interview by Robert de Baudricourt since she will not leave until she speaks with him. She tells him that she needs horses and armor to go to the Dauphin of France and to raise the siege of Orleans, a city held captive by the English forces. She knows that a siege would be possible because the voices of Saints Margaret and Catherine have told her what to do. Upon being convinced by The Maid's simplicity, Captain de Baudricourt grants her request.
Spirit of Iron - Janice Jordan Shefelman
When Mina learns that Amaya, her Lipan Apache friend, has been kidnapped by a band of marauding Comanches, she disguises herself as a boy and follows the Texas Rangers to search for Amaya. Sequel to "A Paradise Called Texas."
The Sacred Moon Tree: being the true account of the trials and adventures of Phoebe Sands in the Great War Between the States, 1861-1865 - Laura Jan Shore
Determined to see the war for herself, twelve-year-old Phoebe disguised as a boy, travels with her friend Jotham behing enemy lines to Richmond in hopes rescuing Jotham's brother from a Rebel prison.
I'll Pass For Your Comrade: Women Soldiers in the Civil War - Anita Silvey
The Civil War has been studied, written about, even sun about for generations. Most people know that it was a conflict between North and South, Unionists and rebels, blue and gray. We recognize the names of Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, and Robert E. Lee. Many people know about Clara Barton, the nurse who did so much to save soldiers' lives. But few have heard of Sarah Emma Edmonds, Rosetta Wakeman, or Mary Galloway. They were among the hundreds of women who assumed male identities, put on uniforms, enlisted in the Union or Confederate Army, and went into battle alongside their male comrades. In this compelling book, Anita Silvey explores the fascinating secret world of women soldiers: who they were, why they went to war, how they managed their masquerade. A few left memoirs, diaries, or letters. Newspaper stories, pension records, and regimental accounts yielded additional information, as did the writings of male soldiers who became aware of the women in the ranks. Undoubtedly, there were women soldiers whose true identity was never discovered or revealed.
The Bronze Horseman - Paulina Simons
The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad. Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana—and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects—a secret as devastating as the war itself—as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.
Yentl the Yeshiva Boy - Isaac Bashevis Singer
Recognizing that Yentyl seems to have the soul and disposition of a man, her father studies the Torah and other holy books with her. When he dies, Yentyl feels that she no longer has a reason to remain in the village, and so, late one night, she cuts off her hair, dresses as a young man, and sets out to find a yeshiva where she can continue her studies and live secretly as a man.
Sisters of the Sword Series - Maya Snow
Kimi dreams of being a great samurai warrior, but she and her sister, Hana, are young ladies of feudal Japan, daughters of the Jito of the province. Her future seems clear: Girls do not become samurai. Then, betrayal shatters the sisters' world. Their power-hungry uncle murders their father, and their mother and little brother mysteriously disappear. Determined to seek revenge and restore their honor, they disguise themselves as boys to train at a school for samurai. Kimi and Hana are thrown headlong into a life of warrior codes, sharp swords, and shadowy figures—as they work with fierce determination to avenge the brutal wrongs done to their family. In a flash, life has swept them into a terrible adventure, more heart-pounding than Kimi and Hana ever could have imagined . . . and once it has been set in motion, nothing will ever be the same.
Rowan Hood Series - Nancy Springer
Rosemary has nowhere to go when her beloved mother dies. She has never met her father - the outlaw Robin Hood - and she's grown up among the woodland creatures her mother loved. So she decides to change her name to Rowan, disguise herself as a boy, and undertake a perilous journey through Sherwood Forest, in search of Robin Hood. But how will she find him? And will he offer her a home?
Misfortune - Wesley Stace
Lord Geoffroy Loveall is the richest man in England, reclusive, and heretofore heirless lord of the sprawling manse of Love Hall. He arrives home one fateful morning with a most unusual package - a baby that he presents as the inheritor to the family name and fortune. In honour of his beloved sister, who died at the age of five, Loveall names the baby Rose Old. The household, relieved at the continuation of the Loveall line, assiduously ignores the fact that this Rose has a thorn-that she is, in fact, a boy. Rose grows up inside the endlessly fascinating maze of halls and lawns that make up Love Hall, along with the two inquisitive and ebullient servant children who are her only friends; all three are educated by Rose's adoptive mother Anonyma in the musty recesses of the Octagonal Library. Rose grows up blissfully unaware of her own gender, casually hitting boundaries at Love Hall's yearly cricket game and learning to shave her face even as she continues to wear more and more elaborate dresses, as befits a growing young lady. Until, of course, the fateful day when Rose's world comes crashing down around her, and she is banished from Love Hall as an impostor by those who would claim her place as heir.
Alle halten mich fuer einen Jungen - Ulf Stark
In der neuen Schule wird Simone für einen Jungen gehalten. Kurzes haar, Jeans, ein freches Mundwerk - kein Wunder also, daß aus Simone ein Simon wird. Natürlich macht ihr das grossen Spaß. Aber bald wachsen ihr die Probleme, die aus dem Verwechslungsspiel entstehen, über den Kopf, weil sie sich in Isak verliebt..
Black Arrow - Robert Louis Stevenson
Richard Shelton (Dick) lives as Sir Daniel Brackley’s ward at Tunstall Moat House. A group of outlaws known as “The Black Arrow”, strike, killing Nicholas Appleyard. They leave a message warning that they will also kill Brackley, and his men Bennet Hatch and Oliver Oates. Their note implies that Dick’s father, Harry Shelton, died under suspicious circumstances. Dick, who doesn’t know how his father died, wonders if Brackley was responsible. Dick now goes to Kettley to tell Brackley what has been happening. While there, he meets a young man, John Matcham. Matcham is actually Joanna Sedley, an heiress, that Brackley has captured and disguised as a boy. He plans to marry her to Dick.
Crane - Jeff Stone
Hok, a crane-style Kung Fu master, is also a master at hiding. For the past 12 years, she has hidden the fact that she is a girl. Now her rogue brother, Ying, and his army have placed a huge price on her head. Fortunately, she manages to make it to Keifeng where she finds her mother and a "round-eye" with the very funny name of Charles. Together Hok and Charles start to make some sense of the magnitude of Ying's plans. Part of the Five Ancestors Series.
Glasshouse - Charles Stross
The censorship wars during which the Curious Yellow virus devastated the network of wormhole gates connecting humanity across the cosmos are finally over. Robin is one of millions who have had a mind wipe, to forget wartime memories that are too painful or too dangerously inconvenient for someone else. To evade the enemies who don't think his mind wipe was enough, Robin volunteers to live in the experimental Glasshouse, a former prison for deranged war criminals that will recreate Earth's "dark ages" (c. 1950-2040). Entering the community as a female, Robin is initially appalled by life as a suburban housewife, then he realizes the other participants are all either retired spies or soldiers. Worse yet, fragments of old memories return"extremely dangerous in the Glasshouse, where the experimenters' intentions are as murky as Robin's grasp of his own identity.
Venus Plus X - Theodore Sturgeon
Charlie Johns has been snatched from his home on 61 North 34th Street and delivered to the strange future world of Ledom. Here, violence is a vague and improbable notion. Technology has triumphed over hunger, overpopulation, pollution, even time and space. But there is a change Charlie finds even more shocking: gender is a thing of the past. As Charlie Johns explores Ledom and its people, he finds that the human precepts he holds dear are profane in this new world. But has Charlie learned all there is to know about this advanced society? And why are the Ledom so intent on gaining Charlie's approval?
Jo's Triumph - Nikki Tate
Joselyn is determined to escape from the Carson City Home for Unfortunate Girls. Disguised as a boy, she finds a job carrying the mail for the Pony Express. When the meanest man on the route learns that Jo is not who she appears to be, he uses her secret to extract a promise that, kept or broken, could mean death.
Tucker and the Horse Thief - Susan Terris
A young girl cares for her gold-fever mad father in the latter days of the California gold rush. Keeping a promise, she dresses and lives as a boy for safety's sake. She becomes best friends with the son of the local Jewish merchant. Together they learn about caring for one another while meeting the challenges of the harsh land. Together they grow strong enough to make choices about their own destinies.
Matty's War: A Matty Trescott Novel - Carroll Thomas
Sixteen-year old Matty Trescott arrives in Simsbury, Connecticut, to live with her cousin Neely's family in December 1863. Her farm in Kansas has been burned by Confederate raiders, her father and brother have joined the Union Army, and she has been sent to Connecticut for her safety. She and Neely are slated to attend school at the Hartford Female Seminary, but Matty has other ideas. When they get to Hartford, Neely stays but Matty heads for New Haven hoping to enlist in the army.
The Secret of the Rose - Sarah L. Thomson
Rosalind Archer, 14, has led a simple life in the Elizabethan countryside. However, when her merchant father is imprisoned for practicing the forbidden Catholic faith, she and her younger brother Robin make their way to London to find him, hoping to gain his release. They lose their money to clever thieves, and, discovering that the friends theyve been told to turn to have also been arrested, they are desperate for food and shelter. Enter Christopher Marlowe, playwright extraordinaire, brusque of manner but generous of heart. He offers them apprenticeships at the Rose Theatre. Robin jumps at the chance, while Rosalind, who has disguised herself as a boy, agrees instead to become Marlowes servant.
Cue for Treason - Geoffrey Trease
Fleeing from the evil Sir Philip Morton, Peter Brownrigg finds himself on the wrong side of the law. On the run to London he meets Kit, a girl disguised as a boy, and the two decide to stick together. But a chance discovery endangers their lives and soon Peter is deep in murderous plots, secrets and even treason.
The Paint Box - Maxine Trottier
Marietta's father, Jacopo Tintoretto, is a renowned and famous artist living in Venice during the Renaissance era. More than anything, Merietta wants to paint like her father. But Marietta is a girl--to work and study with her father she must disguise herself in boy's clothing. Her hose and doublet allow her to accompany her father to the studios and galleries of Venice with the paint box her father has given her.
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc – Mark Twain
This is Twain's recounting of the life of Joan of Arc, a historical figure with whom the author was deeply fascinated. While Twain s take on the martyr has been dismissed by some critics as heavily romanticized, he considered it to be his finest work. The last of his novels to be completed, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc is an excellent read for anyone hoping to experience Twain at the height of his maturity.
Steel Beach - John Varley
Set in a future where humanity, expelled from the Earth by the alien Invaders, now lives in artificial habitats on the moon, Mars and other planets and advanced technologies ensure a fairly effortless and secure life--almost any injury or disease is curable; people can change their features or even their gender with an afternoon of painless surgery. But all is not well on Luna. Hildy Johnson, top reporter for a tabloid, has been unaccountably depressed, even suicidal, and he soon learns that he's not alone. Even the Central Computer that maintains Luna's environment has been feeling down. As Hildy and the CC search for a reason to live, Hildy changes gender, quits his/her job and examines religions; the CC takes steps for itself that may lead to moonwide catastrophe.
Myra Breckinridge - Gore Vidal
Myra Breckinridge is a 1968 satirical novel written in the form of a diary. Described by the critic Dennis Altman as "part of a major cultural assault on the assumed norms of gender and sexuality which swept the western world in the late 1960s and early 1970s," the book's major themes are feminism, transsexuality, American expressions of machismo and patriarchy, and deviant sexual practices, as filtered through an aggressively camp sensibility. Set in Hollywood in the 1960s, the novel also contains candid and irreverent glimpses into the machinations within the film industry.
Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey into Manhood and Back Again - Norah Vincent
Norah Vincent became an instant media sensation with the publication of Self-Made Man, her take on just how hard it is to be a man, even in a man’s world. Norah spent a year and a half disguised as her male alter ego, Ned, exploring what men are like when women aren’t around. As Ned, she joins a bowling team, takes a high-octane sales job, goes on dates with women (and men), visits strip clubs, and even manages to infiltrate a monastery and a men’s therapy group. At once thought- provoking and pure fun to read, Self-Made Man is a sympathetic and thrilling tour de force of immersion journalism.
Jackaroo - Cynthia Voigt
People don't have enough to eat, and winter is upon them. There's little that offers hope, and many turn to the legends of Jackaroo -- the masked outlaw hero who rides at night giving aid to the helpless and coin to the destitute -- for solace. But Gwyn, the Innkeeper's daughter -- sensitive, industrious, and independent -- is too practical to believe such tales. But when a snowstorm forces her and a young Lordling to seek refuge in an abandoned house, Gwyn wonders if perhaps she has been too cynical. Hidden away in an old forgotten cupboard, Gwyn discovers a package -- a cloak, a mask, a sword....Jackaroo? Could the stories be true? It takes a shock and a devastating betrayal for Gwyn to begin to understand what -- and who -- Jackaroo really is. And she comes to know what part she will play in discovering the truth, such as it may be, behind the legends.
Crossing Lines - Paul Volponi
Adonis is a jock. He's on the football team and he's dating one of the prettiest girls in school. Alan is the new kid. He wears lipstick and joins the Fashion Club. Soon enough the football team is out to get him. Adonis is glad to go along with his teammates . . . until they come up with a dangerous plan to humiliate Alan. Now Adonis must decide whether he wants to be a guy who follows the herd or a man who does what's right.
Kaze no Hikaru - Taeko Watanbe
Manga. After her father and older brother are murdered, Tominaga Sei decides to pose as a boy named Kamiya Seizaburo so that she can join the Mibu-Roshigumi and avenge their deaths. Trained by Okita Soji she soon finds herself falling in love with him.
Tipping The Velvet - Sarah Walters
Tipping the Velvet follows the glittering career of Nan King - oyster girl turned music-hall star turned rent-boy turned East End tom. Nancy sees a male impersonator perform for the first time on an evening excursion to the hall. Not just any male impersonator...but the ever so seductive Miss Kitty Butler. Nance is entranced and obsessed with Kitty. She schemes to meet the object of her devotion and becomes first, Kitty's friend, then her employee/girl Friday. Her once normal life is turned topsy-turvy, filled with passionate fantasies.
Jade - Sally Watson
Always a rebel against the conventions of the eighteenth century which require her to be a meek and obedient young lady, a sixteen-year-old girl joins the pirate crew that captures the ship she is traveling on.
Leviathan Series – Scott Westerfeld
Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men. Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She’s a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered. With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn’s paths cross in the most unexpected ways, taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.
Polymorph - Scott Westerfeld
Gifted with the ability to change her gender and ethnicity at will, a young woman moves anonymously through a futuristic New York City society. She thinks she's unique until she happens upon another of her kind, one who is all-too willing to use his abilities for his own sinister ends. Now she must stop this renegade shapeshifter out to seize control of the entire post-industrial world--where illusion wears the face of reality and the ultimate prize is absolute power!
Cotton - Christopher Wilson
Lee Cotton is a black boy born white-skinned in segregated Eureka, Mississippi, in 1950. Over the course of Lee’s first twenty years, he will fall in love with the daughter of a local Klansman, get kicked senseless and left for dead on a freight train headed north, end up in St. Louis as a white man, and be drafted into the psych-ops corps in Nevada. There, a drunken accident will separate Lee from another part of his identity and change his fate yet again. Before he returns to Mississippi, he will experience up close and personal the women’s liberation movement and the dawn of the Lesbian Nation. Lee Cotton’s voice—equal parts Delta Blues and Motown—takes us on an exhilarating freedom ride through America’s preoccupation with identity politics. His funny, forgiving charm ultimately embodies a serious message: The freaks and oddities of this world may well be divine.
The Passion - Jeannette Winterson
The fantastical tale of Henri--Napoleon's cook--and Villanelle, a Venetian gondolier's daughter who has webbed feet (previously an all-male attribute), works as a croupier, picks pockets, cross-dresses, and literally loses her heart to a beautiful woman.
Written on the Body - Jeanette Winterson
The narrator, a lifelong philanderer ("I used to think marriage was a plate-glass window just begging for a brick"), has fallen in love with Louise, a pre-Raphaelite beauty. Louise is unhappily married to a workaholic cancer researcher, so the narrator leads her into a sexually combative affair. This scenario seems obvious enough, but Winterson never reveals whether the narrator is male or female. Rather, she teases readers out of their expectations about women and men and romance.
Orlando - Virginia Woolf
In her most playful and exuberant novel, Virginia Woolf writes the "historical biography" of Orlando, a young boy of nobility during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. A wild ride through four centuries, the novel shows Orlando aging, magically, only thirty-six years between 1588 and 1928. Even more magically, he also changes from a man to a woman. As she explores Orlando's life, Woolf also explores the differing roles of men and women in society during various periods, ultimately concluding that one's role as a man or woman is determined by society, rather than by birth.
Ashes in the Wind – Kathleen Woodiwiss
Romance novel. Disguised as a boy, lovely Alaina MacGaren flees the Yankee troops ravaging her Virginia plantation. When the young orphan is accosted by a group of soldiers, Yankee surgeon Cole Latimer rescues the "lad" -- never guessing that love for the rebel beauty will set duty against desire, ultimately testing his loyalties, his trust and his honor.
Lena - Jacqueline Woodson
Lena and her younger sister, Dion, set off on their own, desperate to escape their abusive father. Disguised as boys, they hitchhike along, traveling in search of their mother’s relatives. They don’t know what they will find, or who they can trust along the way, but they do know that they can’t afford to make even one single mistake. Dramatic and moving, this is a heart-wrenching story of two young girls in search of a place to call home.
Mairelon the Magician - Patricia C. Wrede
Kim doesn't hesitate when a stranger offers her a small fortune to break into the travelling magician's wagon in search of a silver bowl. Kim isn't above a bit of breaking-and-entering. Having grown up a waif in the dirty streets of London - disguised as a boy! - has schooled her in one hard lesson: steal from them before they steal from you. But there is something odd about this magician. He isn't like the other hucksters and swindlers that Kim is used to. When he catches her in the act, Kim thinks she's done for. Until he suggests she become his apprentice. Kim wonders how tough it could be faking a bit of hocus pocus. But Mairelon isn't an act. His magic is real.
The Ballad of the Pirate Queens - Jane Yolen
Two sailors were keeping watch alone when the governor's men stormed aboard the Vanity. Those two--the legend-inspiring pirate queens Anne Bonney and Mary Reade--fought bravely but called in vain for their shipmates, who sported and drank below deck. Jane Yolen's stirring ballad immortalizes these two daring women and offers readers an intriguing look at life on the high seas.
Angel Diary - Lee Yoon-hee
Manga. The Princess of Heaven, Chun-yoo, runs away from her betrothed fiance, the King of Hell, and finds refuge on Earth disguised as a high school boy, Dong-young. "He" has a perverted best friend Bi-wal who likes to grope "him" in front of everyone. The Four Guardians of Heaven are sent to find her in the mortal world. But on Earth, there is also hidden dangers and evil beings trying to capture the now vulnerable princess.
Mahabharata – Sanskrit Epic
Originally composed in Sanskrit sometime between 400 BC and 400 AD, The Mahabharata - with one hundred thousand stanzas of verse - is one of the longest poems in existence. At the heart of the saga is a conflict between two branches of a royal family whose feud culminates in a titanic eighteen-day battle. Exploring such timeless subjects as dharma (duty), artha (purpose), and kama(pleasure) in a mythic world of warfare, magic, and beauty, this is a magnificent and legendary Hindu text of immense importance to the culture of the Indian subcontinent.
As far as I know, this is the most complete list on the internet. I also have a list with fictional books with gender non-conforming/ crossdressing characters. As I find more, I'll add them.
Choir Boy – Charlie Anders
Twelve-year-old choirboy Berry wants nothing more than to remain a choirboy. Choral music and the prospect of divinity thrill him. Desperate to keep his voice from changing, he tries unsuccessfully to castrate himself, and then convinces a clinic to treat him as a transsexual. Berry begins a series of hormone pills, which keep his voice from deepening but also cause him to grow breasts. When his parents and friends discover the truth about him, Berry faces a world of unexpected gender issues that push him into a universe far more complex than anything he has experienced.
A Circus Mirror Day – Corin Ash
Emily Knight (or Edward Knight to everyone else) spends her days pretending to be a boy. When her creative writing teacher assigns a "Slice of Life" story, Emily relates a slice of her life, stagnant though it may be. Titled "A Circus Mirror Day," Emily relates what an average day entails---from confronting the evil known as the bathroom to getting through a school day unnoticed by others. Despite the challenges and safety of hiding who she really is, Emily still has room for a few dreams of a day when she will be seen and loved for the girl she is. Available online.
Goblinheart – Brett Axel
Using "fairy" and "goblin" in lieu of female and male, the author has created a timely allegorical fairy tale. A youngster named Julep, who lives in a forest tribe, insists on growing up to be a goblin rather than a fairy. The tribe learns to accept that Julep is a goblin at heart, eventually coming around to support the physical transition that must be made for Julep to live as a goblin.
I Am J – Cris Beam
J had always felt different. He was certain that eventually everyone would understand who he really was: a boy mistakenly born as a girl. Yet as he grew up, his body began to betray him; eventually J stopped praying to wake up a "real boy" and started covering up his body, keeping himself invisible -- from his parents, from his friends, from the world. But after being deserted by the best friend he thought would always be by his side, J decides that he's done hiding -- it's time to be who he really is. And this time he is determined not to give up, no matter the cost.
Becoming Drusilla – Richard Beard
A funny and original story of a friendship between two men and what happens when one of them announces he is becoming a woman. This book holds a mirror to the extraordinary in seemingly ordinary lives.
Trans-Sister Radio – Chris Bohjalian
When Allison Banks develops a crush on Dana Stevens, she knows that he will give her what she needs most: attention, gentleness, kindness, passion. Her daughter, Carly, enthusiastically witnesses the change in her mother. But then a few months into their relationship, Dana tells Allison his secret: he has always been certain that he is a woman born into the wrong skin, and soon he will have a sex-change operation. Allison, overwhelmed by the depth of her passion, and finds herself unable to leave Dana. By deciding to stay, she finds she must confront questions most people never even consider. Not only will her own life and Carly’s be irrevocably changed, she will have to contend with the outrage of a small Vermont community and come to terms with her lover’s new body–hoping against hope that her love will transcend the physical.
Beauty Queens – Libba Bray
The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.
What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?
Debbi Harry Sings in French – Meagan Brothers
Johnny’s had kind of a tough life so far, and he’s always been a bit of a freak. His goth look usually includes black nail polish and a little mascara.When he discovers Debbie Harry, the lead singer of Blondie, he not only likes her music but realizes that he kind of, sort of, wants to BE her. He’d like to be cool and tough and beautiful like her. He’d like to dress like her. He’s not gay, at least he doesn’t think so. So what does it mean? And what should he tell his amazing new girlfriend?
Man Enough – Beth Burnett
Things are going well for Davey Carter. She loves her job and she has a comfortable bed. Granted, her love life is non-existent, her pot-smoking mother is wreaking havoc in her apartment, and she is starting to suspect that her lesbian best friend might be secretly in love with her. But none of that matters when Davey meets Danny, a kind, loving, intelligent man who just may be the love of Davey's life. Until it turns out that Danny is harboring a secret of his own.
Circle of Change – Laney Cairo
Kim is in his last year of high school and just hopes to make it through the year without running into any gay bashing. The thing is, Kim is not only gay, but he's transgender, too. He's unhappy and lost in his female body, and his mother has agreed it's time for him to undergo hormone therapy and possibly surgery. Things get even more complicated when university student Dash joins Kim's mother's coven. Dash is immediately attracted to Kim and they wind up going out together, but when Kim reveals he's a female to male transgender, Dash reacts badly.
Shadoweyes – Ross Campbell
It would be insufficient to say that Shadoweyes is the most realistic graphic novel ever produced about an African American teenage girl in a future dystopia who mutates into a manga-style creature, becomes a superhero, and ends up rescuing a young girl from a zombie. Far out on the surface, the plot touches on many teen-relevant issues, such as politics, friendship, adolescence, responsibility, and loneliness. It also features a predominantly female African American cast and, with surprisingly comfortable ease, a transsexual character as well.
Be Who You Are – Jennifer Carr
Nick was born in a boy's body, but has always felt like a girl inside. Nick's family supports him when he says he no longer wants to be called a boy or dress like a boy. Nick's parents find a group for families like theirs. With their support, Nick expresses a desire to be addressed as "she", and then to be named "Hope." Based on the author's experiences with her children.
How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity – Michael Cart
A girl thought to be a boy steals her sister's skirt, while a boy thought to be a girl refuses to wear a cornflower blue dress. One boy's love of a soldier leads to the death of a stranger. The present takes a bittersweet journey into the past when a man revisits the summer school where he had "an accidental romance." And a forgotten mother writes a poignant letter to the teenage daughter she hasn't seen for fourteen years. Poised between the past and the future are the stories of now. In nontraditional narratives, short stories, and brief graphics, tales of anticipation and regret, eagerness and confusion present distinctively modern views of love, sexuality, and gender identification. Together, they reflect the vibrant possibilities available for young people learning to love others—and themselves—in today's multifaceted and quickly changing world.
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children – Kirsten Cronn-Mills
My birth name is Elizabeth, but I’m a guy. Gabe. My parents think I’ve gone crazy and the rest of the world is happy to agree with them, but I know I’m right. I’ve been a boy my whole life. When you think about it, I’m like a record. Elizabeth is my A side, the song everybody knows, and Gabe is my B side—not heard as often, but just as good. It’s time to let my B side play.
Happy Families – Tanita S. Davis
Teenage twins Ysabel and Justin Nicholas are lucky. Ysabel's jewelry designs have already caught the eyes of the art world and Justin's intelligence and drive are sure to gain him entrance into the most prestigious of colleges. They even like their parents. But their father has a secret—one that threatens to destroy the twins' happy family and life as they know it. Over the course of spring break, Ysabel and Justin will be forced to come to terms with their dad's new life, but can they overcome their fears to piece together their happy family again?
Refuse – Elliott DeLine
Refuse is the story of a 22 year old female-to-male transsexual named Dean and his would-be love affair with his college roommate, another trans man with a girlfriend and a successful indie rock band. It is an autobiographical novel and fictional memoir with many references to classic literature and the English alternative rock band The Smiths.
James Miranda Barry - Patricia Duncker
At the turn of the nineteenth century, ten-year-old James Miranda Barry enrolled as a medical student in Edinburgh, the start of a glorious career as a military surgeon. Across the Empire, Barry achieved fame not only as a brilliant physician, but also a legendary duellist and a celebrated social figure. But James Miranda Barry was also a woman. Her greatest achievement of all had been to 'pass' for a man for more than fifty years. Fictional account of a true story.
My Last Skirt - Lynda Durrant
Jennie Hodgers dressed as a boy for the first time in order to help support her impoverished Irish family with a shepherd’s wages. Then her arrival in America confirmed her belief that the world offers better opportunities to young men than to young women. So Jennie maintained her outward identity as Albert Cashier, serving as a grocery clerk in Queens, New York; as a farmhand in Ohio; and as a recruit in the 95th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War. Not only did she survive three years in combat with her true identity undiscovered, she chose to continue living as Albert for nearly all of her life. Fictional account of a true story.
The Danish Girl - David Ebershoff
Inspired by the true story of Danish painter Einar Wegener and his California-born wife, this tender portrait of a marriage asks: What do you do when someone you love wants to change? It starts with a question, a simple favor asked of a husband by his wife on an afternoon chilled by the Baltic wind while both are painting in their studio. Her portrait model has canceled, and would he mind slipping into a pair of women's shoes and stockings for a few moments so she can finish the painting on time. "Of course," he answers. "Anything at all." With that, one of the most passionate and unusual love stories of the twentieth century begins.
f2m: The Boy Within - Hazel Edwards
School-leaver Skye plays guitar in her all-female Chronic Cramps band. Making her name in the competitive punk/indie scene is easier than FTM (female to male) transitioning: from Skye to Finn, from girl to man. Uncovering genetic mysteries about family heritage tear the family apart. Trans gender identity is more than injections and surgery, it’s about acceptance. Going public, Finn sings FTM lyrics on TV. With a little help from bemused mates and family who don’t want to lose a daughter, but who love their teenager, Finn is transitioning.
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
"I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of 1974." And so begins Middlesex, the mesmerizing saga of a near-mythic Greek American family and the "roller-coaster ride of a single gene through time." The odd but utterly believable story of Cal Stephanides, and how this 41-year-old hermaphrodite was raised as Calliope.
Mom, I Need to be a Girl - Just Evelyn
This book, written by the single mother of a transsexual teenager, is a true account of their experiences wending their way through the morass of roadblocks and confusion in seeking approval for the son to become the daughter she had always been meant to be. It describes clearly the troubles that the "system" deliver to maintain the status-quo, and the overwhelming drive needed by both the child and the parent in overcoming these burdens and achieving success.
10,000 Dresses - Marcus Ewert
Every night, Bailey dreams about magical dresses: dresses made of crystals and rainbows, dresses made of flowers, dresses made of windows...Unfortunately, when Bailey's awake, no one wants to hear about these beautiful dreams. Quite the contrary. "You're a boy!" Mother and Father tell Bailey. "You shouldn't be thinking about dresses at all." Then Bailey meets Laurel, an older girl who is touched and inspired by Bailey's imagination and courage. In friendship, the two of them begin making dresses together. And Bailey's dreams come true!
Stone Butch Blues – Leslie Feinberg
Woman or man? Thats the question that rages like a storm around Jess Goldberg, clouding her life and her identity. Growing up differently gendered in a blue--collar town in the 1950s, coming out as a butch in the bars and factories of the prefeminist 60s, deciding to pass as a man in order to survive when she is left without work or a community in the early 70s. This powerful, provocative and deeply moving novel sees Jess coming full circle, she learns to accept the complexities of being a transgendered person in a world demanding simple explanations: a he-she emerging whole, weathering the turbulence.
Game Night: A Role-Play Novel - Leela Ginelle
Game Night is a novel about Jenny and Taylor, a couple with secrets. Or is it about Denny, a transperson trying to navigate zis way in the world? Or is it about Leela Ginelle, a writer with a troubled past? It's all of these things and more. Post-modern, experimental, and autobiographical, it's a house of mirrors, as disorienting and exhilarating an experience as transitioning itself!
Being Emily - Rachel Gold
They say that whoever you are it’s okay, you were born that way. Those words don’t comfort Emily, because she was born Christopher and her insides know that her outsides are all wrong. They say that it gets better, be who are you and it’ll be fine. For Emily, telling her parents who she really is means a therapist who insists Christopher is normal and Emily is sick. Telling her girlfriend means lectures about how God doesn’t make that kind of mistake. Emily desperately wants high school in her small Minnesota town to get better. She wants to be the woman she knows is inside, but it’s not until a substitute therapist and a girl named Natalie come into her life that she believes she has a chance of actually Being Emily. A story for anyone who has ever felt that the inside and outside don’t match and no one else will understand...
Charley's Choice - Fern J. Hill
A fictional retelling of Charley Parkhurst's life. Charley Parkhurst ran away from an orphanage, worked hard learning horse craft, and, over the ensuing years, earned a hallmark reputation driving a six-up in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Georgia, and California during the gold rush era. When death overtook Charley many long-time friends and acquaintances were astounded to learn the tough old stage-driver was a well-endowed woman who had given birth at some point in her life. A member of the all male Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Charley was the first woman to vote in California during the 1868 federal election, fifty-three years before women won the right to vote.
The Changeling - Kate Horsley
The Changeling is the story of Grey, a peasant girl who is raised as a boy, and who, until adolescence, never doubts herself to be male. The revelation of her womanhood marks the beginning of her journey through a succession of changing identities—including son, wife, warrior, and mother—each of which brings its own special wisdom, but none of which, she discovers, can ultimately define her. In the course of her adventurous life, Grey deals with all the challenges of her tumultuous age—from political oppression to corrupt Church hierarchy to the horrors of the Black Death—ultimately finding peace and a kind of redemption by embracing the beautifully impermanent quality of identity that her unusual life has enabled her to understand.
Jumpstart the World - Catherine Ryan Hyde
Elle is a loner. She doesn't need people. Which is a good thing, because now she has to move out of her apartment so her mother's boyfriend won't have to deal with her. Then she meets Frank, the guy who lives next door to her new place. Being with him is impossible: he's a grown-up and has a girlfriend. Still, Elle can't stop thinking about him. Frank isn't like anyone Elle has ever met. He listens to her. He's gentle. And Elle is falling for him, hard. Then Elle discovers that Frank is different in a way that Elle was never prepared for: he's transgender. Elle's head and her heart explode; her world is turned upside down. But when an accident nearly takes Frank's life, Elle must search inside herself to find not only the true meaning of friendship but her own role in jumpstarting the world.
All She Wanted - Aphrodite Jones
Living as a man, twenty-one-year-old Teena Brandon hit the dust bowl town of Falls City, Nebraska, on the run from her family in Lincoln - and from the law for forging checks. Handsome and sophisticated, Brandon was an instant success, with young women hanging all over him. But when Brandon started to date the beautiful blonde Lana Tisdel, her luck ran out. In a terrifying incident on Christmas Eve, Brandon's true sexual identity was unmasked. On New Year's Eve, Brandon, her roommate, and a friend were found shot to death in an isolated farmhouse. Writing with exclusive cooperation of Brandon's ex-girlfriends and family, the accused murderers, and numerous other sources, Aphrodite Jones explores the extravagant life and violent death of Teena Brandon, as well as the investigation and murder trial. Jones lays bare an America where many young people boldly experiment with gender identity, challenging our ideas of male and female, gay and straight - and where Teena Brandon and her friends paid a terrible price for sexual freedom.
Almost Perfect - Brian Katcher
A small-town Missouri boy's world is rocked when he falls for the new girl at school, and she eventually confesses that she is a biological male. Logan's world is small, as is his mind at first, but throughout the book he grows to accept and love Sage for who—not what—she is. This remarkable book takes a hard look at the difficulties and pain experienced by young male-to-female transsexuals from an easily relatable perspective, as Julie Ann Peters did in Luna . Logan is a conservative 18-year-old Everyman whose generic voice isn't—and doesn't need to be—anything special; although readers follow his growth, it is Sage's story that is truly important.
Trumpet - Jackie Kay
A curious and haunting story about mixed-race jazz trumpeter Joss Moody, who turns out, on his death, to have been a woman all along. The story begins with that discovery. Thereafter it traces its consequences for his white wife Millie, who always knew, and his adopted black son Colman, who didn't. Millie rehearses the stages of her relationship with Joss, reworking an intense and abiding love and commitment in which gender is, oddly, never really an issue. Colman, by contrast, is driven, in the period immediately following his father's death, by anger and an intense feeling of betrayal, to try to "out" his father, and complete his humiliation as a kind of personal expiation. As he retraces the steps of Joss's life, however, he begins gradually to change his mind.
Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy Tipton - Dianne Middlebrook
Billy Tipton was a jazz performer who played in clubs throughout the Midwest for nearly 50 years. Tipton never made the big time as a musician and ended up working as a booking agent in Spokane, Washington. Only with Tipton's death in 1989 was it revealed that the five-times-married father to three boys was biologically female. Diane Wood Middlebrook's biography describes the transformation of Dorothy Tipton, a white Oklahoman who was not allowed to play jazz because she was a girl, into Billy Tipton, a male pianist and bandleader. The author traces the life of this itinerant jazz musician over several decades and through changing constructions of gender.
Cheeky Angel - Hiroyuki Nishimori
Manga. The story revolves around the adventures of 15-year old schoolgirl Megumi Amatsuka, a popular and beautiful tomboy that always get into fights with a secret: she used to be a boy.
Who I Am and What I Want – David Michael O'Quinn
Desiré Andersen has been through a lot in her life. From her grandmother dying, being kicked out of the apartment she shares with her mother and brother, and leaving her pimp boyfriend. Finally on the straight and narrow she gets a retail job and quickly moves up in Hollywood. Like most things in life her heart gets in the way threatening to hold her back. A series of events over the course of four years leads her to figure out who she is as a person not just a transsexual and what she wants out of life as far as career, love, and family.
Invisile Monsters - Chuck Palahniuck
The fashion-model protagonist of Invisible Monsters has just about everything: a boyfriend, a career, a loyal best friend. But one day she's driving along the freeway when a sudden "accident" leaves her with half her face, no ability to speak, and next to no self-esteem. From being the beautiful center of attention she becomes an invisible monster, so hideous that no one will acknowledge she exists. Enter Brandy Alexander, Queen Supreme, one operation away from becoming a real woman; Brandy will teach her that reinventing yourself means erasing the past and making up something better. And that salvation hides in the last places you'll ever want to look.
Luna - Julie Anne Peters
Regan's brother Liam can't stand the person he is during the day. Like the moon from whom Liam has chosen his female namesake, his true self, Luna, only reveals herself at night. In the secrecy of his basement bedroom Liam transforms himself into the beautiful girl he longs to be, with help from his sister's clothes and makeup. Now, everything is about to change-Luna is preparing to emerge from her cocoon. But are Liam's family and friends ready to welcome Luna into their lives? Compelling and provocative, this is an unforgettable novel about a transgender teen's struggle for self-identity and acceptance.
If You Believe In Mermaids...Don't Tell - A. A. Philips
Some things you just can't say, even to your parents. "Dad, did you ever want to be a mermaid?" Nope. Don't say it. Not if you're a boy. You gotta keep it inside. Maybe thirteen-year-old Todd Winslow is the best diver at summer camp. If only diving could save him. Underwater is a much kinder world, a secret mermaid world that no one else can know about - not Dad, and definitely not Brad, the camp's numero uno bad boy. Todd tries to fit in, playing nice with flirty model-wannabe Sylvie and shunning nature-nerd Olivia - but you can only fool people for so long. Brad is watching every move, ready to expose all that's different about Todd. Then there's the doll thing. And Dad finds out. How will Todd survive now?
S/He - Minnie Bruce Pratt
This memoir chronicles Pratt’s struggle to overcome the repressive traditions of Southern womanhood and live her life honestly. It chronicles her youth, her marriage, her eventual decision to come out as a lesbian, and her life with transgendered activist and author Leslie Feinberg.
Inside Out: A Mystery - Natalie Price
Boston prison superintendent Natalie "Nat" Price investigates the physical and emotional wreckage left by the brutal slashing of a transsexual, Dr. Lynn Ingram. Lynn's dicey past includes jail time for the "self-defense" killing of a prominent Boston attorney, a brief marriage back while she was a man and estrangement from her bigoted, suddenly wealthy parents. Title treats this potentially garish case with psychological empathy and restraint. A complex and seldom cliched heroine, Nat operates in an original milieu, Horizon House, a prerelease facility. But the reader may feel like one of Nat's colleagues, who scolds her, "Fine for you to go latching on to one suspect after another."
The Sweet In-Between: A Novel - Sheri Reynolds
Nearing eighteen years old and facing confusion over her sexuality, Kenny binds her chest with ACE bandages and keeps her hair cropped short like a boy’s. Her gender ambiguity makes her an outcast at school and, even at times, at home, where her adopted family isn’t really sure what to make of her. When a senseless murder occurs in their run-down coastal town—a college student mistakenly entering the wrong home is killed—Kenny becomes obsessed with thoughts of the dead girl and with her own fears that she will be alone in the world when she turns eighteen. She makes it her mission to become indispensable to Aunt Glo in the hopes that she can win the older woman’s love, despite their not being bound by blood.
Riding Freedom - Pam Munoz Ryan
Readers adventure with Charlotte Parkhurst as she first finds work as a stable hand, becomes a famous stage-coach driver (performing brave feats and outwitting bandits), finds love as a woman but later resumes her identity as a man after the loss of a baby and the tragic death of her husband, and ultimately settles out west on the farm she'd dreamed of having since childhood. It wasn't until after her death that anyone discovered she was a woman. Fictional account of a true story.
The Last Time I Wore A Dress - Daphne Scholinski
This terrifying memoir recounts author Daphne Scholinski's three years spent in mental institutions for, among other things, Gender Identity Disorder. Daphne came from a busted home: Mom left to go to college and become a feminist and an artist; Dad stayed home with two daughters, the elder of whom, Daphne, he often beat. When Daphne started acting up at school, her shrinks decided to put her away. Her family, not knowing how to handle her, agreed. Because she was a tomboy who wore jeans and T-shirts and didn't act enough like a girl, her treatment, in addition to talk therapy, isolation, and drugs, required her to wear makeup, walk with a swing in her hips, and pretend to be obsessed with boys.
Confessions of A Teenage Hermaphrodite - Lianne Simon
From the heart of an intersex teen, one who must ultimately choose male or female--family or true love--comes the story of a deeply emotional and perilous journey home. This is a young adult novel unlike any other--an authentic portrayal of the issues faced by a child growing up with a sexually ambiguous body. Jameson can be like other boys after minor surgery and a few years on testosterone Well, at least that's what his parents always say. But Jamie sees an elfin princess in the mirror, and male hormones would only ruin her pretty face. For him to become the man his parents expect, Jameson must leave behind the hopes and dreams of a little girl. But what is so wrong with Jamie's dreams that they can't be her life?
Wandering Son Series- Shimura Takako
Manga. The story depicts a young student named Shuichi Nitori, described by the author as a boy who wants to be a girl, and his friend Yoshino Takatsuki, described as a girl who wants to be a boy.
With A Silent Companion - Florida Town
Inspired by the true story of Margaret Ann Bulkley, a young woman born in nineteenth-century Ireland. Her heart broken by the constant threat of poverty but her spirit awakened by the challenge of two gentlemen. Margaret enrolls in medicine at Edinburgh University and, after years of dedicated study, becomes a surgeon. It is a story of struggle and triumph made all the more exceptional because Margaret Anne Bulkley does it disguised as a man.
Sacred Country - Rose Tremain
I have a secret to tell you, dear, and this is it: I am not Mary. That is a mistake. I am not a girl. I'm a boy." Mary's fight to become Martin, her claustrophobic small town, and her troubled family make up the core of this remarkable and intimate, emotional yet unsentimental novel.
Please Don't Kill The Freshman: A Memoir - Zoe Trope
Zoe's entries chronicle her tortured search for truth in love and art, her faltering faith in the value of activism in the face of universal apathy, and her bottomless disdain for just about every figure and fixture in her high school life. The language is undeniably raw-a hip mixture of bald statement, cyberesque shorthand, and stream-of-consciousness prose. Her frank accounts of her transgender search for the perfect kiss and her first girlfriend who becomes her first boyfriend will surely shock certain audiences.
Bye-Bye Black Sheep: A Mommy-Track Mystery - Ayelet Waldman
A new arrival in the bestselling mystery series. Private Investigators Juliet Applebaum and Al Hockey finally have a steady stream of clients coming through their garage-turned-office. But they'll realize it's no child's play tracking down the killer of a gorgeous transsexual's sister.
Boy in the Dress - David Williams
Dennis was different. Why was he different, you ask? Well, a small clue might be in the title of this book!
Annabel - Kathleen Winter
Kathleen Winter’s luminous debut novel is a deeply affecting portrait of life in an enchanting seaside town and the trials of growing up unique in a restrictive environment. In 1968, into the devastating, spare atmosphere of the remote coastal town of Labrador, Canada, a child is born: a baby who appears to be neither fully boy nor fully girl, but both at once. Only three people are privy to the secret—the baby’s parents, Jacinta and Treadway, and a trusted neighbor and midwife, Thomasina. Though Treadway makes the difficult decision to raise the child as a boy named Wayne, the women continue to quietly nurture the boy’s female side. And as Wayne grows into adulthood within the hyper-masculine hunting society of his father, his shadow-self, a girl he thinks of as “Annabel,” is never entirely extinguished.
Parrotfish - Ellen Wittlinger
Angela Katz-McNair has never felt quite right as a girl, but it's a shock to everyone when she cuts her hair short, buys some men's clothes, and announces she'd like to be called by a new name, Grady. Although Grady is happy about his decision to finally be true to himself, everybody else is having trouble processing the news. Grady's parents act hurt; his sister is mortified; and his best friend, Eve, won't acknowledge his existence. On top of that, there are more practical concerns--for instance, which locker room is he supposed to use for gym class? Grady didn't expect his family and friends to be happy about his decision, but he also didn't expect kids at school to be downright nasty about it. But as the victim of some cruel jokes, Grady also finds unexpected allies, including the school geek Sebastian, and Kita Charles, who's a gorgeous senior.
She's My Dad - Iolanthe Woulff
For decades, ultra-liberal Windfield College has been a thorn in the side of Northern Virginia's hidebound elite. When a teaching position unexpectedly becomes available, the school hires a former male graduate - now a transsexual woman named Nickie Farrell - as an assistant professor of English. Hoping to find peace, Nickie keeps her secret under wraps until ambitious lesbian student reporter Cinda Vanderhart outs her. And Cinda has noticed something else: both Nickie and a young townie waiter named Collie Skinner have a genetic quirk which causes their eyes to be different colors. Convinced that the similarity is no coincidence, Cinda begins an investigation to discover the connection between them.
The Butterfly and the Flame - Dana de Young
"There's something you need to know about Emily..." In the year 2404, America is no more. In a land ruled by the oppressive theocracy known as the Dominion of Divinity, being gay is a capital offense, adultery is punished with the lash, women are forbidden to work, and forced marriages are common. Fifteen-year-old Emily La Rouche faces an impossible choice. On her sixteenth birthday, she will be forced to marry Jonathan Marsh, the son of her landlord. If she refuses, her family will lose everything. If she takes his hand, it is certain that her life will end by a hangman's noose in front of an angry mob. All because Emily has been hiding an enormous secret for years-she was born a boy. As the wedding approaches, Emily's parents realize the only way that she will be safe is if she is to escape the Dominion. With her brother Aaron at her side, Emily flees across post-apocalyptic America in search for a new home. With vile bounty hunters on her trail, only time will tell if Emily will ever find a place where she can live and breathe free as the person she was always meant to be.
Over the past year and a half I have been gathering research concerning transsexualism. I have a tendency to obsess over topics, and as this concerns me very personally, it obviously interests me greatly. Lately, I've been trying to organize the information I have gathered and form it into a coherent entity. Obviously this is an ongoing project, but I hope my posts can also benefit others as it took me a long time to find information.
- Films Concerning/With Gender Non-Conforming Characters
- Binding
- Legal Transition
- Social Transition
- Other Disorders and Transsexualism
- Detransition/ Regrets
- Transsexuality vs. Non-conformity to Typical Gender Stereotypes
- Other Healthcare
Honestly, I'm very stubborn about the things I do, so these will be long drawn-out affairs as I have a lot of articles and books and such. I will definitely be citing sources.
Also, if anyone else wishes to contribute, maybe even from the MTF side of things, feel free to say hi.
