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This Women’s History Month, let’s not forget the scope of womanhood. For a long time, the only women whose stories were told were straight, white women — but not anymore!
In light of the current wave of transphobia sweeping the nation, I wanted to celebrate the importance and raw beauty of trans women and their voices. For all the struggles that women experience, trans women have it much, much harder. Try being accepted as a woman, never mind a professional in one’s chosen field.
In the following memoirs, you’ll experience the hardships of trans women, but also their endurance, their courage and their triumph — finding acceptance not just from their communities, but from themselves.
Paper Doll: Notes From A Late Bloomer by Dylan Mulvaney
TikTok personality and actress Dylan Mulvaney shares a deeply personal and heartfelt journey of self-discovery in this candid memoir. Reflecting on her experiences as a transgender woman in the public eye, she chronicles the highs and lows of her transition, from childhood struggles to viral fame and the challenges that came with it. Through a combination of journal entries and essays, Mulvaney offers insight into gender identity, self-acceptance and the power of embracing authenticity. With a mixture of humor and vulnerability, she navigates relationships, societal expectations and personal growth, all while advocating for love and understanding.
I Have Always Been Me by Precious Brady-Davis
Growing up in the Omaha foster care system and the highly restrictive Pentecostal faith, Precious Brady-Davis — a biracial, gender-nonconforming kid — often faced rejection and isolation, and struggled to find where she truly belonged. Despite these challenges, Precious embraced her identity and found strength in self-love, advocacy and community. Her story takes readers through moments of triumph and hardship — from discovering her voice as an activist to navigating love, career and motherhood. She shares the lessons learned along the way to prove that identity is not just about who you are but also about who you choose to become.
Horse Barbie by Geena Rocero
Her competitors called her “Horse Barbie,” mocking her for her statuesque physique, tumbling hair, long neck and dark skin, but Geena Rocero claimed the name as her own as she boldly became herself. Growing up in the Philippines, a culture that celebrates trans pageant queens, Geena found early affirmation in the world of beauty competitions. But behind the glamour was a deeper struggle — navigating gender identity, family expectations and, later, the realities of immigration. After moving to the U.S., she built a successful career while keeping her past hidden, until she made the life-changing decision to come out publicly. With courage and vulnerability, this story proves that true beauty comes from embracing who you are.
I Heard Her Call My Name by Lucy Sante
For decades, Lucy Sante lived as a respected writer and intellectual, yet something remained unspoken within her. As she began to confront her true identity, she embarked on a transformative journey of gender transition, embracing the woman she had always been. Through vivid storytelling, she reflects on her past, relationships and the ways gender shaped her experiences long before she could name it. With unflinching honesty, she details the challenges of coming out later in life, the joy of self-acceptance, and the profound shifts in her understanding of selfhood. Interwoven with cultural and literary reflections, her story is both intensely personal and universally resonant.
Burn the Page: A True Story of Torching Doubts, Blazing Trails, and Igniting Change by Danica Roem
In this inspirational memoir-meets-manifesto, Danica Roem shares her journey from being a local journalist to making history in politics as the nation’s first openly transgender state legislator. She candidly discusses the challenges she faced, including overcoming personal doubts and societal barriers related to her gender identity. Burn the Page is so much more than a stump speech: it’s an extremely inspiring manifesto about how it’s possible to set fire to the stories you don’t want to be in anymore, whether written by you or about you by someone else — and rewrite your own future. Through her story, Roem aims to inspire readers to confront their fears, challenge the status quo, and pursue their passions unapologetically.
Please Miss: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Penis by Grace Lavery
Told with humor and irreverence, this genre-defying memoir follows a trans woman’s journey through transition, academia and self-reinvention, rejecting conventional narratives in favor of something more playful and subversive. Through a mix of memoir, theory and satire, Grace Lavery dismantles societal expectations around gender and literature, challenging what it means to truly change. The book navigates moments of absurdity, tenderness and raw honesty, exploring the intersections of desire, intellect and identity with a fiercely unique voice. At once a reflection on the deeply personal and a critique of cultural norms, this work refuses to be neatly categorized, much like the life it describes.
As a Woman: What I Learned About Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned by Paula Stone Williams
Married father of three and prominent figure in the evangelical community, Dr. Paula Stone Williams’ life changed more than she ever expected when she transitioned from male to female at the age of sixty. Through personal stories and thoughtful analysis, Paula reflects on her life as a man and contrasts it with her new life as a woman, uncovering the vast differences in how she is treated, perceived and respected. She delves into the complexities of navigating societal expectations, gender roles and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways women are oppressed, examining how power dynamics play out differently for women and men, both in the workplace and in everyday life.
It Gets Better… Except When It Gets Worse: And Other Unsolicited Truths I Wish Someone Had Told Me by Nicole Maines
This candid memoir offers an intimate glimpse into the life of a trailblazing trans actress and activist, Nicole Maines, from her childhood in rural Maine to Hollywood fame. After navigating the struggles of childhood with the help of her supportive family, Nicole seemed to reach her “happily ever after” when she became TV’s first live-action transgender superhero. Nicole shares personal stories of mental health struggles, public scrutiny and self-acceptance, dismantling myths about happiness and success. With humor and raw honesty, she highlights the nonlinear path of growth and the importance of embracing life’s messy realities.
Make It Count: My Fight to Become the First Transgender Olympic Runner by CeCé Telfer
Born in Jamaica, CeCé Telfer — the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA title — faced early challenges due to her gender identity, but found solace in running. After relocating to the U.S., she continued her athletic pursuits, eventually competing on the women’s track team at Franklin Pierce University. Her journey was fraught with obstacles, including transphobia, financial hardships and regulatory barriers that hindered her Olympic aspirations. Despite these challenges, Telfer’s resilience and dedication to her sport shined through, offering readers a poignant look into the life of a trailblazing athlete who continues to advocate for inclusivity and equality in sports.
This Body I Wore by Diana Goetsch
This memoir chronicles Diana Goetsch’s long journey to late transition, as the trans community emerges alongside her. “How can you spend your life face-to-face with an essential fact about yourself and still not see it?” This is a question often asked of trans people, and a question that Goetsch, an award-winning poet and essayist, addresses with the power and complexity of lived reality. She brings us into her childhood, her time as a dynamic and beloved teacher at New York City’s Stuyvesant High School, and her plunge into the city’s crossdressing subculture in the 1980s and ’90s. Goetsch has written not a transition memoir, but rather a full account of a trans life, one both unusually public and closeted.
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