The trans rights readathon is a week-long challenge where readers are called upon to read/uplift books featuring trans/nonbinary/2spirit/etc. characters OR by authors fitting those categories. More here! It starts today (March 17th). If you’re looking for recommendations, here are a few (mostly historical romances) I have read over the years (or am currently reading) that fit those categories, organized by era. (Note that when a book is the first in a series, I’ve only mentioned the first one.)
Ancient
Sword Dance, by AJ Demas. Yes, I majored in philosophy as an undergrad.
Nineteenth Century
A Gentleman’s Gentleman, by TJ Alexander. A sort of regency fantasia.
A Bloomy Head, by J. Winifred Butterworth. Come for the gender, stay for the murder.
The Scandalous Letters of V and J, by Felicia Davin. Post-Revolutionary France gender magic!
Twentieth Century
Widdershins and Unhallowed, by Jordan L. Hawk. Two great series set in Widdershins, MA, a weird, creepy, perfect place. I also deeply love the reclaiming of Lovecraftian horror for queerness! Lovecraft would have hated it, which is reason enough.
Oh! You Pretty Things, by Jane Hadley. Set in Minneapolis in 1970; Arthur is gonna be so happy when he finally hears the word “nonbinary” in ten years.
Twenty-First Century
Rules for Ghosting, by Shelly Jay Shore. I wrote about this recently, but it’s so sweet and so Jewish, I love it.
Not romance honorable mention:
Tiger Honor, by Yoon Ha Lee. YA. This is the middle book in a trilogy, but my 8yo read it first. They appreciated the nonbinary main character and also the space battles.
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter, by Alexis Hall. Not gonna lie, this is probably my favorite of Hall’s books. It is Sherlock Holmes meets HP Lovecraft, and you should read it. This is such a weird, fun book.