
Before Gender
Lost stories from trans history 1850-1950
Eli Erlick(Author)
Manchester University Press
Published on 10. June 2025
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-5261-9271-4 (ISBN)
Description
Discover the trailblazing lives of thirty trans people who will radically change everything you've been told about transgender history.
Highlighting influential individuals from 1850 to 1950 who are all but unknown today, Eli Erlick shares thirty remarkable stories from romance to rebellion and mystery to murder. These narratives chronicle the grit, joy and survival of trans people long before gender became an everyday term.
Organised into four parts, paralleling today's controversies over gender identity - kids, activists, workers and athletes - Before Gender introduces figures whose forgotten stories transform the discussion. These ground-breaking histories include two of the first teens to access gender-affirming medical treatment, a countess who instigated an LGBTQ+ riot forty years before Stonewall and the greatest female billiards player of the 1910s.
Bold and visionary, Erlick's debut uncovers these lost stories from the depths of the archives to narrate trans lives in a way that has never been attempted before. -- .
Highlighting influential individuals from 1850 to 1950 who are all but unknown today, Eli Erlick shares thirty remarkable stories from romance to rebellion and mystery to murder. These narratives chronicle the grit, joy and survival of trans people long before gender became an everyday term.
Organised into four parts, paralleling today's controversies over gender identity - kids, activists, workers and athletes - Before Gender introduces figures whose forgotten stories transform the discussion. These ground-breaking histories include two of the first teens to access gender-affirming medical treatment, a countess who instigated an LGBTQ+ riot forty years before Stonewall and the greatest female billiards player of the 1910s.
Bold and visionary, Erlick's debut uncovers these lost stories from the depths of the archives to narrate trans lives in a way that has never been attempted before. -- .
Reviews / Votes
Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History'Before Gender is at once a vital weapon in the fight against the denial of trans history and a heart-stopping collection of human stories. I'm thrilled to know the people in its pages and I already know they will stay with me.'
Kit Heyam, author of Before We Were Trans
'An eye-opening read, crisply written, on such a timely topic.'
Susan Stryker, author of Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution
'With this tour de force history of thirty trans people from 1850 to 1950, Eli Erlick shows us a whole new side to trans narratives that both informs and entertains.'
Riki Wilchins, author of Queer Theory/Gender Theory
'We are so lucky to have a gifted storyteller unearth these lost tales of our trans and nonbinary forebears, and weave them all together into this heartwarming, uplifting book. Before Gender shows that history can be both entertaining and impactful while addressing the most pressing issues for trans people today.'
Kate Bornstein, author of Gender Outlaw
'Not only have trans people always existed; we have always sought ways to live fuller and more authentic lives. Before Gender chronicles trans people from 1850 to 1950 growing up, working, falling in love, getting in trouble, playing sports and building community as we've always done and always will do.'
Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer
'Before Gender is unique from works by the likes of Serano or Stryker, who include valuable trans stories but do not hold them as the central focus. While invaluable to gender scholars, the book, in its narrative structure, reaches beyond the academy and will undoubtedly be of value to activists and allies seeking a grounded historical examination of trans life as a counterargument to rising anti-trans politics.'
Maedbh Pierce, LSE Review of Books
'Trans readers will find powerful validation within Before Gender, and all readers will learn history that helps them make sense of our current moment. As Erlick quotes activist Jose Rizal in the afterword: 'Know history, know self. No history, no self.' Before Gender is a powerful antidote to hatred and an affirmation of trans lives.'
BookPage starred review -- .
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Manchester
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
22 black & white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
504 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5261-9271-4 (9781526192714)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
06/2025
Manchester University Press
€29.49
Available for download
Person
Eli Erlick is an internationally acclaimed activist, author and educator. In 2011, she founded Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER), an organisation dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans students. Since then, she has been at the forefront of social justice issues through her research, organising and cultural criticism. Erlick's work and writing have been featured in hundreds of outlets, including the New York Times, Time Magazine and the Washington Post. She lives in New York City, where she continues to fight for trans liberation. -- .
Content
Introduction: rewriting the narrative
THE KIDS
The brothers: Mark and David Ferrow
The outlaw: Effie Smith
The singer: Masoud El Amaratly
The shoemaker: Ray Leonard
The lover: Mabel Stanley
The girl bandit: Emma Heinrich
The horse thief: Willie Ray
THE ACTIVISTS
The freed woman: Sally-Tom
The countess: Gerda von Zobeltitz
The petitioner: Carl Crawford
The runaway: Mollie Wilson
The healer: Muksamse'lapli
The pacifist: Sadie Acosta
The community leader: Georgia Black
The guardian: Okiyo
The professor: Maude Milbourne
THE WORKERS
The maid: Josephine Robinson
The cobra woman: Elise Marks
The dancer: Albin Pleva
The florist: John Berger
The butler: Alfred Grouard
The craftswoman: Ann Storcy
The boy-of-all-work: Frank Williams
THE ATHLETES
The billiardist: Frances Anderson
The matador: Agustin Rodriguez
The pentathlete: Stefan Pekar
The wrestler: Bill Winters
The teammates: Leon Caurla and Pierre Bresolles
Conclusion: a new gender history
Index -- .
THE KIDS
The brothers: Mark and David Ferrow
The outlaw: Effie Smith
The singer: Masoud El Amaratly
The shoemaker: Ray Leonard
The lover: Mabel Stanley
The girl bandit: Emma Heinrich
The horse thief: Willie Ray
THE ACTIVISTS
The freed woman: Sally-Tom
The countess: Gerda von Zobeltitz
The petitioner: Carl Crawford
The runaway: Mollie Wilson
The healer: Muksamse'lapli
The pacifist: Sadie Acosta
The community leader: Georgia Black
The guardian: Okiyo
The professor: Maude Milbourne
THE WORKERS
The maid: Josephine Robinson
The cobra woman: Elise Marks
The dancer: Albin Pleva
The florist: John Berger
The butler: Alfred Grouard
The craftswoman: Ann Storcy
The boy-of-all-work: Frank Williams
THE ATHLETES
The billiardist: Frances Anderson
The matador: Agustin Rodriguez
The pentathlete: Stefan Pekar
The wrestler: Bill Winters
The teammates: Leon Caurla and Pierre Bresolles
Conclusion: a new gender history
Index -- .