There’s probably never been a more important Trans Awareness Month than this one, coming as it does after an election that inspired a record number of phone calls from trans youth to suicide prevention hotlines. This Sunday is the Trans Day of Remembrance, and the grim reality is that post-election suicides have likely been added to the death toll. Besides drawing attention to the occasion, I thought Geeks OUT readers might be interested in these five sci-fi/fantasy novels dealing with trans themes. I am indebted to Geeks OUT blogger Eli Knight, a proud trans man, for his help in creating this article.
Dreadnought by April Daniels: The Mary Sue contributor Daniels wrote this young adult novel about a transgender superheroine. It’s cool enough that this exists, but Dreadnought smartly encompasses both the complexities of life as a transgender young woman and the archetypal superhero stuff, like biomechanical big bad Utopia and a potential extinction level event.
The Ghetto Goddess Series by Dane Figueroa Edidi: Trans witches of color fight the forces of darkness in Baltimore! Do you need anything else?? Oh, and the trilogy is written by a critically acclaimed trans author.
Silk by Caitlin Kiernan: Over the summer my Monster Nation YouTube channel did a series of episodes spotlighting LGBT folks in the horror genre, and my co-host David Rondinelli discovered transgender author Kiernan, who’s been called “the spiritual god daughter of H.P. Lovecraft.” She’s written a ton of books; this one, about a girl with something sinister locked in her brain, earned raves from none other than Neil Gaiman.
Eitan’s Chord by Shira Glassman: Hanukkah’s coming up, and you could find worse ways to celebrate than by reading this story involving a trans male/cisgender female couple who are helped out by a trio of frisky Hanukkah fairies—including “cute butch ‘Latke.’” Mazeltof!
The Unintentional Time Traveler by Everett Maroon: Another YA novel, this one centered on a fifteen year old boy named Jack who finds himself time hopping across years and genders when he awakens in the body of Jacqueline. Readers have compared it to Back to the Future, while Maroon has also written for Original Plumbing and Bitch magazines.
*For more on the Trans Day of Remembrance, visit tdor.info *