Before Gender: Lost Stories from Trans History, 1850-1950

by Eli Erlick

Overview

Explore the trailblazing lives of 30 trans people who radically change everything you’ve been told about transgender history

Highlighting influential individuals from 1850-1950 who are all but unknown today, Eli Erlick shares 30 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.

Organized into 4 parts paralleling today’s controversies over gender identity (kids, activists, workers, and athletes), Before Gender introduces figures whose forgotten stories transform the discussion

• Mark and David Ferrow, two of the first trans teens to access gender-affirming medical treatment following overwhelming support from their friends, family, and neighbors.
• Gerda von Zobeltitz, a trans countess who instigated an LGBTQ+ riot 40 years before Stonewall.
• Frank Williams, a young trans man who was fired from over a dozen jobs for his gender.
• Frances Anderson, the world’s 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807017357
Publisher:	Beacon Press
Publication date:	05/27/2025
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Eli Erlick is an internationally acclaimed activist, author, and educator. In 2011, she founded Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER), a national organization dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans students. In the years that followed, Erlick has been at the forefront of social justice issues through her research, organizing, and cultural criticism. Blending innovative research with cutting-edge activism, she undertook her doctoral studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. 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. You can learn more about her work at www.elierlick.com.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION: REWRITING THE NARRATIVE

The Issues
Pop History
Trans Before Gender
Lessons from Lost Trans History

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: Elsie Marks
The Dancer: Albín 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: Agustín Rodríguez
The Pentathlete: Stefan Pekar
The Wrestler: Bill Winters
The Teammates: Léon Caurla and Pierre Brésolles

CONCLUSION: A NEW GENDER HISTORY
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
NOTES
INDEX

Editorial Reviews

Brilliant . . . [A]n essential and eye-opening paradigm shift.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“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 José Rizal in the afterword: ‘Know history, know self. No history, no self.’”
—BookPage, Starred Review

“Erlick powerfully—and compellingly—argues that it’s not the existence of transgender people that’s new; what’s new is the anxiety around them.”
—Library Journal

“[A] riveting, compassionate collection of life stories . . . The historical biographies collected in Before Gender show that, while society’s language about gender has changed, trans people have always been part of communities around the world—and that it’s crucial to get to know their stories.”
—Foreword Reviews

“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

“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

“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

From the Publisher