I thought this might be interesting to other LGBTQIA+ folks who are interested in queer scholarship, trans stories and how queer elders interact(ed) with gender identity - the publication of Transgender Tapestry magazine was even sold at some Barnes & Nobles! (Source: me). It began as a newsletter in 1979 titled TS-Tapestry.

Scans of Transgender Tapestry are available on archive.org The Digital Transgender Archive is a more precise listing that has a bit more information, however, it links back to the scans on archive.org. I haven't had a chance to further look into the digital transgender archive in general, but it looks like a great resource to dig into. Transgender Tapestry Magazine Index archives the covers and contents straight from the source, and may be helpful in narrowing down which magazines will cover topics of interest ifge.org, The International Foundation for Gender Education, was the organization that printed Transgender Tapestry. The website was last updated in 2012 as far as I can tell, but was once considered a premier source of trans-related information The Wikipedia Article for the IFGE concisely discusses the history of IFGE and the formation and history of Transgender Tapestry

FURTHER CONTEXT: After a really excellent conversation with @teddydee on their critical review of The Lilac People and its modern and therefore limited view on language around historical trans and queer identity, I got to thinking about how I first educated myself on trans identity in the early 00s, and my recollection over reading real historical letters from trans folk of the past in this magazine, as well as other offerings like sex advice, book and movie reviews, and interviews with prominent figures from entertainers to activists. Even at at the time of reading it, I was occasionally shocked at language that I had only known to be used offensively and pejoratively, but was clearly being used in a positive manner in context.

I'm psyched about how much historical fiction we have these days that includes trans identity and relationships, but I fear some of it fuels a kind of revisionist narrative, only pulling from modern understanding and philosophies about gender as some terms have been deemed offensive or limiting, and new terms are preferred. It sometimes feels to me like if a book was published after the 2010s it more or less discards anything besides current understanding, which can take me out of it a bit. Out of an abundance of caution toward current readership, many books avoid touching on potentially problematic things, but this can also serve to erase the way that folks historically saw themselves.

I know how often folks come to PB looking for uplifting trans stories. I think that well-researched retrospectives, memoirs and fiction are all great to read, but I want to propose checking out some stories of trans folks from their own words in their own time as well!