TRANS – TRANSGENDER LIFE STORIES FROM SOUTH AFRICA was one of five books exhibited at the Cape Town Pride Book Fair recently held at Kalk Bay Books. The speakers were co-editors Charl Marais and Joy Rosemary Wellbeloved.
                      
In his speech Charl spoke about the necessity of the book for friends and families of transgender persons, as well as for academics and health and other service providers.

“The book is important for all people involved in the life of a transgender person. Through these stories, told by more than twenty brave souls, one becomes familiar with the many challenges transpeople face,” he said.

The book is also important for the transgender person, in whatever stage of transition, he added, and will quell at least some of the fears and give hope for the future.

Joy spoke about the then and now aspect of the book, describing in some detail how things were when she first understood that she was transgender. There was no source of information, but in 1985 she discovered Phoenix which became a haven for her and other, mostly heterosexual transvestites and cross-dressers.

“In the days before DVD’s and the internet it was almost impossible to get any reliable information on Gender issues... In 1985/6 this [Phoenix’s Fanfare magazine] was the limit of my information system, apart from the occasional life story of a transsexual from overseas, which seemed very exotic in verkramp South Africa. I poured my heart out in a series of articles in Fanfare, as I slowly came to terms with the true me inside,” Joy reminisced.

“Twenty –four stories, twenty-four brave unique transgender lives. One humanity,” she said in conclusion.

Joy first heard about Gender DynamiX “from various sources” and finally met Liesl, the executive director, in 2007, and in 2009 was included in the book project.
 
There were five other books highlighted at the book fair. These were Yes I Am, compiled by Robin Malan & Ashraf Johaardien; Hijab: Unveiling Queer Muslim Lives, edited by Pepe Hendricks; Miriam Dancing, compiled by Elise van Wyk and Saracen At The Gates, written by Zinaid Meerans.

Image courtesy of Liesl Jobson - Book SA