A Short History of Trans Misogyny

Why are trans women the most targeted among LGBT people? Why are they in the crosshairs of a resurgent anti-trans politics around the world? And what can be done about it by activists, organizers, and allies? "A Short History of Transmisogyny" is the first book-length study to answer these urgent but long overdue questions. Combining new historical analysis with political and activist accessibility, the book illustrates why it is important to understand trans misogyny as a specific form of violence with a documentable history. Ironically, by attending to the specificity of trans misogyny, trans women are no longer treated as inevitably tragic figures. Instead, they emerge as embattled but tenacious, engaged in a struggle over the meaning and material stakes of gender, labor, race, and freedom. The book travels across bustling port cities like New York, New Orleans, London, and Paris, the colonial and military districts of the British Raj, the Philippines, and Hawai'i, as well as the lively travesti communities of Latin America. It demonstrates how trans femininity has become a fault line in broader global histories, including colonial governance, the sex work industry, the policing of urban public space, and the line between the formal and informal economy. This transnational and intersectional approach reinforces that trans women are not isolated social subjects who appear alone; they are, in fact, central to the modern social world.