Friday, October 16, 2009

Transgender

First reference question I've ever had about transgender. Sitting at the Reference Desk in late afternoon, I was asked for books on transgender. The patron spoke softly. For a moment I was unsure I'd heard her question, or perhaps was nonplussed, but, momentarily, my librarian self engaged.

I searched for the term transgender itself, but the only result was an art book:
Mirror images : women, surrealism, and self-representation [Q 704.042 M]. It includes this entry: Whitney Chadwick -- "Vous pour moi?" : Marcel Duchamp and transgender coupling, but that was not what she was looking for; rather, she wanted biographical works. I found two that worked:

Colapinto, John. (2000). As nature made him : the boy who was raised as a girl. New York: HarperCollins.

Scholinski, Daphne. (1997). The last time I wore a dress. New York: Riverhead Books.

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