We’re all painfully aware of how bleak the political and social landscapes are for us trans and non-binary people right now, and we so often see that bleakness reflected in trans fiction. There’s no shortage of dark and scary stories about the trans experience which painfully reflect our own lived experiences (I know better than anyone, having written a book of trans horror stories).
But there are also tales of trans joy out there — books which express so much joy for the trans and non-binary experiences. From trans memoirs that revel in the beauty of transition to sci-fi novels, manga, and quiet literary dramas that give us a reason to be proud, these books remind us that being trans is, in fact, a celebration!
Gender Euphoria by Laura Kate Dale
In 2021, video games journalist Laura Kate Dale collected and edited together a book of personal stories from nineteen trans, non-binary, and intersex people telling uplifting tales of their own gender euphoria. The result is a comforting collection that reminds us, in more than a dozen different ways, that existing outside the cisgender system is exciting, thrilling, soothing, and healing.
Keep a copy of Gender Euphoria by your bed or on your coffee table for those days when being trans feels like a curse. The stories in here will bring you comfort and serve as a reminder that being trans is actually quite the opposite: it’s a gift.
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
An insightful and inspiring trans story, Meredith Russo’s If I Was Your Girl is a YA romance which follows Amanda, the new girl. Having just moved schools, she wants to fit in and make friends. But she is also determined to keep her trans identity a secret. However, she soon meets a boy with whom she wants to share everything. By keeping her secret guarded, she is keeping him at arm’s length.
If I Was Your Girl is a reminder that we need more own voices transgender stories that actually focus on the happiness, the relief, the honesty, and the positivity of the trans experience. Stories written by trans people that see us get the happy endings we deserve.
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Felix Ever After — a coming-of-age romantic drama about a young Black trans boy — is one of the most banned books in the US, and this is likely because it paints being trans as a wonderful and liberating thing. How dare we get our happy endings!
The novel follows Felix, a seventeen-year-old trans boy from Brooklyn, who lives with a father who has financially supported his medical transition but still makes a lot of social mistakes around his name and gender. He has a best friend, and the pair have a shared nemesis named Declan. When Felix is publicly humiliated, he believes Declan did it, and he hatches a plan for revenge. But this plan will cause Felix and Declan to grow closer and better understand each other.
What begins as a heartbreaking drama blossoms into a page-turner of a romance with the young trans experience taking centre stage.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
The very existence of Aiden Thomas’ Cemetery Boys is a transgender celebration, being the first ever book by a trans author (and featuring a trans protagonist) to make the New York Times Bestseller list. That protagonist is Yadriel, a young trans man from an LA-based Latinx family of brujos and brujas with a magical connection to the afterlife.
While conducting a summoning — with the goal of proving himself as a brujo — Yadriel accidentally conjures the wrong ghost. Instead of his late cousin, the spirit which latches itself to him is that of an infamous punk kid from Yadriel’s school. With no choice but to help Julian solve his own murder, Yadrial finds himself becoming more and more attached.
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Nothing can sell this book as well as its own blurb: “A defiantly joyful adventure set in California’s San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.”
Light from Uncommon Stars dares to do many things: it dares to blend genres in the most awkward ways; it dares to lean into tropes before turning them on their heads; and it dares to centre a young trans runaway in an adventure filled with Faustian deals and aliens in disguise.
A classical musician has made a Faustian bargain and must trade the souls of violin prodigies to protect herself, but her strength of will is diminished when she meets trans violin prodigy Katrina Nguyen and retired starship captain Lan Tran. What follows is a bizarre queer romance, a trans coming-of-age tale, and a mad adventure.
To Strip the Flesh by Oto Toda
A transmasculine manga, written and drawn by a transmasculine creator, and even translated by a transmasculine translator, To Strip the Flesh is a warming tale of truth and acceptance. Protagonist Chiaki makes a living as a YouTuber, filming himself stripping the flesh from animals his father hunts. He presents as a woman and is harassed by viewers for his beauty and curves. His father is also dying and hopes to see Chiaki become a bride before he passes.
Chiaki’s father doesn’t want his “daughter” to hunt because it isn’t a woman’s place, but Chiaki is, in fact, a man. And with time ticking away, he has to decide what to tell his father. This is an uplifting tale of self-acceptance, of trans liberation, and of stripping the flesh both literally and figuratively, in order to find what is good and true underneath.
Trans Mission by Alex Bertie
The most perfectly titled book on this list, Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard is a transmasculine memoir full of laugh-out-loud moments. Trans memoirs are often inspiring and bittersweet, but Bertie’s is an all-out celebration of truth, self-acceptance, and the fun messiness of transitioning.
As a coming-of-age memoir sprinkled with advice for other trans men, Trans Mission is a welcome breath of fresh air; an inspiring, comforting, and often hilarious book. It is difficult not to feel excited and at peace on Bertie’s behalf when we see a trans person thriving and finding so much happiness in the way that he has.
Summer Fun by Jeanne Thornton
A wonderfully dynamic and beautiful novel, written in an entirely epistolary style, Summer Fun is one of the most unique trans novels you’re ever likely to read. It is set in 2009 and is composed of letters written by a young trans woman to a famous musician she admires and is inspired by.
That musician is B—, singer of The Get Happies, a band which defined the sound of Americana in the 1960s. Protagonist Gala has always found a kinship with B— and his band’s music. And so, through her letters, she spills her life story. We learn about her youth, her art, and her relationships. Summer Fun is a wonderfully warming and moving tale.
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
Like so many positive trans stories, I Wish You All The Best begins with tragedy, upset, and fear, before light breaks through the clouds and hope becomes the book’s dominant feeling. This YA romance follows Ben, a teenager who has just been kicked out of their home after coming out as non-binary to their parents. Living now with their older sister and her husband, Ben vows to keep a low profile and just get through what remains of high school.
But soon enough, Ben is brought into the fold by Nathan, a charming student whom Ben begins to develop more complicated feelings for. Suddenly, the world seems brighter and a more positive future can be seen on the horizon.
Bellies by Nicola Dinan
Bellies is a bittersweet and deeply empathetic novel that speaks to the messy truth—as well as the liberation that comes later—of transitioning from one identity to another. It’s a story very much about love, but that doesn’t make it a romance. We begin with Ming and Tom, two boys who meet at university and begin dating, but after a few years together and university behind them, Ming comes to realise the truth about who she really is.
Ming’s transition leads to tension and heartbreak. We see it all unravel from both perspectives, but we also see how they must grow into themselves and learn to better understand one another. Bellies paints a very real picture of transitioning, and how those who transition are not the only ones who grow and change.
Love this list!! another one I just read that was so sweet and beautiful especially if you’re a soccer fan was The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimmons, definitely recommend!
thank you i needed this today!