TRANS HISTORY: A GRAPHIC NOVEL | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Date and Time
Jun 13, 2025 6:00 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Jun 13, 2025 6:00 pm
14th & V
Join us to explore an essential introduction to trans history, from ancient times to the present day, in full-color graphic nonfiction format
What does "trans" mean, and what does it mean to be trans? Diversity in human sex and gender is not a modern phenomenon, as readers will discover through illustrated stories and records that introduce historical figures ranging from the controversial Roman emperor Elagabalus to the swashbuckling seventeenth-century conquistador Antonio de Erauso to veterans of the Stonewall uprising Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. In addition to these individual profiles, the book explores some of the societal roles played by trans people beginning in ancient times and shows how European ideas about gender were spread across the globe. It explains how the science of sexology and the growing acceptance of (and backlash to) gender nonconformity have helped to shape what it means to be trans today.
Illustrated conversations with modern activists, scholars, and creatives highlight the breadth of current trans experiences and give readers a deeper sense of the diversity of trans people, a group numbering in the millions. Extensive source notes provide further resources. Moving, funny, heartbreaking, and empowering, this remarkable compendium from trans creators Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett is packed with research on every dynamic page.
Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett are joining us on the Busboys stage alongside Dee Harris to share more about this “incredibly comprehensive and strongly researched--yet somehow compact--look into the history of trans identity” (School Library Journal). Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Combs and Eakett will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of TRANS HISTORY: A GRAPHIC NOVEL will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett are a creative team and a couple who’ve been together for more than twenty years. They have spent much of their time studying and making art about topics relating to feminist and gender studies. Trans History represents the culmination of a decade of journeying into this topic since they both came out as trans. They live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Dee Harris (they/them) is a former middle school teacher, and currently uses games to teach social skills with Games Unbound. They are a passionate advocate occasionally speaking about and to queer youth. In their spare time, they are the Book Buyer for Busboys and Poets, and hoard books and dice.
