The Common Press invites you to a special evening on 12 October, from 7–9 pm, with Eli Erlick, author of Before Gender: Lost Stories from Trans History 1850–1950. Hosted by Dr. S. M. Rodriguez (LSE Gender Studies). This groundbreaking new book uncovers the lives of thirty trans people between 1850 and 1950, centring stories of joy, struggle, romance, rebellion, and survival that challenge and reshape everything we think we know about transgender history. With striking relevance to today’s political conversations, Erlick reveals a vibrant and radical lineage of trans life long before “gender” became common language.
Before Gender is at once a vital weapon in the fight against the denial of trans history and a heart-stopping collection of human stories. I'm thrilled to know the people in its pages and I already know they will stay with me. Kit Heyam, author of Before We Were Trans
Rather than a traditional book talk, this event offers an opportunity for all attendees to think together with the author, Eli Erlick, and host, S. M. Rodriguez, about what trans histories mean for the present and how our stories can be retold, reclaimed, and used to imagine new futures. Expect a lively, loving, and thought-provoking guided discussion on history, politics, and the possibilities of trans life today.
An eye-opening read, crisply written, on such a timely topic.
Susan Stryker, author of Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution
About Book
Organised into four parts, paralleling today's controversies over gender identity - kids, activists, workers and athletes - Before Gender introduces figures whose forgotten stories transform the discussion. These ground-breaking histories include two of the first teens to access gender-affirming medical treatment, a countess who instigated an LGBTQ+ riot forty years before Stonewall and the greatest female billiards player of the 1910s.
Bold and visionary, Erlick's debut uncovers these lost stories from the depths of the archives to narrate trans lives in a way that has never been attempted before.
Published by Manchester University Press
Not only have trans people always existed; we have always sought ways to live fuller and more authentic lives. Before Gender chronicles trans people from 1850 to 1950 growing up, working, falling in love, getting in trouble, playing sports and building community as we've always done and always will do.
Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer
About Eli Elrick (She/Her)
Eli Erlick is an activist, author, and academic based in New York City. In 2011, she became the director of Trans Student Educational Resources, the largest trans youth-led organization in the United States. After completing her PhD at the University of California, Santa Cruz, she joined the New York City Trans Archives as its program director. She is the author of Before Gender and her forthcoming book, Belonging Through Exclusion: Understanding the Transgender Far-Right (University of Chicago Press, 2026), explores why far-right trans people adopt their beliefs - and how we might prevent others from joining them. You can learn more about her work at www.elierlick.com.
About Dr. S. M. Rodriguez (They/Them)
Dr SM Rodriguez is a scholar-activist and Assistant Professor of Gender, Rights and Human Rights in the Department of Gender Studies at the LSE. Dr Rodriguez’s research joins anti-carceral, Black, and trans feminist approaches to interrogate sexual politics, especially as related to criminal law and “correctional” practices impacting Africa and the African Diaspora. They are the author of The Economies of Queer Inclusion: Transnational Organizing for LGBTI Rights in Uganda.
- Doors open at 7 pm
- Discussion from 7:15 pm - 8:15 pm
- Book signings and social/network until 9:00 pm
The Common Press is wheelchair accessible