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Have been re-reading Jan Morris’s wonderful memoir “Thinking Again”
She was an inspiration to many of us from that era when things were somewhat more challenging than they are nowadays.
She underwent surgery back in 1972 but before that as James Morris, she was a member of the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition, which made the first ascent of the mountain.
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I remember the press coverage
I remember the press coverage of her announcement; at the time, I was in high school, had read what there was in a general library on transgender (then, before the term) which was mostly Christine Jorgenson’s biography.
Conundrum
Her book, Conundrum, came to me at a very important time in my life.
I was questioning my sanity. The compulsion to be a female often washed over and left me anxious. Conundrum showed the life of an undoubtedly sane person who felt exactly as I did. Everything else I'd seen up until that time told me that I needed to guiltily hide my frailty. Two years later, Renee Richards played as an elegant and well-spoken women in the US Open and completely opened my eyes.
My thanks to Jan Morris. (And a screw you to Nora Ephron who made snide remarks about Jan Morris.)
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Conundrum
I was a very troubled trans girl in hiding, beaten up on a daily basis. There were three libraries in my town, and I all but lived in them. I drew heavily on one of them for my depiction of the librarian 'Sid' in 'Sweat and Tears'..
The real librarian was indeed a Fan (the original kind: SF) and would keep books for me, but I realise now how much my gender must have leaked as a young person. School 'mates' saw me as being a gay male; the real-life librarian simply handed me a book one day and said I should read it as it might be helpful.
It was, of course, 'Conundrum'.
Things change
Mrs. D actually sought out books regarding transgender issues a short time after I came out to her. In the past seven or so years, I have felt 'safe' enough to check out TG related non-fiction and fiction videos and books. But before then, especially in the early stages of therapy that had yet to include gender identity, it was a almost necessity to read what I could AT the library, because I was almost ashamed. I read Conundrum at the library, along with Carolyn Cossey's bio and a handful of books about TG kids.
Love, Andrea Lena