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This year marks the third year of the Trans Rights Readathon. The readathon encourages people to read books by or about trans nonbinary, 2Spirit, and gender-nonconforming people to show their support for the transgender community, which has come under increasing attack in recent years. The second Trump administration has already issued executive orders targeting trans people, declaring that there are only two biological sexes and attempting again to ban transgender service members from the military. Health information has even been wiped from government agencies, including the CDC, to comply with Trump’s ideology. So you can see why it’s more important than ever to speak out, not only about what’s happening now but about the history of trans people. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: trans people have always existed. You can try, but you can’t erase that fact.
The Trans Rights Readathon is more than just a reading event; it’s a call to action. According to the official website, the event calls on “the reader community to read and uplift books written by and/or featuring trans, genderqueer, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, and 2Spirit authors and characters.” During the eleven days of the readathon (March 21-31), people are asked to read trans books and donate to trans organizations. Last year, Book Riot Editor Danika Ellis shared various ways you can participate, from donating to posting on social media. The readathon has lots of graphics you can use to share what books you’re reading or even just to show your support. You can even join a Trans Rights Readathon challenge on Storygraph.
Since I write a lot about historical fiction here on Book Riot, it only made sense to share some new 2024 and 2025 trans historical fiction releases just in time for the readathon. They’re by no means the only books you have to choose from. Personally, I’ll be reading a few alongside a new biography of Marsha P. Johnson. However you choose to participate, I hope you’ll uplift trans voices this month and every month. You can sign up to participate here or just read along at home.
Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander
In the vein of A Lady for a Duke, TJ Alexander has penned a trans Regency romance novel full of pining and happy endings for queer and trans people. It follows the eccentric Lord Christopher Eden, forced to venture away from his estate to London to find a wife or else lose his inheritance, and the new valet is determined to make him presentable for the season. The burgeoning friendship between them and the secrets they’re each keeping, however, could derail all their plans. But maybe together, they can craft a future that will make them both happy.
The Lilac People by Milo Todd
Berlin in the 1930s is a good place to be queer — until the Nazis rise to power. Now, queer and trans people are being rounded up. In one fell swoop, Bertie loses his job at Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld’s renowned Institute of Sexual Science and the Eldorado Club, where the once thriving queer community spent their nights. Bertie barely manages to escape with his life and his girlfriend, Sophie, fleeing to a farm where they pose as an elderly couple until the end of the war. But the Allied victory poses a new threat because while they’re liberating everyone else, queer prisoners are being arrested. So when a young trans man still wearing prison clothes from a concentration camp collapses in their yard, Bertie and Sofie know they’ll go to any length to protect him from the very people who claim to be rescuing the nation.
The Lions’ Den by Iris Mwanza
A young lawyer in 1990s Zambia takes on the case of a dancer arrested by the police. When Grace meets her client, she is shocked by Bessy’s beaten appearance, but her protests over her client’s treatment only get her barred from seeing Bessy again. It’s not long before Bessy disappears without a trace. Alongside the head of her law firm, who wants to take on one last fight as AIDS takes its toll on him, Grace brings together students, unions, and political opposition to fight against the corrupt administration that wants to silence anyone who’s different.
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A Rare Find by Joanna Lowell
In this historical romance novel, an aspiring archeologist discovers a Viking amulet that proves Norsemen once camped on her family’s estate. But when her childhood rival returns from London following a recent scandal, the amulet is lost. Now, working together to uncover a lost hoard of Viking gold is the best shot for both of them to make a name for themselves. But is it really hatred Elfreda has always felt for Georgie? Or is it something a bit more complicated than that?
The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenjé
The main character in The Library Thief is not herself trans, but queerness and gender nonconformity do come up in the novel. It’s also a book about identity in general. The story follows the Jamaican daughter of a British bookbinder forced to pass as white by her father. Kuchenga Shenjé, the author of The Library Thief, is a Black trans woman. Supporting trans authors is just as important as reading trans books, so I think this book still very much falls under the spirit of the Trans Rights Readathon.
Find even more great trans books for the readathon (or just in general) with these lists:
