And comprehensive it is, with the earliest notations going back to 4000 BCE. Of course, like anything else that old, we don't have many detailed records that survived the ensuing millennia but Combs and Eakett cover what we do know, both detailing the documentation that is available as well as providing some context on how/why archeological findings were frequently misunderstood by always being framed through an exclusively binary representation throughout most of the twentieth century. As they get in to anicent Egypt and Rome, we do start getting more documentation but -- as they point out -- those are often through court records, so are centered on specific individuals who have allegedly violated some law or another. (Often not actually related directly to their trans-ness but rather that's used as a means to tarnish their character.)
Once they get into the 1800s, they're able to start using medical records as scientists start studying sex and gender more; however, we're quickly reminded that many of their ideas and "findings" were based on pre-conceived ideas and biases of the time. This is the same time period, for example, when phrenology was considered a legitimate science after all. Even carrying through most of the twentieth century, many of the ideas that circled in all sorts of environments were born more out of individuals' personal agendas as much as anything else. I mean, Stonewall took place in 1969 and that was entirely perpetrated by several police officers' openly hostile attitude towards the trans community.
The formal history covers things up through around 2018. But the authors recognize that history will keep happening and extend the reach of their book by including several short contemporary biographies of sorts. Vignettes of inidivuals in the community now. What they're thinking, feeling, and doing. Some are activisits or researchers, but some are just folks trying to live their lives. Which, ultimately, is what any of the people covered in the book were trying to do. They're all just regular folks, trying to get through each day like everybody else. Trying to find companionship like everybody else.
The book moves chronologically, which is particularly useful, I think from the standpoint of terminology. I know that, even during my own lifetime, the proper/current nomenclature has changed several times over and having the historical context for when/where/how certain words and phrases came about offers a better understanding of why they're no longer used. And the biographies at the end, several of the individuals make note of why they use "transgender" or "two-spirit" or whatever their preference is, offering up sometimes much more nuanced delineations based on their own experiences and sense of self-identity.
The book reads well. Combs and Eakett do a good job of not making the material dry, which is certainly a danger when recounting thousands of years of history. And while there is certainly a fair amount of text to be read for a comic, it never feels like just illustrated prose -- which is something I've encountered many times before with these types of books. Many of the figures that are covered speak for themselves and, when there doesn't seem to be any of their surviving writings or quotations, historians and researchers are brought in to speak about them. So it never feels overly dry or academics; it feels like you're just being told a bunch of stories.
If I had to offer up a criticism, it would be that I'd like to see more historical representation from Asian countries. Some of the biographies at the end are indeed about people of Asian decent, but none of the historical material covers anything. Similarly, we don't have anything from Africa (besides Egypt) and South America. There may well have been limitations as to what documentation was available -- I noted earlier that much of what was covered before the 1800s came from court records -- but if that were the case, I should think a notation of why nothing from that region was covered. Particularly in light of the notations on page six that highlight many of the countries from those regions that are expressly cited as having culturally specific gender identities. Admittedly, this is book written and published in English in the United States for a primarily US audience, so there's obviously going to be a greater bias towards North America and Western Europe, much the same as we see here in history textbooks, but I would certainly be curious to see how things may have manifested differently in, say, Japan.
Despite that criticism, though, this was very well researched and contained wealth of information I'd never heard of. Even when it overlapped something tangential that may have hit my radar previously, this book offered new/additional context that I didn't have. I highly recommend folks check this out because you simply will not find anything else like it in graphic novel form. Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day came out from Candlewick Press just a couple weeks ago, so it should be available from your favorite bookstore. It retails for $24.99 US for the hardcover and $16.99 US for the paperback.
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