Trans Rights Readathon starts: 11 books to read, from romance to nonfiction

Every day is one you can support and read trans authors, but readers have a special excuse to pick up new books this week. 

It’s the third annual Trans Rights Readathon, a yearly call to action and reading challenge that ends on Trans Day of Visibility. This year, the challenge goes from March 21-31. 

The creators recommend booklovers participate by reading and reviewing works by trans, nonbinary, 2Spirit and gender nonconforming authors, as well as supporting the community by donating to local or national organizations. In 2023, the Trans Rights Readathon raised over $234,000 for trans-supporting organizations and recorded over 2,600 participants. 

11 books to read for the Trans Rights Readathon

If you’re looking to add some titles to your TBR for this year’s Trans Rights Readathon, we have suggestions for books written by trans and nonbinary authors. They range from romance to sci-fi, literary fiction to fantasy. Some are recent releases and others are oldies-but-goodies. 

‘Stag Dance’ by Torrey Peters

“Stag Dance” is a collection of one novel and three stories from the bestselling author of “Detransition, Baby.” In the titular novel, restless lumberjacks plan a dance under the condition that some of them will attend as women. In “an astonishing vision of gender and transition,” the publisher writes, the axmen are caught up in a strange rivalry, jealousy and obsession. The other short stories feature a gender apocalypse, a secret romance between Quaker boarding school roommates and a party weekend on the Las Vegas strip that turns dark. 

‘Woodworking’ by Emily St. James 

Released earlier this month, “Woodworking” is about a 35-year-old recently divorced teacher who comes out as trans in small-town South Dakota. As she grapples with her transition, she finds an unlikely friend in 17-year-old Abigail, the only trans girl at Mitchell High School. Abigail reluctantly agrees to help Erica through her transition, remembering the loneliness she experienced when she was going through the same. 

‘Before We Were Trans’ by Kit Heyam 

“Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender” is the kind of nonfiction read that’s so narrative it feels like fiction. Stories of gender nonconforming fashion, wartime stage performance and the untold identities of famous historical people portray the complexity of gender across time and throughout the world, pushing back against the notion that people fit neatly into the categories of male or female. 

‘Model Home’ by Rivers Solomon 

“Model Home” is billed as a “new kind of haunted-house novel” interrogating the legacy of segregation and racism in suburban America. The story follows the three Maxwell siblings who grew up as the only Black family in a gated Dallas neighborhood, also tormented by strange and unexplainable demonic happenings in their house. When their parents’ death forces the now-adult siblings to return, they begin to uncover the supernatural forces at play. 

’Paper Doll’ by Dylan Mulvaney

The actress and content creator’s debut memoir gives readers a more intimate glimpse behind her “Days of Girlhood” social media series and transition. Mulvaney unpacks the transphobia, backlash, acceptance and, ultimately, joy in this reflection of her pre- and post-transition life.

‘A Gentleman’s Gentleman’ by TJ Alexander 

Wish “Bridgerton” was more queer? This newly released trans Regency-era romance is for you. “A Gentleman’s Gentleman” follows the eccentric recluse Lord Christopher Eden who receives abrupt word that, to keep his family fortune, he must take a wife by the end of the courting season. First on the list of his many problems? He isn’t attracted to women. Second? He has to move to London. And then he meets James Harding, the distractingly handsome new valet, whose presence threatens to upend it all. 

‘Bellies’ by Nicola Dinan 

“Bellies” follows a young couple, Tom and Ming, as they move in and out of each other’s lives in early adulthood. Tom has recently come out as gay and is quickly drawn to Ming, a magnetic playwright. But shortly after they move in together, Ming announces her intention to transition. It changes the dynamics of both their relationship and their broader friendship circle. Together and apart, Ming and Tom must navigate new questions around identity, gender, relationships, intimacy and heartbreak. 

‘Pet’ by Akwaeke Emezi 

From the award-winning author of “You Make a Fool of Death with Your Beauty,” Emezi’s genre-expansive debut follows two best friends who grow up in a city that touts the fact that there are no monsters anymore. But when they meet Pet, a horned, clawed, multicolored creature, the friends must reckon with what they’ve been taught and how to protect each other in a society in denial. 

‘The Prospects’ by KT Hoffman

In this baseball romance, Gene is proud of the quiet, underdog career he’s built as the first openly trans professional baseball player. But when his former teammate and current rival Luis is traded to the Beavers, it dampens the once-perfect outlook he had. They can’t put their differences aside – on or off the field. After a curveball twist, the pair finds themselves spending more and more time together, realizing the tension between them might be something more than loathing. 

'Light from Uncommon Stars' by Ryka Aoki 

Called “dark but ultimately hopeful” by Publishers Weekly, this speculative story starts with a deal with the devil – Shizuka Satomi has promised to sell the souls of seven violin prodigies before she can escape damnation. And she’s found her final candidate in the form of a talented young transgender runaway. But Shizuka’s plans to lift the curse come to a screeching halt when she becomes infatuated with an interstellar refugee and retired starship captain that catches her attention. 

‘Felix Ever After’ by Kacen Callender

This YA romance novel centers on Felix Love who, despite the last name, has never been in love. He wonders if happily-ever-afters apply to him as he grapples with his identity as a Black, queer, transgender teen, all while an anonymous student begins sending him threatening and transphobic messages. But when a revenge plan goes awry, Felix finds himself in something of a love triangle that catapults him on a journey of self-discovery. 

Looking for your next great read? USA TODAY has you covered.

Taste is subjective, and USA TODAY Books has plenty of genres to recommend. Check out the 15 new releases we’re most excited about in 2025. Is dystopian your thing? Check out these books that are similar to “The Hunger Games”and “1984.” Or if you want something with lower stakes and loveable characters, see if a "cozy mystery" or "cozy fantasy" book is for you. If you want the most popular titles, check out USA TODAY’s Best-selling Booklist.

Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weeklyBooks newsletter or tell her what you’re reading atcmulroy@usatoday.com.