Another major difference between the lives of McCloskey and Boylan is how they express their gender identities. McCloskey states that she carefully seeks to present herself as female to avoid being read as male by birth and rejected as not a "real woman." In contrast, Boylan recognizes that she retains a number of "masculine" traits, such as playing in a rock band and telling jokes, but refuses to be ashamed of these interests. She notes that many other women engage in these pursuits as well, and that such activities are only considered to be gender markers because of her transsexual history.

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Trans Men

The late 1990s and early 2000s also saw a spate of autobiographies published by transsexual men, beginning with Mark Rees's Dear Sir or Madam (1996).

Rees sought to enter the Anglican priesthood, but was denied admittance because, using the judgment in April Ashley's case, the British government considered him female, and the church at that time did not ordain women. In response, Rees brought the government before the European Court of Human Rights. Although the court ruled against him in 1986, Rees recounts in his autobiography that he felt liberated. As a result of publicity about the case, he no longer had to live in fear that others would discover his past.

Perhaps because relatively few narratives have been published by transsexual men, two recent autobiographies seek to inform readers about trans male lives in general, and not just the authors' own experiences.

In Becoming a Visible Man (2004), Jamison Green describes the process by which he acknowledged and accepted himself as a man in the 1980s and 1990s within the context of the development of a U.S. trans male community, in which he became a leader. Discussing his experiences and feelings along with the concerns of other transsexual men, Green devotes chapters to medical treatment; relationships with parents, children, and partners; and societal images and stereotypes.

Matt Kailey's Just Add Hormones: An Insider's Guide to the Transsexual Experience (2005) is also a helpful introductory text for readers unfamiliar with the lives of trans men. Kailey makes good use of his background as a social worker and middle-school English teacher by writing an engaging and accessible autobiography. Particularly insightful is Kailey's discussion of how he was treated differently when he was seen as a man instead of as a woman.

In its first century of existence, gay male autobiography has become increasingly more open, frank, and unapologetic.

In the first century of its existence, lesbian autobiography has moved from being coded to being outspoken, and it is both wide ranging and contradictory in the stories that it tells.

Intersexuality (formerly referred to as hermaphroditism) is a congenital anomaly in which an individual's external genitalia or internal reproductive systems fall outside the norms for either male or female bodies.

"Transgender" has become an umbrella term representing a political alliance between all gender variant people who do not conform to social norms for typical men and women and who suffer political oppression as a result.

Since the late nineteenth century, transgendered people have advocated legal and social reforms that would ameliorate the kinds of oppression and discrimination they suffer.

Outed as a transsexual in 1961, the indomitable April Ashley rose from poverty to become a glamorous entertainer and top model who married into the British aristocracy and later became a transgender activist.

As the first open transgender person in New Zealand to be elected to the offices of mayor and Member of Parliament, Georgina Beyer has evinced courage, humor, and personal honesty.

One of the best-known transgender activists, Kate Bornstein, in works that are accessible and frequently humorous, challenges audiences to buck the gender system.

One of the world's most famous transsexual celebrities, Brazilian model, actress, and television performer Roberta Close has challenged the laws of her country that prevent her from defining her own gender.

Michael Dillon, the first person known to have transitioned both hormonally and surgically from female to male, was a man of singular determination who articulated his life as an evolving struggle toward corporeal, intellectual, and spiritual integrity.

Einar Wegener, a male Danish painter of some renown, became Lili Elbe, one of the world's first male-to-female transsexuals to undergo sexual reassignment surgery.

An early female-to-male transsexual, Reed Erickson is best known for his philanthropy, which greatly benefited glbtq causes in the 1960s and 1970s.

The European Commission on Human Rights was the first international human rights organization to condemn homophobia; the European Court of Human Rights, which replaced the Commission, has also helped enforce glbtq rights.

Political organizer, grassroots historian, and accomplished writer, Leslie Feinberg is a pioneer of transgender activism and culture.

Genderqueer is a term for people who feel that their gender identities or gender expression do not correspond to the gender assigned to them at birth, but who do not want to transition to the "opposite" gender.

Actress, singer, and writer Christine Jorgenson was not the first male-to-female transsexual to undergo sex reassignment surgery, but the publicity surrounding her case enabled her to educate the public about the differences between homosexuality, transvestism, and transsexualtiy.

Preservationist and museum founder Charlotte von Mahlsdorf was admired by many for her bravery in the face of persecution and for her openness as a transgendered public figure in perilous times.

The talented and prolific Anglo-Welsh journalist, historian, and travel writer Jan Morris was one of the first transsexuals to tell her story publicly in a memoir.

Transsexual tennis player Renee Richards successfully sued the United States Tennis Association when it barred her from competing in the U.S. Women's Open, establishing an important precedent for the rights of transsexual athletes.