This transgender reading guide is the shortest route into the work on this site — a small set of pieces introducing who Brianna Austin is, what she writes about, and the questions the rest of the library keeps returning to.
Nothing here needs to be read in order. If you would rather browse by subject, the full set of reading guides splits the archive by theme, and the Reference Library holds the explainers and glossaries.
Latest in this guide
Everything filed under this guide, newest first. New pieces appear here automatically as they publish.
Essays & Articles
- Defining WomanhoodMarch 2026
- Boxes Defining Transgender PeopleMarch 2024
- Born That WayMarch 2024
- The Road To OzMarch 2024
- What Makes The Cross-DresserMay 2020
- Brianna Austin is Candidly TransgenderSeptember 2003
Related Books
- I’d Do It Again — A MemoirJuly 2026
Where should a new reader actually begin?
With whichever piece below reads like it is about something you already care about.
This is a personal archive rather than a course, so there is no foundational text you need before the rest makes sense. Most readers arrive because of one subject — a news story, a question about language, a book — and follow it outward from there. The pieces collected here were chosen because each works as a first encounter with the writing.
What else is on this site?
Four things, broadly.
Reporting and commentary on law and policy, gathered in Politics & Public Policy. Reference material — the Terminology glossary and the Gender Guide. Essays and observations drawn from lived experience. And books, which is where much of the longer writing lives.
Common questions
I am new here — where should I begin?
Anywhere in the list below. Each piece stands on its own, and the guide suggests a natural path rather than a required one.
Do I need to read these in order?
No. Nothing here depends on having read something earlier. Readers usually follow a subject rather than a sequence.
What is the difference between this and Essential Reading?
Start Here is an introduction — pieces chosen because they work as a first encounter. Essential Reading is the strongest work regardless of whether it is an easy entry point.
Where do I look up a word I do not recognise?
The Terminology guide is a plain-language glossary of the vocabulary used across the site, including terms that are dated or contested.
Is this site news or personal writing?
Both, kept separate. Reporting is filed under Politics; personal essays and commentary are filed under their own categories, and the label on each piece tells you which you are reading.
Who writes this site?
Brianna Austin, an author and journalist. The writing draws on her own experience alongside reporting and reference work.