21 books bringing transgender visibility to book lovers

In the weeks leading up to Transgender Day of Visibility, book lovers are expected to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for trans-led charities and organizations, while spreading the word about books written by and for trans and nonbinary people.

Until March 31, the 2025 Trans Rights Readathon will be in full swing. Participants read as many books as they want while raising money for trans-led groups of their choice. Each day, readers are encouraged to support transgender people by writing letters of support, sharing mutual aid fundraisers, signaling to their neighbors and colleagues that they are trans-friendly, or calling their elec ted representatives to alert them to the importance of trans rights in an increasingly hostile political climate.

In 2023, the readathon raised over $230,000 for organizations supporting trans people — through 2,669 participants reading across 43 countries. This year, those numbers are expected to grow, since the readathon is longer than it has been for the last two years. On social media, the Trans Rights Readathon account is sharing ample book recommendations to choose from — including dozens of novels written by trans Black, Latinx, and Asian authors, books that feature disabled characters, and books with romantic relationships between trans people.

This readathon aims to support Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), an annual celebration to recognize the contributions and lives of trans people, while raising awareness of the discrimination that they face.

As the readathon continues, here are a few book recommendations by independent booksellers and public libraries, as well as by the Trans Rights Readathon