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'''Leslie Feinberg''' (September 1, 1949 – November 15, 2014) was an American, [[butch lesbian]] and [[Transgender activism|transgender activist]], communist,<ref name="transwarrior">{{cite web|last1=Frey|first1=Kate|title=Leslie Feinberg: Transgender Warrior|url=http://www.socialistalternative.org/2015/01/09/leslie-feinberg-transgender-warrior-2/|website=Socialist Alternative|accessdate=1 February 2016}}</ref> and author.<ref name="advocate">{{cite web|url=http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/books/2014/11/17/transgender-pioneer-leslie-feinberg-stone-butch-blues-has-died|title=Transgender Pioneer and Stone Butch Blues Author Leslie Feinberg Has Died|publisher=Advocate|accessdate=February 17, 2015}}</ref><ref name=NYT>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/nyregion/leslie-feinberg-writer-and-transgender-activist-dies-at-65.html |title=Leslie Feinberg, Writer and Transgender Activist, Dies at 65|publisher=New York Times|accessdate=February 17, 2015}}</ref><ref name=LAT>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-author-and-transgender-activist-leslie-feinberg-is-dead-at-65-20141117-story.html |title=Author and transgender activist Leslie Feinberg is dead at 65|publisher=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=February 17, 2015}}</ref><ref name=workersID>{{cite web | url=http://www.workers.org/articles/2014/11/18/leslie-feinberg/ | title=Leslie Feinberg – A communist who revolutionized transgender rights | date=18 November 2014 | accessdate=17 February 2015 | author=Pratt, Minnie Bruce}}</ref> Feinberg authored ''[[Stone Butch Blues]]'' in 1993.<ref name="books.google.com">[https://books.google.com/books?id=q1xyj85A7a8C ''Violence and the body: race, gender, and the state''] Arturo J. Aldama; Indiana University Press, 2003; {{ISBN|978-0-253-34171-6}}.</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">[https://books.google.com/books?id=KuQPAQAAIAAJ Omnigender: A trans-religious approach] Virginia R. Mollenkott, Pilgrim Press, 2001; {{ISBN|978-0-8298-1422-4}}.</ref><ref name="Gay & lesbian literature, Volume 2">[https://books.google.com/books?id=ko8YAAAAIAAJ Gay & lesbian literature, Volume 2] Sharon Malinowski, Tom Pendergast, Sara Pendergast; St. James Press, 1998; {{ISBN|978-1-55862-350-7}}.</ref> Her<!-- NOTE: Feinberg used SHE/HER when writing for general audiences. Wikipedia is written for a general audience. Please respect Leslie Feinberg's pronouns. For more detail, [[Talk:Leslie Feinberg#Pronouns, in Feinberg's own words|Read The Talk Page and Reach Consensus Before Trying to Change Leslie Feinberg's Pronouns]]. Thanks. --> writing, notably ''Stone Butch Blues'' and her pioneering non-fiction book, 1996's ''Transgender Warriors'', laid the groundwork for much of the terminology and awareness around [[gender studies]] and was instrumental in bringing these issues to a more mainstream audience.<ref name=NYT/><ref name=LAT/><ref name=TW>Feinberg, Leslie (1997) ''Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman'' Boston: Beacon Press, 1996. {{ISBN|0-8070-7941-3}}</ref><ref name=TWweb>Feinberg, Leslie (2009) "[http://transgenderwarrior.org/tgwarriors.html Transgender Warriors]" summary at ''[http://transgenderwarrior.org Feinberg's Official Website]''. Accessed 19 Oct 2015</ref>
'''Leslie Feinberg''' (September 1, 1949 – November 15, 2014) was an American, [[butch lesbian]] and [[Transgender activism|transgender activist]], communist,<ref name="transwarrior">{{cite web|last1=Frey|first1=Kate|title=Leslie Feinberg: Transgender Warrior|url=http://www.socialistalternative.org/2015/01/09/leslie-feinberg-transgender-warrior-2/|website=Socialist Alternative|accessdate=1 February 2016}}</ref> and author.<ref name="advocate">{{cite web|url=http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/books/2014/11/17/transgender-pioneer-leslie-feinberg-stone-butch-blues-has-died|title=Transgender Pioneer and Stone Butch Blues Author Leslie Feinberg Has Died|publisher=Advocate|accessdate=February 17, 2015}}</ref><ref name=NYT>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/nyregion/leslie-feinberg-writer-and-transgender-activist-dies-at-65.html |title=Leslie Feinberg, Writer and Transgender Activist, Dies at 65|publisher=New York Times|accessdate=February 17, 2015}}</ref><ref name=LAT>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-author-and-transgender-activist-leslie-feinberg-is-dead-at-65-20141117-story.html |title=Author and transgender activist Leslie Feinberg is dead at 65|publisher=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=February 17, 2015}}</ref><ref name=workersID>{{cite web | url=http://www.workers.org/articles/2014/11/18/leslie-feinberg/ | title=Leslie Feinberg – A communist who revolutionized transgender rights | date=18 November 2014 | accessdate=17 February 2015 | author=Pratt, Minnie Bruce}}</ref> Feinberg authored ''[[Stone Butch Blues]]'' in 1993.<ref name="books.google.com">[https://books.google.com/books?id=q1xyj85A7a8C ''Violence and the body: race, gender, and the state''] Arturo J. Aldama; Indiana University Press, 2003; {{ISBN|978-0-253-34171-6}}.</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">[https://books.google.com/books?id=KuQPAQAAIAAJ Omnigender: A trans-religious approach] Virginia R. Mollenkott, Pilgrim Press, 2001; {{ISBN|978-0-8298-1422-4}}.</ref><ref name="Gay & lesbian literature, Volume 2">[https://books.google.com/books?id=ko8YAAAAIAAJ Gay & lesbian literature, Volume 2] Sharon Malinowski, Tom Pendergast, Sara Pendergast; St. James Press, 1998; {{ISBN|978-1-55862-350-7}}.</ref> {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|Acc}}}}<!-- NOTE: Feinberg used SHE/HER when writing for general audiences. Wikipedia is written for a general audience. Please respect Leslie Feinberg's pronouns. For more detail, [[Talk:Leslie Feinberg#Pronouns, in Feinberg's own words|Read The Talk Page and Reach Consensus Before Trying to Change Leslie Feinberg's Pronouns]]. Thanks. --> writing, notably ''Stone Butch Blues'' and {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|acc}}}} pioneering non-fiction book, 1996's ''Transgender Warriors'', laid the groundwork for much of the terminology and awareness around [[gender studies]] and was instrumental in bringing these issues to a more mainstream audience.<ref name=NYT/><ref name=LAT/><ref name=TW>Feinberg, Leslie (1997) ''Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman'' Boston: Beacon Press, 1996. {{ISBN|0-8070-7941-3}}</ref><ref name=TWweb>Feinberg, Leslie (2009) "[http://transgenderwarrior.org/tgwarriors.html Transgender Warriors]" summary at ''[http://transgenderwarrior.org Feinberg's Official Website]''. Accessed 19 Oct 2015</ref>


== Early Life ==
== Early Life ==
Feinberg was born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in Buffalo, New York in a working-class, Jewish family. At fourteen years old, she began work at a display sign shop at a local department store. Feinberg eventually dropped out of high school, though she officially received a diploma. Feinberg began frequenting gays bars in Buffalo and primarily worked in low-wage and temporary jobs, including washing dishes, cleaning cargo ships, working as an ASL interpreter, inputting medical data, and working at a PVC pipe factory and a book bindery.<ref name=PersonalSite>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lesliefeinberg.net/self/|title=self|date=2014-03-27|website=Leslie Feinberg|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-18}}</ref>
Feinberg was born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in Buffalo, New York in a working-class, Jewish family. At fourteen years old, {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|nom}}}} began work at a display sign shop at a local department store. Feinberg eventually dropped out of high school, though {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|nom}}}} officially received a diploma. Feinberg began frequenting gays bars in Buffalo and primarily worked in low-wage and temporary jobs, including washing dishes, cleaning cargo ships, working as an ASL interpreter, inputting medical data, and working at a PVC pipe factory and a book bindery.<ref name=PersonalSite>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lesliefeinberg.net/self/|title=self|date=2014-03-27|website=Leslie Feinberg|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-18}}</ref>


== Career ==
== Career ==
When Feinberg was in her twenties, {{as written|reaason=See #Pronoun usage|she}} met members of the [[Workers World Party]] at a demonstration for the land rights and self-determination of Palestinians, and joined the Buffalo branch of the party. After moving to New York City, Feinberg took part in anti-war, anti-racist, and pro-labor demonstrations on behalf of the party for many years, including the March Against Racism (Boston, 1974), a national tour about HIV/AIDS (1983-84), and a mobilization against KKK members (Atlanta, 1988).<ref name=PersonalSite/>
When Feinberg was in {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|acc}}}} twenties, {{as written|reaason=See #Pronoun usage|{{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|nom}}}}}} met members of the [[Workers World Party]] at a demonstration for the land rights and self-determination of Palestinians, and joined the Buffalo branch of the party. After moving to New York City, Feinberg took part in anti-war, anti-racist, and pro-labor demonstrations on behalf of the party for many years, including the March Against Racism (Boston, 1974), a national tour about HIV/AIDS (1983-84), and a mobilization against KKK members (Atlanta, 1988).<ref name=PersonalSite/>


Feinberg began writing in the 1970s. As a member of the [[Workers World Party]], she was the editor of the political prisoners page of the ''[[Workers World (newspaper)|Workers World]]'' newspaper for fifteen years, and by 1995, she had become the managing editor.<ref name=PersonalSite/><ref>[http://www.workers.org/2009/us/leslie_feinberg_0917/ "Leslie Feinberg: New book, birthday celebrated"], LeiLani Dowell, September 9, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.workers.org/2005/us/colorado-0505/ "Leftist transgender activist defies university censorship"], Larry Hales, LeiLani Dowell; Ft. Collins, Colo.; April 27, 2005.</ref>
Feinberg began writing in the 1970s. As a member of the [[Workers World Party]], {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|nom}}}} was the editor of the political prisoners page of the ''[[Workers World (newspaper)|Workers World]]'' newspaper for fifteen years, and by 1995, {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|nom}}}} had become the managing editor.<ref name=PersonalSite/><ref>[http://www.workers.org/2009/us/leslie_feinberg_0917/ "Leslie Feinberg: New book, birthday celebrated"], LeiLani Dowell, September 9, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.workers.org/2005/us/colorado-0505/ "Leftist transgender activist defies university censorship"], Larry Hales, LeiLani Dowell; Ft. Collins, Colo.; April 27, 2005.</ref>


Feinberg's first novel, the 1993 ''[[Stone Butch Blues]]'', won the [[Lambda Literary Award]] and the 1994 American Library Association Gay & Lesbian Book Award. While there are parallels to Feinberg's experiences as a working-class [[Dyke (slang)|dyke]], the work is not an autobiography.<ref name="books.google.com"/><ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="Gay & lesbian literature, Volume 2"/> {{as written|reaason=See #Pronoun usage|Her}} second novel, ''Drag King Dreams'', was released in 2006.<ref name=DKD>Feinberg, Leslie (2006).''Drag King Dreams''. New York: Carroll & Graf. {{ISBN|0-7867-1763-7}}.</ref>
Feinberg's first novel, the 1993 ''[[Stone Butch Blues]]'', won the [[Lambda Literary Award]] and the 1994 American Library Association Gay & Lesbian Book Award. While there are parallels to Feinberg's experiences as a working-class [[Dyke (slang)|dyke]], the work is not an autobiography.<ref name="books.google.com"/><ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="Gay & lesbian literature, Volume 2"/> {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|Acc}}}} second novel, ''Drag King Dreams'', was released in 2006.<ref name=DKD>Feinberg, Leslie (2006).''Drag King Dreams''. New York: Carroll & Graf. {{ISBN|0-7867-1763-7}}.</ref>


Her nonfiction work included the books ''Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue'' in 1992 and ''Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman'' in 1996. In 2009 she released ''Rainbow Solidarity in Defense of Cuba'' - a compilation of 25 journalistic articles.
{{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|Acc}}}} nonfiction work included the books ''Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue'' in 1992 and ''Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman'' in 1996. In 2009 {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|nom}}}} released ''Rainbow Solidarity in Defense of Cuba'' - a compilation of 25 journalistic articles.


In ''Transgender Warriors'', Feinberg defines "[[transgender]]" as a very broad umbrella, including all "people who cross the cultural boundaries of gender"<ref name=TWweb/>—including butch dykes, passing women (those who passed as men only in order to find work or survive during war), and [[drag queen]]s.<ref name=TW/>
In ''Transgender Warriors'', Feinberg defines "[[transgender]]" as a very broad umbrella, including all "people who cross the cultural boundaries of gender"<ref name=TWweb/>—including butch dykes, passing women (those who passed as men only in order to find work or survive during war), and [[drag queen]]s.<ref name=TW/>
Line 38: Line 38:


== Illness ==
== Illness ==
In 2008, Feinberg was diagnosed with [[Lyme disease]] and [[Tick-borne disease]] (multiple tick-born infections). Feinberg has written that the infections first came about in the 1970s, when there was limited knowledge related to such diseases, and that she felt hesitant to deal with medical professionals for many years, due to her transgender identity. For these reason, she only received treatment later in life. In the 2000s, Feinberg created art and blogged about her illnesses, with a focus on [[disability art]] and [[class consciousness]].<ref name=PersonalSite/>
In 2008, Feinberg was diagnosed with [[Lyme disease]] and [[Tick-borne disease]] (multiple tick-born infections). Feinberg has written that the infections first came about in the 1970s, when there was limited knowledge related to such diseases, and that {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|nom}}}} felt hesitant to deal with medical professionals for many years, due to {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|acc}}}} transgender identity. For these reason, {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|nom}}}} only received treatment later in life. In the 2000s, Feinberg created art and blogged about {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|acc}}}} illnesses, with a focus on [[disability art]] and [[class consciousness]].<ref name=PersonalSite/>


== Pronoun usage ==
== Pronoun usage ==


The issue of [[Third-person_pronoun#Transgender_pronouns|what pronoun to use]] may arise when speaking about transgender individuals.
The issue of [[Third-person_pronoun#Transgender_pronouns|what pronoun to use]] may arise when speaking about transgender individuals.
Feinberg stated in a 2006 interview that her [[Gender-specific and gender-neutral pronouns#Preferred pronouns|preferred pronouns]] varied depending on context:
Feinberg stated in a 2006 interview that {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|acc}}}} [[Gender-specific and gender-neutral pronouns#Preferred pronouns|preferred pronouns]] varied depending on context:


{{quote|For me, pronouns are always placed within context. I am female-bodied, I am a butch lesbian, a transgender lesbian—referring to me as "she/her" is appropriate, particularly in a non-trans setting in which referring to me as "he" would appear to resolve the social contradiction between my birth sex and gender expression and render my transgender expression invisible. I like the gender neutral pronoun "ze/hir" because it makes it impossible to hold on to gender/sex/sexuality assumptions about a person you're about to meet or you've just met. And in an all trans setting, referring to me as "he/him" honors my gender expression in the same way that referring to my sister drag queens as "she/her" does.|Leslie Feinberg, 2006<ref name=NYT/><ref name=Tyroler>{{cite web | url=http://www.campkc.com/campkc-content.php?Page_ID=225 | title=Transmissions - Interview with Leslie Feinberg | date=28 July 2006 | accessdate=17 November 2014 | author=Tyroler, Jamie | deadurl=yes | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141123060911/http://www.campkc.com/campkc-content.php?Page_ID=225 | archivedate=November 23, 2014 | df=mdy-all }}</ref>}}
{{quote|For me, pronouns are always placed within context. I am female-bodied, I am a butch lesbian, a transgender lesbian—referring to me as "she/her" is appropriate, particularly in a non-trans setting in which referring to me as "he" would appear to resolve the social contradiction between my birth sex and gender expression and render my transgender expression invisible. I like the gender neutral pronoun "ze/hir" because it makes it impossible to hold on to gender/sex/sexuality assumptions about a person you're about to meet or you've just met. And in an all trans setting, referring to me as "he/him" honors my gender expression in the same way that referring to my sister drag queens as "she/her" does.|Leslie Feinberg, 2006<ref name=NYT/><ref name=Tyroler>{{cite web | url=http://www.campkc.com/campkc-content.php?Page_ID=225 | title=Transmissions - Interview with Leslie Feinberg | date=28 July 2006 | accessdate=17 November 2014 | author=Tyroler, Jamie | deadurl=yes | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141123060911/http://www.campkc.com/campkc-content.php?Page_ID=225 | archivedate=November 23, 2014 | df=mdy-all }}</ref>}}


Feinberg's widow wrote in her statement regarding Feinberg's death that Feinberg did not really care which pronouns a person used to address her: "She preferred to use the pronouns she/zie and her/hir for herself, but also said: 'I care which pronoun is used, but people have been respectful to me with the wrong pronoun and disrespectful with the right one. It matters whether someone is using the pronoun as a bigot, or if they are trying to demonstrate respect.{{'"}}<ref name=workersID/>
Feinberg's widow wrote in her statement regarding Feinberg's death that Feinberg did not really care which pronouns a person used to address {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|acc}}}}: "She preferred to use the pronouns she/zie and her/hir for herself, but also said: 'I care which pronoun is used, but people have been respectful to me with the wrong pronoun and disrespectful with the right one. It matters whether someone is using the pronoun as a bigot, or if they are trying to demonstrate respect.{{'"}}<ref name=workersID/>


== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==
Line 55: Line 55:
Feinberg's spouse, [[Minnie Bruce Pratt]], is a professor at [[Syracuse University]] in [[Syracuse, New York]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=11469 |title=Annual Philip J. Traci Memorial Reading Feb. 6 |date=February 3, 2005 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929221002/http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=11469 |archivedate=September 29, 2011 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2003/12/16/2003079834/2 |publisher=Taipei Times |date=December 16, 2003 |title=A transgender warrior spreads the word to Taiwan |first=Bradley |last=Winterton }}</ref> Feinberg and Pratt married in [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[Massachusetts]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/17/leslie-feinberg-author-transgender-campaigner-dies-65|title=Leslie Feinberg, Stone Butch Blues author and transgender campaigner, dies at 65|first=Martin|last=Pengelly|date=November 17, 2014|publisher= |website=The Guardian}}</ref> In the mid and late 1990s they attended [[Camp Trans]] together.
Feinberg's spouse, [[Minnie Bruce Pratt]], is a professor at [[Syracuse University]] in [[Syracuse, New York]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=11469 |title=Annual Philip J. Traci Memorial Reading Feb. 6 |date=February 3, 2005 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929221002/http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=11469 |archivedate=September 29, 2011 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2003/12/16/2003079834/2 |publisher=Taipei Times |date=December 16, 2003 |title=A transgender warrior spreads the word to Taiwan |first=Bradley |last=Winterton }}</ref> Feinberg and Pratt married in [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[Massachusetts]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/17/leslie-feinberg-author-transgender-campaigner-dies-65|title=Leslie Feinberg, Stone Butch Blues author and transgender campaigner, dies at 65|first=Martin|last=Pengelly|date=November 17, 2014|publisher= |website=The Guardian}}</ref> In the mid and late 1990s they attended [[Camp Trans]] together.


Feinberg died on November 15, 2014, of complications due to tick-borne infections, including [[Lyme disease controversy|chronic Lyme disease]], which she suffered from since the 1970s.<ref name="advocate" /><ref name="home website">{{cite web|url=http://www.transgenderwarrior.org/|title=Transgender Warrior|publisher=Leslie Feinberg Official Website|accessdate=December 13, 2010}}</ref> Feinberg's last words were reported to be, "Hasten the revolution! Remember me as a revolutionary communist."<ref name="advocate"/>
Feinberg died on November 15, 2014, of complications due to tick-borne infections, including [[Lyme disease controversy|chronic Lyme disease]], which {{trim|{{#section-h:Leslie Feinberg/pronouns|nom}}}} suffered from since the 1970s.<ref name="advocate" /><ref name="home website">{{cite web|url=http://www.transgenderwarrior.org/|title=Transgender Warrior|publisher=Leslie Feinberg Official Website|accessdate=December 13, 2010}}</ref> Feinberg's last words were reported to be, "Hasten the revolution! Remember me as a revolutionary communist."<ref name="advocate"/>


==Books by Leslie Feinberg==
==Books by Leslie Feinberg==

Revision as of 10:55, 5 June 2019

Leslie Feinberg
Feinberg in 1997, in a photograph by Ulrike Anhamm
Feinberg in 1997, in a photograph by Ulrike Anhamm
Born(1949-09-01)September 1, 1949
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
DiedNovember 15, 2014(2014-11-15) (aged 65)
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
OccupationAuthor, activist
NationalityAmerican
Spouse
​
(m. 2011)​
Website
transgenderwarrior.org

Leslie Feinberg (September 1, 1949 – November 15, 2014) was an American, butch lesbian and transgender activist, communist,[1] and author.[2][3][4][5] Feinberg authored Stone Butch Blues in 1993.[6][7][8] Leslie Feinberg/pronouns writing, notably Stone Butch Blues and Leslie Feinberg/pronouns pioneering non-fiction book, 1996's Transgender Warriors, laid the groundwork for much of the terminology and awareness around gender studies and was instrumental in bringing these issues to a more mainstream audience.[3][4][9][10]

Early Life

Feinberg was born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in Buffalo, New York in a working-class, Jewish family. At fourteen years old, Leslie Feinberg/pronouns began work at a display sign shop at a local department store. Feinberg eventually dropped out of high school, though Leslie Feinberg/pronouns officially received a diploma. Feinberg began frequenting gays bars in Buffalo and primarily worked in low-wage and temporary jobs, including washing dishes, cleaning cargo ships, working as an ASL interpreter, inputting medical data, and working at a PVC pipe factory and a book bindery.[11]

Career

When Feinberg was in Leslie Feinberg/pronouns twenties, Leslie Feinberg/pronouns met members of the Workers World Party at a demonstration for the land rights and self-determination of Palestinians, and joined the Buffalo branch of the party. After moving to New York City, Feinberg took part in anti-war, anti-racist, and pro-labor demonstrations on behalf of the party for many years, including the March Against Racism (Boston, 1974), a national tour about HIV/AIDS (1983-84), and a mobilization against KKK members (Atlanta, 1988).[11]

Feinberg began writing in the 1970s. As a member of the Workers World Party, Leslie Feinberg/pronouns was the editor of the political prisoners page of the Workers World newspaper for fifteen years, and by 1995, Leslie Feinberg/pronouns had become the managing editor.[11][12][13]

Feinberg's first novel, the 1993 Stone Butch Blues, won the Lambda Literary Award and the 1994 American Library Association Gay & Lesbian Book Award. While there are parallels to Feinberg's experiences as a working-class dyke, the work is not an autobiography.[6][7][8] Leslie Feinberg/pronouns second novel, Drag King Dreams, was released in 2006.[14]

Leslie Feinberg/pronouns nonfiction work included the books Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue in 1992 and Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman in 1996. In 2009 Leslie Feinberg/pronouns released Rainbow Solidarity in Defense of Cuba - a compilation of 25 journalistic articles.

In Transgender Warriors, Feinberg defines "transgender" as a very broad umbrella, including all "people who cross the cultural boundaries of gender"[10]—including butch dykes, passing women (those who passed as men only in order to find work or survive during war), and drag queens.[9]

Feinberg's writings on LGBT history, "Lavender & Red", frequently appeared in the Workers World newspaper. Feinberg was awarded an honorary doctorate from Starr King School for the Ministry for transgender and social justice work.[15]

Illness

In 2008, Feinberg was diagnosed with Lyme disease and Tick-borne disease (multiple tick-born infections). Feinberg has written that the infections first came about in the 1970s, when there was limited knowledge related to such diseases, and that Leslie Feinberg/pronouns felt hesitant to deal with medical professionals for many years, due to Leslie Feinberg/pronouns transgender identity. For these reason, Leslie Feinberg/pronouns only received treatment later in life. In the 2000s, Feinberg created art and blogged about Leslie Feinberg/pronouns illnesses, with a focus on disability art and class consciousness.[11]

Pronoun usage

The issue of what pronoun to use may arise when speaking about transgender individuals. Feinberg stated in a 2006 interview that Leslie Feinberg/pronouns preferred pronouns varied depending on context:

For me, pronouns are always placed within context. I am female-bodied, I am a butch lesbian, a transgender lesbian—referring to me as "she/her" is appropriate, particularly in a non-trans setting in which referring to me as "he" would appear to resolve the social contradiction between my birth sex and gender expression and render my transgender expression invisible. I like the gender neutral pronoun "ze/hir" because it makes it impossible to hold on to gender/sex/sexuality assumptions about a person you're about to meet or you've just met. And in an all trans setting, referring to me as "he/him" honors my gender expression in the same way that referring to my sister drag queens as "she/her" does.

— Leslie Feinberg, 2006[3][16]

Feinberg's widow wrote in her statement regarding Feinberg's death that Feinberg did not really care which pronouns a person used to address Leslie Feinberg/pronouns: "She preferred to use the pronouns she/zie and her/hir for herself, but also said: 'I care which pronoun is used, but people have been respectful to me with the wrong pronoun and disrespectful with the right one. It matters whether someone is using the pronoun as a bigot, or if they are trying to demonstrate respect.'"[5]

Personal life

Feinberg described herself as "an anti-racist white, working-class, secular Jewish, transgender, lesbian, female, revolutionary communist."[2][4][5]

Feinberg's spouse, Minnie Bruce Pratt, is a professor at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York.[17][18] Feinberg and Pratt married in New York and Massachusetts in 2011.[19] In the mid and late 1990s they attended Camp Trans together.

Feinberg died on November 15, 2014, of complications due to tick-borne infections, including chronic Lyme disease, which Leslie Feinberg/pronouns suffered from since the 1970s.[2][20] Feinberg's last words were reported to be, "Hasten the revolution! Remember me as a revolutionary communist."[2]

Books by Leslie Feinberg

  • Transgender Liberation: A Movement Whose Time Has Come. World View Forum, 1992. ISBN 0-89567-105-0.
  • Stone Butch Blues. San Francisco: Firebrand Books, 1993. ISBN 1-55583-853-7.
  • Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8070-7941-3.
  • Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue. Beacon Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8070-7951-0
  • Drag King Dreams. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2006. ISBN 0-7867-1763-7.
  • Rainbow Solidarity in Defense of Cuba. New York: World View Forum, 2009. ISBN 0-89567-150-6.

See also

References

  1. ^ Frey, Kate. "Leslie Feinberg: Transgender Warrior". Socialist Alternative. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Transgender Pioneer and Stone Butch Blues Author Leslie Feinberg Has Died". Advocate. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Leslie Feinberg, Writer and Transgender Activist, Dies at 65". New York Times. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "Author and transgender activist Leslie Feinberg is dead at 65". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Pratt, Minnie Bruce (November 18, 2014). "Leslie Feinberg – A communist who revolutionized transgender rights". Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Violence and the body: race, gender, and the state Arturo J. Aldama; Indiana University Press, 2003; ISBN 978-0-253-34171-6.
  7. ^ a b Omnigender: A trans-religious approach Virginia R. Mollenkott, Pilgrim Press, 2001; ISBN 978-0-8298-1422-4.
  8. ^ a b Gay & lesbian literature, Volume 2 Sharon Malinowski, Tom Pendergast, Sara Pendergast; St. James Press, 1998; ISBN 978-1-55862-350-7.
  9. ^ a b Feinberg, Leslie (1997) Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman Boston: Beacon Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8070-7941-3
  10. ^ a b Feinberg, Leslie (2009) "Transgender Warriors" summary at Feinberg's Official Website. Accessed 19 Oct 2015
  11. ^ a b c d "self". Leslie Feinberg. March 27, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  12. ^ "Leslie Feinberg: New book, birthday celebrated", LeiLani Dowell, September 9, 2009.
  13. ^ "Leftist transgender activist defies university censorship", Larry Hales, LeiLani Dowell; Ft. Collins, Colo.; April 27, 2005.
  14. ^ Feinberg, Leslie (2006).Drag King Dreams. New York: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-1763-7.
  15. ^ "SKSM Honorary Degree Recipients". Starr King School for the Ministry. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  16. ^ Tyroler, Jamie (July 28, 2006). "Transmissions - Interview with Leslie Feinberg". Archived from the original on November 23, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "Annual Philip J. Traci Memorial Reading Feb. 6". February 3, 2005. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Winterton, Bradley (December 16, 2003). "A transgender warrior spreads the word to Taiwan". Taipei Times.
  19. ^ Pengelly, Martin (November 17, 2014). "Leslie Feinberg, Stone Butch Blues author and transgender campaigner, dies at 65". The Guardian.
  20. ^ "Transgender Warrior". Leslie Feinberg Official Website. Retrieved December 13, 2010.

Further reading

Library resources about
Leslie Feinberg
By Leslie Feinberg
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