Join us for an exciting night with author Brandy Schillace, as she discusses her new book
The Intermediaries,
with journalist Erin Reed
This in-person event will be held at Solid State Books
on H St. NE. Don't miss out!
Tickets with, AND without a book are available here!
The fascinating history of a daring team of sexologists who built the first trans clinic in the shadow of the Third Reich
Set in interwar Germany, The Intermediaries tells the forgotten story of the Institute for Sexual Science, the world’s first centre for homosexual and transgender rights. Headed by a gay Jewish man, Dr. Magnus Hirshfeld, the institute aided in the first gender-affirming surgeries and hormone replacements, acting as a rebellious base of operations in the face of rising prejudice, nationalism and Nazi propaganda.
Brandy Schillace introduces readers to Dora Richter, an institute patient whom we follow from early desperate years to gender-affirming care and her right to live as a woman. She offers an example of queer resilience in the face of punishing cultural constraints. The Intermediaries charts the interdependent relationships between nascent sexual science, queer civil rights and the fight against fascism. It tells riveting stories of LGBTQ pioneers, a surprising, long-suppressed history and offers a cautionary tale in the face of today’s oppressive anti-trans legislation.
Brandy Schillace is a historian, former professor and museum professional, and editor of Medical Humanities, a social-justice journal. She writes about gender, medical history, and neurodiversity for outlets including Scientific American, Wired, CrimeReads, and Undark. She lives in Ohio.
Erin Reed (she/her) is a transgender journalist based in Washington, D.C.. She tracks LGBTQ+ legislation around the United States for her subscription newsletter, ErinInTheMorning.com. Her work has been cited by the AP, Reuters, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and many more major media outlets. You can follow her on twitter @ErinInTheMorn.