35 - Autobiography

Summary

From the late sixties through the 1970s, a number of autobiographies appeared that either advanced or were made possible by the gay liberation movement. Since the advances in AIDS treatment, there have been fewer AIDS memoirs. Douglas Wright has written Ghost Dance and Terra Incognito that record a life in extended time. Lesbian and gay autobiographies are written from or about social institutions to which queers have been placed or denied admission. The subgenres of gay and lesbian memoir are often defined by these social institutions and cultural practices. One of the most contested cultural places for queer folk is the sports arena. They generally express pride in having found a way into a world that would exclude them. Many consider Conundrum to be the best written account of transgender experience. One of the more interesting male-tofemale (MTF) transgender autobiographies is Charlotte von Mahlsdorf' s I Am My Own Woman.