We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan, 1961-1991 is a book of writing from the diaries of transgender rights activist Lou Sullivan, edited by Ellis Martin and Zach Ozma. It includes a foreword by trans studies professor Susan Stryker.[1]
 First edition | |
| Editor | Ellis Martin and Zach Ozma |
|---|---|
| Author | Lou Sullivan |
| Language | English |
| Subject | |
| Genre | Diary |
| Publisher | Nightboat Books |
Publication date | 17 September 2019 |
| Publication place | United States |
The book discusses Sullivan's childhood, his transition, his push for heterosexuality to be removed as a criterion for medical transition and final days living with HIV.[2]
Reception
editWe Both Laughed in Pleasure was generally well received. Slate's Crispin Long said the book was "ripe with mirth, confusion, lust, despair, hope, and charm."[3] The Nation's Sasha Geffen said it "dispenses with the ubiquitous narrative of transition as a dreary but necessary inconvenience."[4] Jeremy Lybarger, writing for The New Yorker, called it "a radical testament to trans happiness," saying it was "chatty and tender, casually poetic and voraciously sexual."[5] Chicago Review's Gabriel Ojeda-Sagué expanded on others' reviews, writing that We Both Laughed in Pleasure is "a deeply erotic book. Sullivan’s diaries record in great detail his sexual exploits, romantic infatuations, and complex personal relationships. These reminiscences are written in a style somewhere between childlike giddiness and deft description, where you can sense that Sullivan is turning himself on with every entry he writes."[6]
We Both Laughed in Pleasure won the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction in 2020.[7]
Citations
edit- ^ Mac, Amos (September 23, 2019). "Lou Sullivan's Diaries Show the Transformative Power of Queer History". them. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ Lybarger, Jeremy (September 16, 2019). "Lou Sullivan's Diaries Are a Radical Testament to Trans Happiness". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ Long, Crispin (2019-09-24). "Meet Lou Sullivan, the Pioneer Who Taught the World That Trans Men Can Be Gay". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
- ^ Geffen, Sasha (2019-10-09). "The Revolutionary Joy of Trans Life". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
- ^ Lybarger, Jeremy (2019-09-16). "Lou Sullivan's Diaries Are a Radical Testament to Trans Happiness". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
- ^ Ojeda-Sagué, Gabriel (2020-02-01). ""Something Happens Under the Bridge": Three Recent Books by Gay Trans Men". Chicago Review. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
- ^ Aviles, Gwen (May 1, 2020). "Lambda Literary announces 25 winning books for annual Lammy Awards". NBC News. Retrieved July 12, 2021.