Looking through the shelves of the library at the Magnus Hirschfeld Society - seeing who and what I will meet in the century-old pages. I am struck by many encounters: by the scientific mind observing the world and attempting to understand, simplify, and classify; by the brave early queer lovers; by the many tragic fates of our early queer brothers and sisters. 

Today, I am touched by the early transsexuals, with their courageous defiance of society. There is something very poetic about their choice to define the world as they felt was right and be true to themselves, regardless of society’s opinion. Their touching yearning for beauty stands out to me! And now, I encounter them on the pages of an old science book: young men or women, feeling completely different from others, dressed up in their very finest, casting an unsure and slightly scared glance toward the scientist’s camera.