By: Sophia-Joelle Oswald

The Trans Rights Readathon, which started on March 20th and lasts until March 27th, came from the mind of Sim Kern. This trans author, whose books include Seeds for the Swarm and Depart, Depart!, suggested the readathon in response to the hundreds of anti-trans bills being proposed in the United States. 

Kern eagerly reached out to BookTok with the hopes that other people would be excited to raise some money through the enjoyable act of reading. Thousands of readers on BookTube, Book Twitter, and Bookstagram have since jumped on board. 

“Let’s read other trans authors’ books, because let me tell you this, the forces of white supremacy patriarchy culture are terrified of trans books,” Kern stated in the video. “That’s why they’re legislating so hard against them.”

The goal is simple; try to read as many trans books as you can in a week and get some money into the hands of trans organizations or individuals. Simply sign up through the Google Form, pick a book and organization to send any earned money to, and read read read!

Set an amount to donate per page, chapter, or book (whatever works for you) and encourage those you know to match it. As for where the money can go, the options are endless. Kern recommends the Trans Health Legal Fund if you don’t have another in mind. Other options include the Brave Space Alliance and National Center for Transgender Equality.

Below you’ll find a mix of reads penned by trans authors or focusing on trans and non-binary stories. Check one out and be sure to post about it on your preferred platform with the hashtag #TransRightsReadathon. Happy reading!

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You can get all these books and more at Catcall Reads, an online bookstore powered by Bookshop.org with a mission to financially support local, indie bookstores.

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