For the first time in decades, read over 100 rare writings from Roberta Angela Dee in this comprehensive survey of her life’s work.
In the 80s, she wrote a lifestyle column for R-18 trans tabloid The Transvestian.
In the 90s, her ground-breaking novellas defined Black trans indie publishing.
In the early 00s, she helped organize the TWOC community, inspiring Monica Roberts to write.
This is the story of Roberta Angela Dee.
This article is the product of a massive two month research project, with over 270 citations.
Since little is written about Dee's work, I've done my best to survey her full oeuvre.
The most important part of this article is the archive included at the end featuring nearly 150 primary sources.
Roberta Angela Dee was the first Black trans novelist whose works we still possess.
She was a community elder, transitioning full-time in 1974 and remaining active in trans spaces for the rest of the 20th century.
She corresponded with Virginia Prince and was edited by JoAnn Roberts.
I did not intend for this to reach book-length. But the more I found about Roberta's life, the more evident it became that this is a story - and an intergenerational memory - so much bigger than I could hold alone.
Dee's life work *demands* to be read. It is my honor and privilege to share it.
Oh and putting this together took hundreds of hours and multiple months of work. So if you enjoy my scholarship, and want to help me keep doing it, it would mean a lot if you supported me on Patreon!
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Finishing a project like this - it'll sit dormant and collect passive readership for several years, before cropping up somewhere random and unexpected in ways you can't anticipate.
