BGSQDBureau of General Services—Queer Division
BGSQD
Join us for story time with author Lisa Robinson and illustrator Lauren Simkin Berke of the new picture book Were I Not A Girl: The Inspiring and True Story of Dr. James Barry.
This unique picture book biography illuminates a lesser known 19th century figure important to LGBTQ+ history. Dr. James Barry, a transgender British military surgeon, was a tireless advocate for improving health care for marginalized individuals, performed one of the first documented cesarean sections in which both mother and child survived, and ultimately achieved the title Inspector General of Hospitals. Assigned female at birth, James chafed at the constraints of the time that prevented him from going to school, owning property, and becoming a doctor or soldier. At the age of 19 James cut his hair, changed from a dress into a suit, and left his earlier life and identity. He went on to attend medical school and made his childhood dreams come true of becoming a surgeon in the British Army.
Backmatter includes additional details about Dr. Barry’s personal and professional life as well as a brief discussion of the concept of gender as a spectrum.
This is a free event, but donations of any amount to support the Bureau’s work are very much appreciated! You can make a donation when you register for the event. Thank you for your support!
Registration on Eventbrite is required.
Thank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us!
LISA ROBINSON is a physician and psychotherapist who lives near Boston. She is also the author of two fiction picture books, Pirates Don’t Go to Kindergarten and Pippa’s Night Parade, as well as another nonfiction picture book, Madame Saqui, Revolutionary Ropedancer. Visit her at author-lisa-robinson.com.
LAUREN SIMKIN BERKE is an award-winning illustrator, working with clients such as The New York Times, Smithsonian magazine, and Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance. Berke’s artwork has graced covers of books such as Katie Rain Hill’s Rethinking Normal, the Paris Review’s The Writer’s Chapbook, and the first edition of Susan Stryker’s Transgender History. This is their first picture book. Visit them at simkinberke.com.