San Diego weekly recognizes Leslie Feinberg

Many thousands of people in the U.S. and in many other parts of the world have read and been inspired by the writings of Leslie Feinberg, a transgender lesbian activist, revolutionary working-class intellectual and Workers World newspaper managing editor.

Sign at San Francisco Pride march 2010 depicting “Stone Butch Blues” cover with photo of Leslie Feinberg. WW photo: Judy Greenspan

Feinberg’s lifelong defense of all gender-based and sexuality-based human variety; her scholarly explorations into the previously hidden history of transgender people and of the revolutionary working-class movements for sexual and gender liberation; and her novels, so profoundly insightful into the workings of the human heart, have brought hope for liberation to untold numbers of working-class and oppressed people. Feinberg’s words and actions have educated many about the need to actively struggle for a more just world.

However, on a planet still dominated by the self-serving ideologies of the billionaire capitalist class, representatives of implacable resistance to the existing order are seldom recognized, much less praised, in the mass media.

So it was very exciting to come across a fitting tribute to Feinberg in the latest issue of San Diego’s widely-read weekly, the Gay and Lesbian Times. In a feature article on “the best of GLBT literature and authors,” GLT editor Christina MacNeal offers a concise but thorough listing of Feinberg’s published work:

“Feinberg’s first novel, ‘Stone Butch Blues,’ is widely considered a groundbreaking work about gender. Feinberg also authored two non-fiction books, ‘TransLiberation: Beyond Pink or Blue,’ and ‘Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman.’ Feinberg also wrote the novel, ‘Drag King Dreams,’ and ‘Rainbow Solidarity in Defense of Cuba,’ a compilation of 25 journalistic articles. Feinberg’s partner is the prominent lesbian poet-activist Minnie Bruce Pratt. Feinberg’s writings on GLBT history, ‘Lavender & Red,’ frequently appear in the Workers World newspaper.”

Finally, and very importantly, the article recognizes that, in addition to her literary contributions, Feinberg is an activist and a speaker. MacNeal concludes by calling Feinberg a “true pioneer and community advocate.”

The online version of “An appreciation of the best of GLBT literature and authors” can be found at gaylesbiantimes.com.