''We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan, 1961-1991'' is a book of writing from the diaries of

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

rights activist

Lou Sullivan Louis Graydon Sullivan (June 16, 1951 – March 2, 1991) was an American author and activist known for his work on behalf of trans men. He was perhaps the first transgender man to publicly identify as gay,Highleyman, Liz"Who was Lou Sullivan?" ...

, edited by Ellis Martin and Zach Ozma. It includes a foreword by trans studies professor Susan Stryker. The book discusses Sullivan's childhood, his transition, his push for heterosexuality to be removed as a criterion for medical transition and final days living with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

Reception

''We Both Laughed in Pleasure'' was generally well received. '' Slate'''s Crispin Long said the book was "ripe with mirth, confusion, lust, despair, hope, and charm." '' The Nation'''s Sasha Geffen said it "dispenses with the ubiquitous narrative of transition as a dreary but necessary inconvenience." Jeremy Lybarger, writing for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

,'' called it "a radical testament to trans happiness," saying it was "chatty and tender, casually poetic and voraciously sexual." '' Chicago Review'''s Gabriel Ojeda-Sagué expanded on others' reviews, writing that ''We Both Laughed in Pleasure'' is "a deeply erotic book. Sullivan’s diaries record in great detail his sexual exploits, romantic infatuations, and complex personal relationships. These reminiscences are written in a style somewhere between childlike giddiness and deft description, where you can sense that Sullivan is turning himself on with every entry he writes." ''We Both Laughed in Pleasure'' won the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction in 2020.

Citations

{{Lambda Literary Awards 2019 non-fiction books Transgender non-fiction books LGBT literature in the United States 2010s LGBT literature Lambda Literary Award-winning works Books published posthumously Diaries 2019 LGBT-related literary works