We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan

By Lou Sullivan

2020 LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD WINNER

FINALIST FOR THE PUBLISHING TRIANGLE AWARD

Drawn from Lou Sullivan's meticulously kept journals, this landmark book records the life of arguably the first publicly gay trans man to medically transition.

We Both Laughed In Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan narrates the inner life of a gay man moving through the shifting social, political, and medical mores of the second half of the 20th century. Sullivan kept comprehensive journals from age 11 until his AIDS-related death at 39. Sensual, lascivious, challenging, quotidian and poetic, the diaries complicate and disrupt normative trans narratives. Entries from twenty-four diaries reveal Sullivan's self-articulation and the complexity of a fascinating and courageous figure.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1643620177
• ISBN13: 9781643620176
• Release Date: September 2019
• Publisher: Nightboat Books
• Length: 440 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

We Have Always Been Here

And we will always remain. Couldn’t have decided on a better time to read this, 3 months into my transition. At a time where I’m afraid to come out at work, called she/her and dead named out of fear of my safety, this book was a soothing balm to my soul. The book follows Lou Sullivan’s diary entries from early life through tumultuous relationships and life changes into the fully realized man he always dreamed of being. I love you Lou, I wish I could reach out across the decades and give you a big hug. Highly recommend this for any person who is questioning transitioning, early on in their transition, or having a difficult time feeling accepted and wanted in society. There is always time, and you must live.