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Lou Sullivan: Daring To Be a Man Among Men
“[They] said I couldn’t live as a gay man, but it looks like I’m going to die like one.” Good Midwestern girls did not grow up to be gay men and die from AIDS. Unless they were transgender pioneer Lou Sullivan (1951-1991). In this heart-wrenchingly inspirational biography, Brice D. Smith reclaims one of the most tragically overlooked people in LGBT history. Sullivan marched for Civil Rights, embraced the 1960s counterculture, came of age in the gay liberation movement, transformed medical treatment of trans people, institutionalized trans history, forged an international female-to-male (FTM) transgender community and died from AIDS at the epicenter of the crisis. He overcame tremendous obstacles to be who he was and dedicated his life to helping others do the same. An activist to the end, Sullivan inspired a generation to rethink gender identity, sexual orientation and what it means to be human.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 19, 2017
I'm not crying about Lou Sullivan, YOU'RE crying about Lou Sullivan! I read this book in a single, 10 hour sitting. Brice Smith's loving account of Lou's short but immensely impactful life is a thorough and compelling read drawing on Lou's diaries and extensive correspondence. It's a wonderful tribute to the man who, essentially, created the FTM community out of thin air. Get a box of tissues, you'll need them.
August 18, 2018
Three point five, rounding up-- a digestible and absorbing biography of an important figure for gay/trans/AIDS activism-- Lou comes across as totally lovable, a joy to spend so much time with. I chafed at some of the biographer's interpretive claims, some of which felt heavy-handed, others simply weirdly unproductive speculations about how Lou's life might have been different if he had, say, not moved to SF. But there's a ton of heart here, and also worth reading for the history into the formation and politics of Milwaukee's LGBTQ community, and how Lou negotiated trans/lesbian tensions during the rise of lesbian separatism in the Midwest.
April 29, 2021
Très intéressant notamment parce que c'est la seule biographie de Lou Sullivan qui existe, et jusqu'à la publication de son journal intime en 2020, c'était la seule source un peu exhaustive sur sa vie. L'auteur fait un travail de contextualisation qui compense le fait que beaucoup de passages du livre reposent sur des citations in extenso du journal intime de Lou.
C'est assez mal écrit mais on s'y fait vite car c'est suffisamment prenant.
J'ai trouvé que le ton était un peu trop hagiographique mais je pense que c'est compréhensible pour ce type de biographie.
Dans l'ensemble ça reste une lecture que je recommande, qui permet de comprendre l'importance de Lou Sullivan dans l'histoire trans des États-Unis, de mieux connaître l'évolution de leur prise en charge des transitions, et surtout de constater une certaine universalité des expériences trans-gay.
C'est assez mal écrit mais on s'y fait vite car c'est suffisamment prenant.
J'ai trouvé que le ton était un peu trop hagiographique mais je pense que c'est compréhensible pour ce type de biographie.
Dans l'ensemble ça reste une lecture que je recommande, qui permet de comprendre l'importance de Lou Sullivan dans l'histoire trans des États-Unis, de mieux connaître l'évolution de leur prise en charge des transitions, et surtout de constater une certaine universalité des expériences trans-gay.
July 11, 2019
As other reviewers have noted, Brice D. Smith's biography of Lou Sullivan leans too far into hagiography, painting a more saintly, larger-than-life picture of Sullivan as a person than does the actual historical figure justice, but it's still a wonderful book. Sullivan's story shows the importance of overlapping solidarity in queer rights movements and flies in the face of that somehow still pervasive notion that being trans is synonymous with heterosexuality. Fills in gaps in trans history that desperately needed filling.
Really looking forward to the release of We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan 1961-1991. I have a feeling it'll work with this biography the way Close to the Knives: A Memoir of Disintegration works with Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz, in tandem telling something much more comprehensive about the life of their subject than either a primary source or a historical work could ever on their own.
Really looking forward to the release of We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan 1961-1991. I have a feeling it'll work with this biography the way Close to the Knives: A Memoir of Disintegration works with Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz, in tandem telling something much more comprehensive about the life of their subject than either a primary source or a historical work could ever on their own.
November 13, 2019
O autor começa falando que "pretende deixar o Lou falar", mas só quem fala é o próprio biógrafo. Os trechos utilizados dos diários do Lou são relativamente poucos. O autor é expositivo demais e tem uma mania insuportável de "pular pro que interessa", deixando o livro sem gosto. Não é daquelas biografias gostosas; parece mais um folheto educativo.
É um livro meramente expositivo, feito para saber quem foi o ativista Lou Sullivan. Para saber quem foi a pessoa Lou Sullivan, procure pelos diários. Ele foi uma pessoa inteligentíssima e que escrevia muito bem; podar isso em nome de blablablá explicativo destruiu toda a essência de lembrar deste homem. Mas enfim, escolhas temáticas são escolhas.
Vou esperar que o We Both Laughed in Pleasure faça a redenção da memória do Lou.
É um livro meramente expositivo, feito para saber quem foi o ativista Lou Sullivan. Para saber quem foi a pessoa Lou Sullivan, procure pelos diários. Ele foi uma pessoa inteligentíssima e que escrevia muito bem; podar isso em nome de blablablá explicativo destruiu toda a essência de lembrar deste homem. Mas enfim, escolhas temáticas são escolhas.
Vou esperar que o We Both Laughed in Pleasure faça a redenção da memória do Lou.
November 10, 2023
A GAY FTM
Brave. Heartbreaking. Inspiring. The life and accomplishments of Lou Sullivan are a fascinating and significant part of LGBTQ history.
Brice D. Smith, the author of Lou Sullivan: Daring to Be a Man among Men (Transgress Press, 2017) gives a poignant quote from Lou Sullivan’s journals: “I wanna look like what I am but I don’t know what someone like me looks like.” Lou was determined to be the person he knew himself to be. He never gave up. After many struggles with the medical establishment, Lou Sullivan was the first person to transition from female to male and identify as gay.
This absolutely engrossing biography gives us Lou Sullivan in all his fabulousness. The book is meticulously documented from Lou’s journals and other sources. I particularly like the introductory summaries that Smith gives at the beginnings of chapters and the “cliffhangers” with which he concludes many of the chapters. Smith knows how to tell a story and keep the reader turning the pages.
Smith writes: “[Death] was the only challenge that Lou couldn’t overcome.” Lou Sullivan was “the first known FTM AIDS case ever.” Smith quotes Lou: “They told me at the gender clinic that I couldn’t live as a gay man, but it looks like I will die as one.” Lou Sullivan was tragically lost to AIDS on March 2, 1991 at the age of 39. His AIDS Quilt panel was the first made for a gay FTM.
I would like to quote a paragraph from this magnificent biography of Lou Sullivan: “By the time that he died, Lou had published two books, transformed gender professionals’ understanding of FTM gender identity and sexuality, organized FTM individuals around the world into a community, and helped start the modern-day trans movement. Perhaps most importantly, Lou inspired everyone who knew or knew of him to live their lives fully and authentically.”
Smith thanks the Obama administration for “bettering the lives of trans people in this country.” In hindsight, he seems overly optimistic when he writes (keep in mind this book was published in 2017): “To trans people, mainstream consciousness of and compassion for trans people is phenomenal.” When Smith wrote this, he probably did not anticipate a Trump administration and its aftermath.
Brice D. Smith is a straight trans man. My copy of Lou Sullivan: Daring to Be a Man among Men is signed by Smith. He wrote on the inside of the front cover: “Love is Liberation.”
An essential companion to Lou Sullivan: Daring to Be a Man among Men is We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan, 1961-1991 (Nightboat Books, 2019), edited by Ellis Martin and Zach Ozma.
Brave. Heartbreaking. Inspiring. The life and accomplishments of Lou Sullivan are a fascinating and significant part of LGBTQ history.
Brice D. Smith, the author of Lou Sullivan: Daring to Be a Man among Men (Transgress Press, 2017) gives a poignant quote from Lou Sullivan’s journals: “I wanna look like what I am but I don’t know what someone like me looks like.” Lou was determined to be the person he knew himself to be. He never gave up. After many struggles with the medical establishment, Lou Sullivan was the first person to transition from female to male and identify as gay.
This absolutely engrossing biography gives us Lou Sullivan in all his fabulousness. The book is meticulously documented from Lou’s journals and other sources. I particularly like the introductory summaries that Smith gives at the beginnings of chapters and the “cliffhangers” with which he concludes many of the chapters. Smith knows how to tell a story and keep the reader turning the pages.
Smith writes: “[Death] was the only challenge that Lou couldn’t overcome.” Lou Sullivan was “the first known FTM AIDS case ever.” Smith quotes Lou: “They told me at the gender clinic that I couldn’t live as a gay man, but it looks like I will die as one.” Lou Sullivan was tragically lost to AIDS on March 2, 1991 at the age of 39. His AIDS Quilt panel was the first made for a gay FTM.
I would like to quote a paragraph from this magnificent biography of Lou Sullivan: “By the time that he died, Lou had published two books, transformed gender professionals’ understanding of FTM gender identity and sexuality, organized FTM individuals around the world into a community, and helped start the modern-day trans movement. Perhaps most importantly, Lou inspired everyone who knew or knew of him to live their lives fully and authentically.”
Smith thanks the Obama administration for “bettering the lives of trans people in this country.” In hindsight, he seems overly optimistic when he writes (keep in mind this book was published in 2017): “To trans people, mainstream consciousness of and compassion for trans people is phenomenal.” When Smith wrote this, he probably did not anticipate a Trump administration and its aftermath.
Brice D. Smith is a straight trans man. My copy of Lou Sullivan: Daring to Be a Man among Men is signed by Smith. He wrote on the inside of the front cover: “Love is Liberation.”
An essential companion to Lou Sullivan: Daring to Be a Man among Men is We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan, 1961-1991 (Nightboat Books, 2019), edited by Ellis Martin and Zach Ozma.
December 16, 2025
Content warnings for transphobia and homophobia (particularly from the medical profession), death of a parent/sibling, and terminal illness (AIDS).
Lou Sullivan is credited (for good reason) with being *the* trans man who convinced the US medical community that trans men can be gay. He had to delay his transition because he chose to consistently tell the medical professionals he worked with that he was a gay trans man, so that gay and bi trans men after him would have access to the same medical care. He died from AIDS at 39, and this biography shows that his status as the first known trans FTM with AIDS was to changing the medical community's view of gay trans men. He also kept a detailed diary, which is a huge gift to the trans community on its own.
This is essentially a polished and published PhD dissertation on Lou Sullivan, rather than a biography intended for the masses. There are a few details that I think should have been tastefully excluded from a more mainstream biography - specifically Lou's deadname and attempts to trace where he contracted AIDS - but it makes sense that these details would be important for further scholarship.
As this is primarily a dissertation, Dr. Brice D. Smith doesn't expend additional energy to engage the reader, and there are some important historical terms that I didn't recognize and which weren't clarified. That's not to say this biography is boring or inaccessible. Lou Sullivan led an amazing life that is engaging even with plain prose. Modern readers are sure to learn many details of our history that they didn't know before. I simply hope that we get more biographies of Lou Sullivan in the future.
Lou Sullivan is credited (for good reason) with being *the* trans man who convinced the US medical community that trans men can be gay. He had to delay his transition because he chose to consistently tell the medical professionals he worked with that he was a gay trans man, so that gay and bi trans men after him would have access to the same medical care. He died from AIDS at 39, and this biography shows that his status as the first known trans FTM with AIDS was to changing the medical community's view of gay trans men. He also kept a detailed diary, which is a huge gift to the trans community on its own.
This is essentially a polished and published PhD dissertation on Lou Sullivan, rather than a biography intended for the masses. There are a few details that I think should have been tastefully excluded from a more mainstream biography - specifically Lou's deadname and attempts to trace where he contracted AIDS - but it makes sense that these details would be important for further scholarship.
As this is primarily a dissertation, Dr. Brice D. Smith doesn't expend additional energy to engage the reader, and there are some important historical terms that I didn't recognize and which weren't clarified. That's not to say this biography is boring or inaccessible. Lou Sullivan led an amazing life that is engaging even with plain prose. Modern readers are sure to learn many details of our history that they didn't know before. I simply hope that we get more biographies of Lou Sullivan in the future.
August 27, 2017
It's not often you get to read a book about transgender history written by a transgender author. The book took the reader through very important parts of history - the gay liberation in the 70's and then the AIDS crises in the 80's, all while following the personal story of a pioneer. Many of these events are viewed through Lou' eyes, as we get to know him through his journal entries. All of it was surprisingly relate-able for today's transgender audience, as Lou struggles with the same type of questions that today's FTM people face; but with even less answers. The book's author shows his own expertise on the matter by seamlessly integrating more modern terms to the situations Lou was facing and also by using the correct pronouns for Lou all through the book, even in his early life. I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn more about transgender history and issues.
July 27, 2017
Awesome book! Informative and eye-opening about the many contributions Lou Sullivan made to LGBT movements and especially to trans/FTM and PWA communities in his defiance of the medical experts and gender clinics of the seventies and eighties. A gifted storyteller, the author cleverly shapes Sullivan's life into a narrative telescope that reveals of a pivotal chapter in the history trans and gay activism that's been left out of formal accounts of LGBT history.
June 5, 2025
a niche, deep-cut, comprehensive summation from Brice. 29 years of journals and their thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, frustrations, heartbreaks, love, and partings in under 250 pages. Contextualized perfectly, side/supporting characters given plenty of recognition in their own right, and just a very thoughtful and thorough overview of an LGBT hero.
May 5, 2017
Brice Smith has done a brilliant job lifting up the story of transgender pioneer Lou Sullivan. His passion for this project shines throughout each chapter. I bawled my eyes out through the last two chapters. This is such an important story for the world to know about!
December 26, 2019
Incredibly well researched and presented, the story of Lou Sullivan was riveting. I deeply enjoyed learning more about this crucial trans ancestor; I would like to imagine that he and I would have been friends.
January 4, 2023
Very good read, and I reccomend it to anyone who is interested in trans history or trans people in general. I was very moved by Lou's story and how it was told in this book, and I found myself tearing up reading about him mutiple times.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews