Name: T4T Book Club: We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan
Start: 2024-08-19T19:00:00-04:00
Location: 176 Rue Bernard O, Montréal, QC H2T 2K2, Canada

T4T Book Club: We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan

The T4T Book Club will gather in person to read and discuss trans books because we want to. Hosted by Librairie D+Q store manager Kennedy Rooke, the club is free and open to all. We will kick off our club by reading We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan. A seminal work of trans literature and history published by Nightboat Books, edited by Ellis Martin and Zach Ozma, and with an introduction by Susan Stryker. We will meet at Espace Drawn & Quarterly (176 Bernard O) on August 19th at 7 pm to hang out and discuss the book.
Buy the book here: https://shorturl.at/XmZf5
About the book:
Louis Graydon Sullivan (b. Milwaukee, 1951; d. San Francisco, 1991) was a writer, activist, typesetter, trans historian, and queer revolutionary. Sullivan began early explorations of masculinity, which he called “playing boys,” while growing up in 1960s suburban Wisconsin; his Catholic family was surprisingly accepting. He first sought out other queer people just after high school through his job at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. The Gay People’s Union featured Sullivan’s earliest writings in their newsletter including the now widely-quoted “A Transvestite Answers a Feminist”. In his diary, Sullivan began to see himself as “a girl who’s real desire + passion is with male homosexuals”. Many of the medical professionals he met with throughout his transition had never heard of a female-to-gay-male. Even when it would have made transition easier, Sullivan resisted lying about his sexuality, remaining committed to his vision of authenticity. This commitment became a major aspect of his activism and legacy. After moving to San Francisco in his mid-twenties, Sullivan became involved with Golden Gate Girls/Guys, one of the first social and educational transgender organizations to offer support to FTM transsexuals. In 1980, Sullivan published his first edition of Information for the FTM, a practical guidebook. Six years later, he organized FTM, the first peer-support group for trans men. That same year, Sullivan was diagnosed with HIV. From that moment on, Sullivan had two main goals: to publish a biography of Jack Bee Garland (who was assigned female at birth and lived as man at the turn of the 20th century) and to publish his own diaries. Sullivan was only able to complete the former task. Sullivan left 8.4 cubic feet of archival material from his life and studies to the GLBT Historical Society, of which he was a founding member. The content of the archive includes extensive diaries as well as photographs, short stories, poems, essays, and correspondences.
We Both Laughed In Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan narrates the inner life of a gay trans man moving through the shifting social, political, and medical mores of the second half of the 20th century. Sullivan kept comprehensive journals from age eleven until his AIDS-related death at thirty-nine. 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.
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Espace Drawn and Quarterly Accessibility information:
- Our event space uses StopGap.ca ramps in an effort to encourage accessibility. Both the step at the entrance, followed by a half step and a door have StopGap ramps. The door opens inward and is not automated. Once inside, there are no additional steps.
- There is one non-gendered bathroom.
- It is not a sober space, our events sometimes offer alcohol.
♥️ Please email [email protected] if you have any accessibility needs we can accommodate (for example, saving you a seat if you have mobility needs) for you to be able to enjoy our events, worry-free, and feel free to contact us for any concerns you may have ♥️

Informations sur l’accessibilité à l'Espace Drawn and Quarterly:
- Dans une volonté d’offrir une plus grande accessibilité, notre espace est muni de rampes StopGap.ca. Ces rampes sont utilisées sur les deux marches situées à la porte d'entrée. Une fois à l’intérieur, il n'y a plus de marche.
- Il nous arrive d’offrir de l'alcool lors de nos événements, donc, l’espace n’est pas un espace sobre.
♥️ Si vous avez des besoins particuliers liés à l’accessibilité (par exemple, si vous avez besoin qu’on vous réserve un siège particulier), si vous avez des questions, des commentaires, n’hésitez pas à nous écrire à [email protected] ♥️
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Librairie Drawn & Quarterly would like to acknowledge that our events and bookstores are located on the unceded territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka. Many of us refer to Montreal as our home, but it is named Tiohtiá:ke. It has always been a gathering place for many First Nations and continues to be home to a diverse population of Indigenous peoples. We are grateful that creating and sharing stories has been a part of this land for thousands of years.
Drawn & Quarterly tient à souligner que nos librairies sont situées et nos événements tenus sur le territoire non cédé de Kanien’kehá : ka. Nous sommes nombreux à appeler notre ville Montréal, mais son nom est Tiohtiá : ke. Elle a toujours été un lieu de rassemblement pour de nombreuses Premières nations et continue d’accueillir une population diversifiée d’autochtones. Nous sommes reconnaissants que la création d’histoires et leur transmission fassent partie de ce pays depuis des milliers d’années.