The Intermediaries

Set in interwar Germany, The Intermediaries tells the forgotten story of the Institute for Sexual Science, the world’s first center for homosexual and transgender rights. Headed by a gay Jewish man, Dr. Magnus Hirshfeld, the institute aided in the first gender-affirming surgeries and hormone replacements, acting as a rebellious base of operations in the face of rising prejudice, nationalism, and Nazi propaganda. Brandy Schillace introduces readers to Dora Richter, an institute patient whom we follow from early desperate years to gender-affirming care and her right to live as a woman. She offers an example of queer resilience in the face of punishing cultural constraints. The Intermediaries charts the interdependent relationships between nascent sexual science, queer civil rights, and the fight against fascism. It tells riveting stories of LGBTQ pioneers, a surprising, long-suppressed history, and offers a cautionary tale in the face of today’s oppressive anti-trans legislation.