Author Alex Myers will talk about gender identity and his life as a transgender person, weaving his personal journey in with the story of his ancestor, Deborah Sampson who disguised herself as a man and fought in the Revolutionary War. Alex wrote about Deborah in his debut novel, Revolutionary, and will explain to the audience about the historical perspective on gender identity and how the understanding of gender in America has changed.

Alex Myers is a teacher, speaker, writer, and advocate for transgender rights. Since coming out as transgender in 1995, he has worked with schools across the country, helping them create gender inclusive policies, practices, and facilities. Alex is also an author; his essays have appeared in the Guardian, Slate, Newsweek, Salon, and variety of other journals. He has a novel, Revolutionary, that was published by Simon & Schuster in 2014, and another, Continental Divide, forthcoming from University of New Orleans Press.

This program is a part of the Winchester Reads series which is funded by the John and Mary Murphy Educational Foundation.