Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Brighton Trans*formed records, in their own words, the lives and experiences of Brighton & Hove’s Transgender community. Using writing, memories, oral histories and photography, the project offers a snapshot of the rich variety of Trans lives in Brighton & Hove at a moment of significant change in how the community connects and organises itself.

The project’s contributors range from 18 to 81 years old with very different life experiences. All of their testimonies have in common an absolute honesty and openness: contributors shared their joys and tragedies; adversities faced, and a display of strength and resolve to be themselves.

For over 40 years, QueenSpark Books has been producing books about the people of Brighton & Hove, with a focus on enabling ‘lesser-heard’ voices to tell their stories. With Brighton Trans*formed this objective was paramount. Even before Heritage Lottery funding was secured, QueenSpark was approached by individuals eager to be involved in a project where editorial and creative control lay firmly with the community it was seeking to represent – a community whose voices have historically been distorted, misrepresented and sensationalised.