Feinberg, Leslie

Leslie Feinberg was born on September 1, 1949, and is an internationally recognized trade unionist, journalist, and grassroots activist. Feinberg refers to “hirself” as polygendered or complexly gendered, and prefers to use neutral pronouns, such as “hir” and “ze.” Feinberg Lives with hir longtime partner, poet and activist Minnie Bruce Pratt, in New York. Feinberg has been severely ill on and off over the last few decades, and has been struggling with a number of tickborne diseases for several years. Although Feinberg is known for challenging transgender bias, ze is also deeply committed to a broad array of antiracist, anti-imperialist, feminist, and socialist causes.

Overall, Feinberg's writing and activism focuses on making visible the connections between movements in defense of women, oppressed nationalities, the disabled, sexual minorities, transgendered individuals, and the working class. In particular, hir work often deals with the areas where transliberation fits into contemporary progressive movements. Feinberg helped to create bonds between the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans communities and was instrumental in persuading the international network of Pride celebration organizers to add bisexual and transgender to their name.

Feinberg is best known for the groundbreaking 1993 novel, Stone Butch Blues. Hir latest novel, Drag King Dreams, was published in 2006. The novel is set in New York City, post-9/11 and centers on the story of Max Rabinowitz, a transgender character struggling with the day-to-day concerns of maintaining a job and a safe place to live, as well as the murder of hir friend Vick/Vickie. The novel makes visible Feinberg's antiwar stance, hir solidarity with Arab, south Asian, and Muslim immigrants in the United States, and the importance of activism.

Feinberg is a national leader of the Workers World Party and managing editor of Workers World Newspaper, which has run hir weekly column, “Lavender and Red,” since 2004. The column examines how issues of sex, gender, and sexuality have been dealt with in revolutionary movements over the last century and a half.

In 2001, Feinberg had a published article, “Trans Health Crisis: For Us It's Life or Death,” in the American Journal of Public Health. Feinberg's latest book, Rainbow Solidarity in Defense of Cuba, was published in November 2009, and is based on 25 columns from hir “Lavender and Red” series. Feinberg's text examines lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) life in Cuba from the colonial period to the current century, including political and institutional initiatives to combat prejudice against LGBT people.

Feinberg has been active in protesting the wars waged by the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in promoting the cause of Palestinian Liberation. Ze cofounded Rainbow Flags for Mumia, a coalition of LGBTQ people demanding a new trial for political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. Ze has also been involved with Rainbow Solidarity for the Cuban Five, a group of LGBTQ individuals protesting the imprisonment of five Cubans in America.

The five men were arrested on charges of espionage, but insist they were protecting Cuba from terrorist attacks by the United States. Feinberg also collaborates with the International Action Center, an activist group that resists war, corporate greed, and oppression. In 2000, the Leslie Feinberg Room was established in The Women's Building in San Francisco, and Feinberg gave the commencement Keynote at Antioch College. In 2002, ze gave a speech at an international retreat held by Al-Fatiha, an International organization for LGBT Muslims. On May 28, 2009, Feinberg was awarded the Lambda Literary Foundation lifetime achievement award.

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