I remember the first conference I ever went to. I was doing book signing and a reader came up to me and she was very emotional and she was like I really wanted to meet you in person.

And she said, my son came out as trans,

and I've never known a trans person.

I've never met a trans person, and I've never seen trans people represented in the media in any other way other

than negative and tragic.

So when I found out that he was trans, I was really, really scared and I didn't know what to do and I went to you know my book group and I was a

romance reader and I went to the romance group that I'm a part of and I was talking about this and I was talking about my feelings about this and someone was like well there are trans romances and they you know sent me one of your books and she was

like this is the first time I've ever seen trans people who are happy and who a

narrative where trans people are happy and people who are

are a narrative where trans people are happy and thrive.

And she was like and that was just so important to me to know that there is hope

that my son is not going to die tragically that he can be loved and have a good life.

And she's like, and then to find out that you are also trans.

And here is this trans person who has a publishing career and who is out and proud and was just so meaningful.

That was the voice of E.E. Ottoman, the first trans romance author to write trans characters in romance.

This is Fated Mates.

I'm Sarah McClain.

I read romance novels and I write them.

And I'm Jennifer Procop, a romance reader and editor.

This week's episode is a fascinating history of how trans romance became a part of the romance genre.

One of the things that I thought was really fascinating

about this conversation, and we'll talk more about it

...