5 January 2016 — Publication of “Always Anastacia: A Transgender Live in South Africa”
Published in 2016, “Always Anastacia: A Transgender Live in South Africa” by Anastacia Tomson takes us on a journey of Anastacia’s inner struggle with gender dysphoria, and the challenges she has had to face when she decided to take the plunge and live her life authentically. Growing up in a Jewish family and raised as a boy, Anastacia knew that her discomfort in her own skin had less to do with her strict family upbringing, and more with the fact that she felt her body did not fit her identity. She went on to qualify and practice as a doctor and had a seven long year relationship with a female, but the experiences left her feeling hollow. ‘Coming out’ is to be her only salvation, despite the fact that running away from her life and assuming a new identity does seem appealing. Anastacia takes us through her gruelling transition experience from the daily mundane challenges, i.e., dealing with home affairs to the dogma she felt that was inherent in her faith. Anastacia practises as a doctor in Cape Town, South Africa, both as a general practitioner and an expert in trans healthcare.
“Always Anastacia” was the first South African memoir to be published by a trans person. The second was Landa Mabenge’s “Becoming Him: A Trans Memoir of Triumph.” The third was “I Am Tshiamo: My Transition to Self-Acceptance and Womanhood” by Tshiamo Modisane. Elise Bishop’s “Twee Lewens” is the fourth.
Watch an interview with Anastacia about her book: