The Intermediaries: A Weimar Story

by Brandy Schillace

On This Page

Description

"Set in interwar Germany, 'The Intermediaries' tells the forgotten story of the Institute for Sexual Science, the world's first centre for homosexual and transgender rights. Headed by a gay Jewish man, Dr. Magnus Hirshfeld, the institute aided in the first gender-affirming surgeries and hormone replacements, acting as a rebellious base of operations in the face of rising prejudice, nationalism and Nazi propaganda. Brandy Schillace introduces readers to Dora Richter, an institute patient whom show more we follow from early desperate years to gender-affirming care and her right to live as a woman. She offers an example of queer resilience in the face of punishing cultural constraints"-- show less

Tags

Recommendations

Member Reviews

1 review
I’m leaving the same review as for The Einstein of Sex by Daniel Brook. They both cover Magnus Hirshfeld and the Institute for Sexual Science and the period in which it existed (and after), but the approach and style are different. Both are painfully prescient of where we are today with transphobia, homophobia, racism, and anti-semitism. Both are informative and terrifying reads.

Members

Recently Added By

Lists

Books Read in 2025
4,091 works; 97 members
Top Five Books of 2025
954 works; 303 members
The Best LGBTQ Nonfiction
157 works; 66 members

Author Information

11 Works 486 Members
Dr. Brandy Schillace is a historian of medicine and the critically acclaimed author of Death's Summer Coat: What the History of Death and Dying Teaches Us About Life and Living and Clockwork Futures: The Science of Steampunk and the Reinvention of the Modern World. The host of the Peculiar Book Club, a livestream community for authors and readers, show more she serves as editor in chief of the BMJ's Medical Humanities journal. show less

Awards and Honors

Classifications

Genres
Sexuality and Gender Studies, History, Nonfiction, LGBTQ+, Biography & Memoir
DDC/MDS
306.760943Society, government, & cultureSocial sciences, sociology & anthropologySocial Behavior - Dating, Marriage, DivorceSexual relationsSexual orientation, transgender identity, intersexualityHistory, geographic treatment, biographyEurope
LCC
HQ77.95 .G3 .S35Social sciencesThe family. Marriage, Women and SexualityThe Family. Marriage. WomenSexual lifeTransexualism
BISAC

Statistics

Members
48
Popularity
625,258
Reviews
1
Rating
½ (4.71)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
3
ASINs
2