Rupert Raj

Dancing the Dialectic Rupert Raj

"Trans people today are deeply indebted to pioneers like Rupert Raj, who forged a path where none existed and dared to make the world a better place for all." -Brice D. Smith, PhD, author of Lou Sullivan: Daring To Be A Man Among Men



RUPERT RAJ is a trailblazing, Eurasian-Canadian, trans activist and ex-psychotherapist, who transitioned from female to male in 1971 as a transsexual teenager.



"Dancing the dialectic" between gender dysphoria and gender euphoria, cynical despair and realistic hope, righteous rage and loving kindness, Rupert relates his lifelong fight for the rights of transgender, intersex, and two-spirit people in Canada and the USA since the 1970s. He also portrays his later-life role as an eco-activist and animal liberationist working to free Mother Earth's enslaved farmed animals and expand the circle of compassion, as exemplified by ecofeminism, environmentally-engaged Buddhism, and Native spirituality.



Raj's intersectional identity evolves from Dialectical Dancer (existential philosopher/psychologist) to Gender Worker (trans/intersex/two-spirit activist) to Therapeutic Healer & Teacher (psychotherapist/ gender consultant/trainer) to Rainbow Warrior (eco-activist/animal liberationist).



He is (co-)editor of Trans Activism in Canada: A Reader and Of Souls & Roles, Of Sex & Gender: A Treasury of Transsexual, Transgenderist & Transvestic Verse from 1967 to 1991.