I used to read quite a bit of historical fiction, but have drifted to other genres in recent years. I was looking for something new to read, so decided to pick up a historical fiction book I had had sitting on my shelf for a while**, just for something different. Unfortunately, it reminded me of why I had stopped reading historical fiction in the first place.

While the main characters and plot were somewhat interesting, one of the secondary characters was very clearly a TIM. Initially I thought he was meant to be a very flamboyant gay man who liked to wear women's clothes, but it became clear when he was described as getting dressed and being disturbed by his "offending organ." It only got worse when he basically threatened to kill himself if he didn't get his requests met, and eventually did do so.

Keep in mind, this story was supposed to be taking place in 1850s Frankfurt, in an asylum, and while I'm sure there have been people uncomfortable with their own bodies in the past, it just felt like an attempt to cram in some modern message about trans people into this genre.

I've seen this done many times before with similar themes, or other social justice or political topics, and it always feels so inaccurate and clearly an attempt to educate or pander to modern-day readers.

For fans of historical fiction, do you ever run into this yourself, and what do you think of it? Or are there any other tropes you see common in this genre that you wish would go away?

** The book is 98 Reasons for Being by Clare Dudman, published in 2004.