> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.stonewallnews.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # “Finding Renée Richards: The Ground-Breaking Story of Tennis’s Trans Pioneer” by Julie Kliegman - URL: https://www.stonewallnews.net/finding-renee-richards-the-ground-breaking-story-of-tenniss-trans-pioneer-by-julie-kliegman/ - Published: 2026-08-22T12:13:29.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-22T21:19:46.000Z - Author: Terri Schlichenmeyer - Tags: Books Come on in, the water’s fine. Wade into it up to your ankles, your calves, your waist, you’ll be okay. You’ll adjust to the waves that swirl around you so come on, dive in, it’s all good. As in the new book *Finding Renée Richards*by Julie Kliegman, that goes for swimming, *and* for controversy. Assigned to do a story on books written by trans tennis great Renée Richards, Julie Kleigman read the books and became “transfixed by a woman who had fought so hard to simply live as who she had long known she was….”. Their editor had figured that, as a nonbinary and trans individual, Kleigman would have “something incisive to say…” in an article. Instead, once they met and began interviewing Richards, Kliegman was left frustrated... Born in the late summer of 1934, Richard Henry Raskind seemed to have arrived with a tennis racket in his hand. His mother was a psychiatrist; his father was an orthopedic surgeon who hoped “Dick” would follow his footsteps but Raskind was drawn instead to ophthalmology and tennis. He was also irresistibly drawn to wearing women’s clothing. His sister knew of this pull and Raskind eventually came out to both parents, but few others on the tennis circuit were aware. When Raskind visited his hometown of New York City, however, he enjoyed furtively going out in women’s clothing but he also tried to squash the desire; in the meantime, he fell in love, married, fathered a son, and eventually learned that it was possible to become the woman he knew he really was. To continue playing tennis professionally was a bonus. And right there were the disagreements Kleigman had with Richards. Richards, “To this day… \[makes\] a point of describing herself as a woman, period,” says Kleigman, but she firmly acknowledged Richard, almost as a separate individual, insisting that Kleigman use “him/his” pronouns when describing her earlier life. And as for tennis and trans women’s participation in the sport, Richards had something even more frustrating to say… Take that as a fair warning: you might be equally surprised at what author Julie Kliegman uncovered in “Finding Renée Richards,” and you may be truly gobsmacked by reading opinions from other women about the topic of trans women in sports. That’s the main, huge point of interest in this fascinating book; the other is Richards’ life as seen through the lens of a trans individual. Kleigman’s wrestling with the ninety-year-old Richards’ firmly dug-in heels is, in itself, worth your time as a study of highly varying viewpoints. That Kleigman and Richards have both lived at least a part of trans history is somewhat of a key to understanding how this book unfolds, as Kleigman offers up Richards’ tale. Readers who are able to read between the lines will be riveted. If you’re a sports fan and you have opinions, you must read this book – and that goes double if it’s tennis you love. Also check out “Finding Renée Richards” if you just want a raucously good and very fine read. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d5/95/d595da8d-ecfc-467e-9765-406e3e9a8989/content/images/2026/08/Finding-Renee-Richards-author-CREDIT-Nina-Subin-1.jpg) Author Julie Kliegman | Photo by Nina Subin ---