Jennifer Finney Boylan

Until 2001, Boylan published under the name James Boylan. She has written thirteen books, including novels, collections of short stories, and her autobiography. She has also contributed to the op-ed section of The New York Times. Her autobiography, She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders, was praised by Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club, who described it as a "candid and exuberantly funny memoir of self-actualization." Publishers Weekly described the book as "frequently poignant" but complained that it too readily glossed over the difficult prejudice that transgender individuals must face, causing the book to feel "incomplete." Boylan's memoir, Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs was published on April 21, 2020 with Celadon Books.

Boylan has made appearances via a variety of media outlets to discuss her life, books, and activism. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, The Today Show, 48 Hours, and NPR. She made an appearance on 20/20 on April 24, 2015 in support of celebrity Caitlyn Jenner revealing she is a trans person and regularly appeared on screen and as a consultant on Jenner's reality show I Am Cait.

In 2013, Boylan was chosen as the first openly transgender co-chair of GLAAD's National Board of Directors.

Boylan is a trans woman. Her 2003 autobiography, She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders, was the first book published by an openly transgender American to become a bestseller. She has two children, Zai and Sean, with Deirdre Boylan, whom she married in 1988 before her transition. Boylan began her male to female transition in 2000, beginning with therapy, feminine clothing, and female hormone supplements. While undergoing sexual reassignment surgery, Boylan was convinced that her marriage to Deirdre would end. Today, the couple is still married and lives in New York City and Belgrade Lakes, Maine. Nine years after she began her transition, Boylan published an article for The New York Times stating that "my spouse and I love each other, and that our legal union has been a good thing – for us, for our children and our community".

Boylan was born as James Boylan in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and graduated from The Haverford School, a private, all-boys prep school in Haverford, Pennsylvania, in 1976. Boylan graduated from Wesleyan University in 1980, then completed graduate work in English at Johns Hopkins University. Boylan was on the faculty of Colby College from 1988 to 2014. In 2000, she was named "Professor of the Year" at Colby College. She moved to Barnard in 2014, where she is both Professor of English and Anna Quindlen Writer-in-Residence.

Jennifer Finney Boylan (born on June 22, 1958) is an American author, transgender activist and reality television personality who is a professor at Barnard College of Columbia University and a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. She appeared on I Am Cait, a 2015-2016 spin-off of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, starring her friend Caitlyn Jenner.