Homeownership Is Radical, Says Mercury Stardust. Her Book Tour Hits Louisville Oct. 8

October 1, 2026/in Art, Community, Culture/by Nick Fulton

As trans people continue to be the topic of political ads and legislative attacks, one author delivers a powerful account of how homeownership can be one of the community’s most powerful pathways to liberation, including right here in Kentucky.

“One of the most radical things that we can do is take up space,” said Mercury Stardust, an author, speaker, DIY educator, and content creator. “For trans people specifically, we minimize ourselves for our own safety. We try to make sure that when we go out, we’re always with friends, or we’re only going to places that have safe bathrooms. We almost try to take ourselves out of society for our own safety.”

In Stardust’s brand new book, “Lost and Found: A Compassionate Guide to Homeownership,” she challenges this minimization by demystifying the path to owning your own home.

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“Homeownership looks different for every single person,” said Stardust, also known to her millions of followers as the “Trans Handy Ma’am.” “And because people who are within the queer community, especially the trans community, might feel extra layers of marginalization, it can often feel like an impossibility to have a home of any kind. But homeownership is no longer the picket white fence with a two-acre yard and a dog named Lassie. Homeownership now looks different for everybody.”

From Repair Videos to a Homeownership Guide

In 2021, Stardust began her journey as a content creator focused on the support she wished was accessible to her. Stardust started making short-form videos primarily answering home maintenance questions from viewers who felt too afraid to ask these questions anywhere else, including women, trans people, and queer people. With over 15 years of experience in the maintenance field, Stardust’s compassionate guidance took off.

Stardust’s new project is a continuation of her 2023 New York Times bestseller, “Safe & Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair.” The 2023 project was primarily focused on how renters can safely and autonomously accomplish home repair and renovations, while this second book is all about the process of owning your own place. According to Stardust, the books are designed for anyone who feels like they can’t find the support they need to feel safe in their home, for trans people, queer people, single moms, and countless other readers who are looking for more compassion in the rental or homeownership process.

Mercury Stardust’s Louisville Book Tour Stop Is Oct. 8

Starting in mid-September, Stardust took to the road to promote her new book project in nine cities across the country. From Seattle to Atlanta to Salt Lake City, Stardust is meeting readers at libraries and local bookstores for conversations about how her new project can support a new generation of queer homeowners.

On Oct. 8, Stardust’s tour comes to the Northeast Regional Library in Louisville, Kentucky. Stardust made it clear that stopping in red and purple states like Kentucky was a priority. Bringing her story to places where trans people are forced to feel small is in part what keeps her writing.

“I think it’s important to bring this community that I developed around kindness and compassion to all places that I’m able to,” said Stardust. “Let’s go to places that aren’t traditionally friendly to the LGBTQ community, and let’s make sure that we uplift those communities because we almost exclusively do these tours with independent bookstores that are queer-focused. So if we’re able to connect people with their local communities through the bookstore and libraries, that’s building an infrastructure that can strengthen those communities.”

Stardust’s new book revolves around her own lived experience of purchasing a home and creating a space that felt like her own. In the book, she unpacks how readers can navigate the same process that she felt alone in, from offers to inspections to renovations, and closing. Stardust hopes readers leave her writing feeling more prepared to build the futures that they deserve.

“My message to people who are like, ‘that can never be me,’ is to redefine and reexamine what homeownership might look like in the 21st century,” said Stardust. “As someone who never thought that she would see herself being a homeowner until just a couple of years ago because of my first book. You just really never know. And if an opportunity lands in your lap, I hope you’re ready for it.”

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