March is Women’s History Month, and I want to take this opportunity to highlight a historically misunderstood and marginalized group of women: Trans women.
Despite what many people think, the concept of being transgender or gender nonconforming is not a new one. While the words used to describe transgender individuals, opens a new window have evolved over time, there are accounts of people presenting and living as the opposite sex going back thousands of years across various cultures.
From ancient Greek myths, opens a new window to Indigenous Two Spirit, opens a new window people and the traditional Hijra of India, the idea of gender being fluid and dynamic is a fascinating concept that should be celebrated and understood.
I want to highlight some historical trans women who bravely lived their truth and paved the way for better representation, civil rights, and understanding of the transgender experience that contributed to current trans women who are continuing their legacy in entertainment, education, and politics.
Gone But Not Forgotten
Marsha P Johnson & Sylvia Rivera
Two of the most famous transgender activists, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were trans women who played a major role in the Stonewall Uprising, opens a new window in 1969 that famously kickstarted the celebration of Pride around the world in June.
But even before that, both women helped out the LGBTQ+ community in New York, giving everything they had to help transgender youth struggling just to survive and to find community.
After Stonewall, they started the Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries or STAR for short. An organization that advocated for transgender people and helped homeless youth. While STAR did not last long, they helped other organizations like the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) to pass legislation for gay rights, but sadly, some organizations distanced themselves from transgender activism to make themselves more acceptable.
Despite this friction, Johnson and Rivera continued their activism their entire lives, and after Marsha tragically died in 1992, Sylvia founded the Transy House and resurrected STAR (changing transvestite to the now popularized transgender) to help transgender, gender nonconforming and queer youth. In 2002, Sylva died, but her legacy is continued by the Sylvia Rivera Law Project.
Dora Richter
The 20th century brought about great advancements in medicine and surgery for transgender people. While there are more famous examples of high-profile trans women like Christine Jorgensen, the famous veteran turned entertainer, and Lili Elbe, opens a new window, the painter whose life inspired The Danish Girl, Dora Richter is credited as the first trans woman to receive successful gender affirming surgery in 1931.
Born in 1891 in a small town outside of present-day Germany, little is known of her early life except that she experienced what we describe now as gender dysphoria, corroborated by
medical documents that doctors suggested her parents let her present and live as a woman.
This was still difficult and persecuted by law, so after moving to Berlin and attempting to express as a woman, Dora was able to find refuge in Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute for Sexual Science. This first of its kind institution was dedicated to researching queer and transgender health. Dora and other trans people gave their bodies to science to live as the people they wanted to be, and their courage laid the groundwork for advancements in gender affirming surgery.
Tragically, soon after she received her surgery, the Nazi’s and their sympathizers stormed the Institute of Sexual Science in 1933, killing as many doctors and patients as they could and demolishing the records and advancements they made.
Thought to have died during that raid, historians lamented the loss of Dora’s life so soon after she received the treatment she needed. However, last year, a historian of queer history was able to track down primary evidence that Dora Richter lived, opens a new window! Records indicate that she was able to escape persecution and return to her hometown to live for another 20 years before passing away in 1966. A testament of our tenacity to live, the revelation that Dora survived can serve as a beacon of hope in times of hardship for trans people everywhere.
Lucy Hicks-Anderson
Born in Kentucky in 1886, Lucy was assigned male at birth, but from an early age insisted on wearing dresses and presenting femininely. Concerned, her parents consulted doctors who suggested they just let her present as she wanted and raise her as a girl to prevent psychological hardship.
As a young adult, Lucy married and moved to Oxnard, California, in the 1920s, where she built a name for herself by working as a chef and housemaid for wealthy families. The money she saved up gave her the capital to open a boarding house and brothel. Despite the unsavory practice, Lucy was a successful businesswoman who made an astounding impact on her community. She was philanthropic and a huge supporter of the military and their families during World War II.
Unfortunately, in 1945, an outbreak in the Navy was traced back to Lucy’s business, and a medical examination exposed her secret, resulting in her and her husband’s arrest and probation. She was charged with perjury for her marriage and impersonation of a woman. Defiantly, Lucy fought for her freedom and life, famously stating:
“I defy any doctor in the world to prove that I am not a woman. I have lived, dressed, acted just like what I am, a woman.”
Getting banned from Oxnard, Lucy and her husband moved to Los Angeles and lived there until her death in 1954. Refusing to change for anyone, Lucy fought the status quo by living her life as she wanted, and she became the first trans woman to fight for marriage equality.
SOPHIE
The most recent memoriam on this list, Sophie Xeon was an influential electronic pop artist born in England in 1986. Sophie started creating music very young after being introduced to rave music by her father. She quickly realized how much she loved electronic music as a unique expression of her voice and art.
Skyrocketing in the early 2010s club scene, Sophie’s unique electronic compositions were described as “liquid metal,” full of industrial sounds, high-pitched vocals, and metallic synthesizers. Sophie pioneered a genre of music known as hyperpop, and she collaborated with famous artists such as Madonna, Vince Staples, and Charli XCX. By the end of the decade, Sophie released her first full-length album, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-insides, in 2018, which was nominated for a Grammy the following year.
Sophie’s success in and of itself rebelled against social norms, and I think her life shows the importance of art as expression, especially for marginalized people. In a 2018 interview, Sophie had this to say about being trans:
“Transness is taking control to bring your body more in line with your soul and spirit so the two aren’t fighting against each other and struggling to survive … It means you’re not a mother or a father – you’re an individual who’s looking at the world and feeling the world.”
Despite the tragedy of her death in 2021, Sophie’s impact on pop music continues to be felt, with artists releasing songs dedicated to her and the release of a posthumous album, opens a new window, SOPHIE, created from her partially completed music. Sophie was an inspiration to cis and trans artists everywhere, and the impact she made on the evolution of music will be felt for years to come.
The Fruits of Their Legacy
While these pioneering trans women are sadly not with us anymore, their lives and activism laid the foundation for more inclusivity and openness of trans issues and the ability for trans people to live openly and successfully. Today, we have amazing trans women in different sectors, from politics to science and entertainment.
Models like Connie Fleming and Hunter Schafer are pushing the boundaries of inclusivity in the fashion industry, and politicians like Sarah McBride from Delaware are making unprecedented strides for trans representation in our elected officials. Despite facing harsh criticism from her own peers, Congresswoman McBride persistently advocates for the rights of her constituents, focusing especially on healthcare and successfully passing an act that expanded healthcare for over 200,00 Delawareans.
A complete list of trans trailblazers would be far too long for a blog, but I want this to serve as a reminder that trans people have existed and will continue to persist and live despite the increase in transphobia and homophobia across the nation and discrimination in our laws.
At HCPL, we welcome everyone, and I want our trans sisters, brothers, and siblings to remember that we are here for you.
Further Reading
Learn more about trans history and the stories of trans women with these books in our collection!
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