Self-determination for trans people is nothing new. Sir Ewan Forbes changed the sex on his birth certificate in the 1940s, announced his new name in the newspaper and legally married his wife. His cousin challenged the change for reasons of inheritance, but the judge ruled in Ewan’s favour.
We've been sharing lots of history related articles over the past week - obviously because it's #LGBTHistoryMonth in the UK, but also because there's a lot to be gained by knowing our history.
With this year's #LGBTHistoryMonth theme being focussed on medicine and science, it's a good time to remind you that TransActual offer training and consultancy for healthcare professionals and healthcare providers.
It's #LGBTHistoryMonth here in the UK, although we do like to celebrate and commemorate trans history all year round at TransActual.
Have you ever heard of Dora Richter? She was a German trans woman, born in 1891.
Dora worked as a housemaid at the Hirschfeld Institute in Berlin and had transition related surgery there in 1922 and 1931. Her experiences were used to help the researchers at the institute to understand the impact of testosterone (or lack of) on trans women's bodies.
Born in 1886, Lucy Hicks Anderson was assigned male at birth, but was known to be a transgender woman. She was one of the earliest pioneers for marriage equality.
Innana was an important deity for the ancient Mesopotamians. They believed she had the power to change someone’s gender. Her priests and followers were known for their rejection of gender binaries.
Billy Tipton was a saxophonist and pianist who was popular in the 1940s and 1950s. When he died in 1989, people found out that he was trans. Trans people have always been part of our communities.
“The Danish Girl” was based on the life story of Lili Ilse Elvenes, otherwise known as Lili Elbe. She was born in 1882. Her diary entries documenting her transition formed the basis for a book about her life. So, being trans isn’t a “modern phenomenon” after all.
History tells us that trans people have always been around. St Marinos was a monk living in the medieval era. He was ejected from his monastery because he was thought to have got one of the local girls pregnant. However, he was later allowed to return to live in the monastery. When Marinos died, the other monks were surprised to discover that he had a vagina rather than a penis.
Elagabalus was made a Roman Emperor at the age of just 14. The Emperor often wore wigs and makeup, and liked to be referred to by feminine titles. Elagabalus reportedly offered a large sum of money to any doctor who could give them a vagina.
James Barry born 1789, Barry was a British Army surgeon. Before he died he left behind a remarkable professional legacy and a simple request: that his body remain unexamined after his death and that he be buried in the clothes he was wearing when he died.
A hundred years ago, there was a research centre, archive, clinic and museum space dedicated to sexuality. It researched and provided birth control advice, gynaecological services, and trans healthcare as well as doing advocacy work. Its work might seem ahead of its time, even now.
This is the story of Magnus Hirschfeld's Institute of Sexology #LGBTHistoryMonth
Self-determination for trans people is nothing new. Sir Ewan Forbes changed the sex on his birth certificate in the 1940s, announced his new name in the newspaper and legally married his wife. His cousin challenged the change for reasons of inheritance, but the judge ruled in Ewan’s favour.
Trans people have always been around. Alan L Hart medically transitioned in 1917 and his experiences as a trans man influenced the novels that he wrote. He was a radiologist who made massive contributions to research in tuberculosis.
You can read more by revisiting the article linked in bio, scroll to 'featured articles' to find it.
Alt text: Grey scale photo of Alan L Hart in a suit and smoking a pipe. Text as in post.
Evidentemente non sono l'unica incazzata nera dell'eccessivo interesse che alcuni, anche su LS stesso, hanno nel rimuovere diritti umani, adducendo motivazioni a loro detta "biologiche" (leggervi altrove dove parlate della "giustizia" dell'escludere le persone #trans e #intersex dagli sport è sempre una bella pozza d'ignoranza e merda)
This month is the perfect time to reflect on our diverse and rich queer history. Throughout the month we'll be sharing historical people of importance, highlighting the creativity in our community and showing support to our queer elders.
Our question of the month: Who's your favourite trans icon from history? 🏳️⚧️