Andrea Jenkins is a politician, poet, activist and community historian. She was the first Black trans woman to be elected to public office in the United States and continues to work for the whole community.
“Transgender people have been here forever…I look forward to more trans people joining me in elected office and all other kinds of leadership roles in our society." Andrea Jenkins
This is the site of the place in Islington where trans people used to meet, socialise and swap advice back in the 1970s, long before search engines and online pharmacies. There were groups like this around the country as described in my book Trans Britain. These were places you could rely on finding someone with the contacts to get you the hormones you wanted — at a price. #TransHistory is the manual for when the trans present gets tricky. Sad if we have to go back there.
After the Armistice of 1918, immediately it was safe to travel to Europe, the mother of the child who grew up to become Ewan Forbes-Semphill, took them to see the foremost experts on transgender people at the time and sourced the early form of drugs that would help avert the irreversible effects of female puberty and allow them to grow up a young man. Transgender hormone therapy is really that old #TransHistory
Frances Thompson is thought to be the first trans woman to testify before a U.S. Congressional Committee. Her 1866 testimony was in relation to a riot in Memphis in which many African-Americans were murdered, raped and injured. Frances was later arrested on charges of “transvestism”, an arrest which was used to discredit the testimony she had made.
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.
Lucy Hicks Anderson
While it's important to acknowledge famous names like Christine Jorgensen and Lili Elbe,it's also important to talk about other trans women
who might be less well known,but have had their own big impact on Trans history
Andrea Jenkins is a politician, poet, activist and community historian. She was the first Black trans woman to be elected to public office in the United States and continues to work for the whole community.
“Transgender people have been here forever…I look forward to more trans people joining me in elected office and all other kinds of leadership roles in our society." Andrea Jenkins
Crystal Love Johnson is a community educator, mentor and performer from the Tiwi Islands in Australia. She's a member of the sistergirl commuity, also known as the Yimpininni community.
"I had a hard life growing up as a sistergirl but that was a journey that I had to take to be who I am now." Crystal Love Johnson
It's women's history month and we want to celebrate a woman who's making a difference to others now.
Yaya Mavundla is a South African activist, artist and entrepreneur . Through her art she seeks to amplify the voices of trans women and to create visibility for trans people in society.
Frances Thompson is thought to be the first trans woman to testify before a U.S. Congressional Committee. Her 1866 testimony was in relation to a riot in Memphis in which many African-Americans were murdered, raped and injured. Frances was later arrested on charges of “transvestism”, an arrest which was used to discredit the testimony she had made.
(Accessibility : Painting of a town with burning building, people aiming guns and people shielding children.)
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.
All too often, timelines of key milestones in trans and/or broader LGBTQ+ history entirely ignore the work and histories of people in the global majority.
That's one of the reasons we love the timeline on the Trans and Intersex History in Africa website.
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.
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.
Wendy Carlos won multiple Grammy awards for pioneering the use of synthesizers in her music. She composed the original soundtrack for Tron. She also happens to be trans.
(Photo: Picture of Wendy Carlos surrounded by synthesizers)
There's this myth that trans people are a 'new phenomenon' or that people 'can always tell' if someone is trans. But there's so much evidence to prove otherwise.
Take Willmer 'Little Axe' Broadnax, a popular gospel singer in the 1940s. People only found out that he was trans after his death in 1992.