transgender/transsexual people of history!
here is an (incomplete) list of trans people who transitioned before 2008 because it is often a transphobe talking point that transgenderism and transsexuality is a really new thing and no one was trans before 15 years ago. so here are some examples for you! also its important as trans people that we know about trans history and our predecessors who paved the way for us :) Also people talk a lot about how trans people live short lives but that is not the case necessarily
Christine Jorgensen was a USA based trans woman who lived between 1926 - 1989 . She was an actress, singer and recording artist who began transitioning in 1952/the early 1950s She was the first person widely known in the USA to have a sex change and she died aged 62 of bladder and lung cancer. Like everyone else on this list theres so much more to say but im doing some quick summaries based on research so here are some links to find out more
Digital Transgender archive
Article about her on the national WW2 website
Loren Cameron was a USA trans man who lived between 1959 - 2022. He was a photographer, author and visual artist who created the book Body Alchemy. He began transitioning in the late 1980s. He died aged 63 just last year due to suicide but it is thought he committed suicide due to terminal illness.
Digital Transgender Archive
Digital Transgender Archive
Alan L Hart is described as both a trans man and lesbian by different sources (not that being trans masc and lesbian are mutually exclusive) but all sources about him use he/him pronouns so I will be using he/him pronouns. He was USA based and lived between 1890 -1962. He began transitioning in 1917 and was one of the first trans men to get a hysterectomy and the first documented medical transition in the USA. He started taking hormones as soon as synthetic testosterone was readily available in the USA which was early 1920s. He was a doctor, novelist, radiologist and tuberculosis writer who implemented a life saving TB screening program. He died aged 71 of heart failure.
Article about the 1000s of lives he saved
Roberta Cowell was a UK based trans woman who lived from 1918 - 2011. She was a racing car driver who owned a clothing company. she began transitioning between 1948 and 1951 and was the first known british trans woman to undergo gender affirming surgery. She died aged 93 of unknown causes.
Marsha P Johnson was a USA based trans woman/drag queen who lived from 1945 - 1992. There is debate about whether she was a transgender woman or a drag queen (also trans labels weren't necessarily wide spread when she was alive so trans people often identified as transvestites/crossdressers) but her friend james gallagher sited on her wikipedia page use she/her pronouns so I will as well. She was a transgender, LGBT and AIDs activist and a prominent figure at stonewall though it is not true that she started the riots and that is a common misconception. She died aged 42 of a suicide or homicide though in 2002, 10 years after her death with no new leads, her caused of death was ruled as undetermined. Though there is a documentary on netflix about her life and death
National Womans history Museum
I am going to RB this with a part two because this post is getting a bit long but believe me this is just the tip of the iceberg of trans people of history
jbbartram-illu
stormborns
kianamaiart
titsay
dededos
2087
theartofmadeline
andulkaphoto
