Sexual Minority Archives uncovers story of Marion Turner, transgender man who lived in Northampton a century ago
By Fred Contrada, The Republican
on October 20, 2012 at 3:00 PM
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/10/sexual_minority_archives_uncov.htmlNORTHAMPTON – A century before same-sex marriage, the Gay Pride March and RuPaul's Drag Race reality TV show, Marion Turner walked the streets of Northampton—dressed as a woman.
Turner, who came to Northampton by way of North Carolina, was among the 130 or so black people living here at the turn of the 20th century. He worked as a nurse and housekeeper for wealthy white people in the Utopian community based in Florence. And occasionally, he dressed as a woman, for all the world to see.
"He openly wore female attire," said Bet Power, founder of the Northampton-based Sexual Minority Archives. "He was referred to sometimes as 'she.' The free-thinkers didn't blink."
