Trans Organist T. Desiree Hines Passes Away

[Shana A]

Saturday, January 26, 2013
Trans Organist T. Desiree Hines Passes Away
Posted by Monica Roberts at 7:15 AM

http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2013/01/trans-organist-t-desiree-hines-passes.html

Was stunned and saddened to hear the news from Tona Brown that trans organist T. Desiree Hines passed away January 24 due to the Stage Four neuroendocrine cancer she was bravely battling.

I had the pleasure of having a few long conversations with her, and when I last checked in with Desiree she had moved to Kansas City, MO, was playing the organ at Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and had started her studies at the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Before moving to Kansas City she was a well known fixture in the Philadelphia TBLG community.  But mere months into her KC stay she received the devastating medical news last March.

[Shana A]

T. Desiree Hines, organist and trans activist, 33
by Jen Colletta

http://www.epgn.com/view/full_story/21574595/article-T--Desiree-Hines--organist-and-trans-activist--33

T. Desiree Hines, a former Philadelphian and renowned organist who pioneered the way for transgender inclusion in the classical-music world, died Jan. 19 after a battle with cancer. She was 33.

Hines was born in Jackson, Miss., and discovered her passion for music at a young age, working after-school jobs as a teen to afford lessons on the pipe organ.

She left Mississippi in 2001 to study at Pacific Lutheran University in Washington — and to be able to live freely as a woman, which wasn't always possible in her hometown.

Hines faced institutionalized discrimination at the school, such as her appointment to a male dorm, and went on to leave the school and struggle with homelessness, living for months in a shelter in Chicago. But she overcame her obstacles by remaining committed to pursuing a career in music, studying in New York City before arriving in Philadelphia in 2006.

[Heather]

This is so sad someone so young to die. From what I read there she was an incredible woman. Who never gave up no matter how many obstacles life threw at her. It's amazing after all she went through in this world she still held on to her faith in God. My prayers go out to her and her family.