Lily Elbet and Kristen Jorgensen

[LeonnaCox]

Hey Girls:

I have been very concerned about the "Trans-woman celebs" matter, due to news about Cat Jenner and Laverne Cox; even I read some articles about people that made visible transgender subject before them.  I read, too, about famous and old cases like Lily Elbet in Denmark  and Kristen Jorgensen in the US.  But I haven't heard of any case of change of gender before 70s in Latin América or another place else.

Could you share another stories about famous sex-change cases in Europe, the US or even in Latin América?  I have been very happy/emotional reading about people that made precedent for girls that live in XXI century.   

Thank you

[Dena]

in the United States, one was Renee Richards who transitioned in the early 70's. Most of us tried to stay in the background as we just want to be ourselves. For example, I had surgery in 1982 and other than people around here, few know about it. The ones that made the news most of the time did something that caught the interest of the new and then the news outed them. They had few options other than to be in the spotlight for a while and when possible fade into the background. Jenner is in the spotlight because Jenner had been making money with her celebrity status for many years. The Olympics do a poor job preparing you for future employment and in Jenner's case, public speaking provided employment until the TV series became a new source of employment.

[CarlyMcx]

As far as anyone knows, Christine Jorgenson was the first transgender of note to gain mainstream media attention in the modern world. 

There were others before that; Berlin, Germany in the 1920's had a very active gay, drag and transgender nightclub scene.  Going back farther, to the Eighteenth Century, there was the Chevalier D'Eon, and going back to ancient times there was the Roman emperor Elagabalus (also called Heliogabalus) and there was also emperor Nero's transgender/eunuch girlfriend/wife, Sporus.  In point of fact, Sporus' intrigues may be the reason later Christian writers interpreted the writings of the Apostle Paul to mean that effeminate men are to be denied the Kingdom of Heaven.

As others have stated, Dr. Renee Richards was the second modern day transgender to garner widespread mainstream media attention, some time in the late 1970's.  Somewhere in the late 1980's or early 1990's, Joey Silvera and other producers started utilizing transgender actors in adult entertainment, and according to some, transgender videos are the most popular category among "straight" male viewers (who knew?)  Either way, adult entertainment's historical contribution, to bringing transgender into the mainstream, for better or worse, cannot be denied.

Okay, history lesson over.

[amoeba]

April Ashley [now 80 years old!] is someone I remember reading about years ago. She's a British transwoman, and was a cabaret dancer and fashion model back in the 60's or so. She was outed by a magazine, and apparently has lived quite a turbulent but interesting life. They're now making a biopic about her.

[Rejennyrated]

Contrary to popular belief America actually came very late to this game. Lili Elbe in Berlin was also a bit different, and given that she died not entirely a success.

Thus the honour for the first fully successful MtF operation goes to the UK. Sir Harold Gilies, in 1951, invented what would become the penile inversion technique. The operation was performed on a British racing driver and ex war hero - Roberta Cowell who also in 1954 became the frst transwoman of the modern era to be outted by the media. She was extensively featured in the "Picture Post" - a latter day equivalent to our tabloid press.

I am in no way famous - and nor do I wish to be - but having been permitted a "social transition" of sorts myself as a child in 1965, I guess I too count in a small way as one of the pioneers.

[LeonnaCox]

WOW! This history lessons were so great.  Thank you very much Carly, Amoeba and Rejenny. 

I don't think that the case of Lilly was not successful. In fact, I admire so much to Lilly Elbe's history.  She was a successful painter (such as I read) and then, even being married to a woman, she went against current and deciced to be open about her lesbianity and T-lady, and looked to live how she really was.  I think the problem with her was that she was in the 30's and She wanted to have kids of her own.  That was the big mistake, but is a pretty beautiful history. 

I think that in América (all the continent) exists lot of media cases that caught the interest of the people, but there were lot of people that transitioned since "unmemorable" times.  For example, Transgender talking is still a hard subject were I live (Guatemala), but I remember my mother talking about "a movement of effeminates" in 1972, when se was very young and they fighted for their rights and have a integral life as the rest of the people (of course she said effeminates, but they were transgender ladies).  So, in your case Rejenny, you were so lucky that your parents had diferentes thoughts than mine. 

Thank you so much for your kind responses! By the way, I just found a link about vintage t-girls: http://transascity.org/tag/history/  (read it if you can).  I going to keep searching, based on the info you just gave me .

Regards!
Leonna