Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hello girls, so I wanted to start this post as a tribute to all those corageous transwomen that have come before us or that are currently amongst us.

My idea is to show the impact of transwomen on society and the presence of transwomen in our history. Both with the fights for rights as well as achieving great goals for society in their respective áreas of work while fighting for their respective places as professionals, which might not have been easy for them.

As there are many, it would be nice to name those that have a public profile.
The idea would be to name them and add some key remarks on her achievements.
It will be nice to put information links if there are any so that if anyone wants to increase the information on them, there is somewhere to start looking.

I had my doubts on where to start the post, but as there may be political and advocacy women in our history. I believe this sub forum may be the best place.
I have to thank @Northern Star Girl for helping decide where to start this post, as I had my doubts.

So, here are the first, corageous transwomen in history (no order in particular), please feel free to keep on adding.


Lili Ilse Elvenes

Lili Elbe (born December 28, 1882, Vejle, Denmark—died September 13, 1931, Dresden, Germany) was a Danish painter who was assigned male at birth, experienced what is now called gender dysphoria, and underwent the world's first documented sex reassignment surgery

Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lili-Elbe



Christine Jorgensen

Christine Jorgensen (born May 30, 1926, New York, New York, U.S.—died May 3, 1989, San Clemente, California) was an American who garnered international headlines in the early 1950s as the first person in the United States to undergo a successful gender-reassignment operation.

In the early 1950s, she captured global attention as one of the first Americans to undergo gender confirmation surgery, becoming a symbol of courage, visibility and the fight for acceptance.

"She is the person who brought what we now call 'transgender' to the attention of a global audience.

Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christine-Jorgensen
https://people.com/who-is-christine-jorgensen-monster-11824719

More will be coming.
Hope you find it interesting.
Hugs, Anne 🌈

https://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/LynnsStory.html
This is the story of a woman who made amazing contributions to society,
in spite of intense ostracism and stigmatization just for trying to be herself,
and how she did it by taking on a secret new identity, and living her life in "stealth mode".
#
Lynn Conway is a famed pioneer of microelectronics chip design. Her innovations during the 1970's at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) have impacted chip design worldwide. Many high-tech companies and computing methods have foundations in her work.

I don't have any links or historical references, but a lot of my role models were and are the members on this site. Go, you beautiful and handsome people!

Hugs, Devlyn

Great topic Anna.

Flight Lieutenant Ayla Holdom (UK) - First openly transgender pilot in the RAF, flying Sea King Search and Rescue Helicopters.

Roberta Cowell - British Racing Driver and former RAF Pilot during the second world war. I believe the first british woman to undergo GRS. (only recently found out about her from someone on Susans)

Charlie Martin (UK) - Trans activist and racing driver

Quote from: Stottie Girl on June 30, 2026, 06:30:59 AMGreat topic Anna.

Flight Lieutenant Ayla Holdom (UK) - First openly transgender pilot in the RAF, flying Sea King Search and Rescue Helicopters.

Roberta Cowell - British Racing Driver and former RAF Pilot during the second world war. I believe the first british woman to undergo GRS. (only recently found out about her from someone on Susans)

Charlie Martin (UK) - Trans activist and racing driver

I have a friend who flew Sea Kings in the Royal Navy pre-transition, during the Falklands War... when she had her GRS, they ran into a few small bits of fragments of her helicopter that they had left in place after she had been shot down!

Onward!

A💕

  @Devlyn
Dear Devlyn:
I completely agree with you regarding role models - members on our very site. 
My mind immediately zeros in on several members here that have greatly inspired me
in my own journey.

I will have more to add at a later time.

Danielle [Northern Star Gir]
The Forum Admin

Quote from: Devlyn on June 30, 2026, 05:58:46 AMI don't have any links or historical references, but a lot of my role models were and are the members on this site. Go, you beautiful and handsome people!

Hugs, Devlyn

Shortly after I moved in, my next-door neighbor bought me a book:

Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Marsha P. Johnson and Beyond, by Leslie Feinberg.

When I get time, I'll post some excerpts.

I suspect the book has been updated, as the title is slightly different on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Transgender-Warriors-Making-History-Dennis/dp/0807079413

Agree on Roberta Cowell. In the school summer holidays in 1973 I watched a short film on her a couple of months before my 16th birthday.
April Ashley and Caroline Cossey aka Tula 2 of the most glamorous transwomen.
Julia Grant 1955_2019, from my hometown Fleetwood.  Remember watching her documentary and reading her book. Met her once shortly before I went full time in 1991,kind helpful and very funny

Hi Everyone

Yes, a good topic to sit back and read about the giants in our community.  After doing some research on the internet, I found considerably more names than I expected, particularly over the period from Christine Jorgensen's emergence in the early 1950s through to the modern era represented by Caitlyn Jenner.  It is actually much harder than I first thought to compile a list because there is no universally accepted definition of what constitutes a "famous" transgender person.

For me, I have heard of Christine Jorgensen, Renée Richards, Jazz Jennings, Caitlyn Jenner and Lynn Conway because I have read extensively about them.  I also know of Elliot Page, Jan Morris and April Ashley, which I know less about.  Laverne Cox and Hunter Schafer.  I know nothing about.

The following figures represent an approximate estimate of openly transgender public figures who have achieved a significant level of recognition.  They are not exhaustive and should not be interpreted as definitive.  Fame is difficult to quantify because it depends on many factors including:

• There is no universally accepted threshold for what constitutes "famous".
• Fame may be local, national or international.
• Some people are famous because of their profession while others became famous primarily because of their transition.
• Some were already well known before publicly transitioning while others became well known afterwards.
• Recognition changes over time. Someone who was widely recognised in the 1970s may be unfamiliar to younger generations today while someone well known through social media today may not be recognised by older generations.
• Whether someone is considered "out" can also vary historically, as many people lived in stealth for decades before publicly discussing their history.

Different people could therefore produce different lists and arrive at different totals depending on how they define fame and the audience being considered.

Many of the names I am most familiar with are those who were well known during my lifetime.  Even then, when I changed my own life around in 1989, I knew very little about most of them.

Famous Transgender People
Period	Approximate Numbers
1952 to 1979	5 to 15
1980 to 1999	20 to 50
2000 to 2009	50 to 100
2010 to 2019	150 to 300
2020 to 2026	300 to 700

The trend shown above reflects the increasing public visibility of openly transgender people over the past seven decades.  During the 1950s through to the 1980s, only a relatively small number of people became widely known, often attracting significant media attention simply because they were openly transgender.

In more recent decades, increased media coverage, the growth of the internet and social media, together with greater representation in entertainment, sport, politics, academia and other professions, has resulted in a much larger number of openly transgender public figures.

It is also worth distinguishing between "household names" and "public figures".  Throughout the entire period since Christine Jorgensen, the number of internationally recognised household names is probably only a few dozen.  The larger figures shown in the table include people who have achieved significant recognition within their profession or country, even if they are not universally recognised by the general public.

The table and graph should therefore be viewed as illustrating the growth in public visibility rather than as a definitive count.  They are intended to show the remarkable increase in the number of openly transgender public figures over time and the corresponding growth in public awareness since Christine Jorgensen first brought unprecedented international attention to the subject in the early 1950s.

Best Wishes Always
Sarah B
Global Moderator
@Anne_lifetrip

I think Kate Malin and her daughter Emmie Smith could be role models.

https://pridesource.com/article/trans-religious-thriving

https://www.self.com/story/this-emotional-video-shows-one-teens-journey-through-gender-confirmation-surgery

Dear all,

Wow, @Sarah B, where did you get the information?. It is really interesting 🥰.

Quote from: Sarah B on June 30, 2026, 09:44:00 PMYes, a good topic to sit back and read about the giants in our community.

That was my idea...because there are many that have had a public profile and many, many more that chose not be so public.

For me as Spanish, my role model and reference has been without a doubt:

Carla Antonelli 🌈 https://www.carlaantonelli.com/primera_pagina.htm (not up to date, but way back in the late 1990s and early 2000s it was really active and my reference to find the few, scarce resources for trans women)

Carla Antonelli is a Spanish actress, politician, and LGBT activist who made history as the first openly transgender person elected to a legislature in Spain.  Born in Güímar, Tenerife, in 1959, she left her rural hometown in 1977 due to transphobia and began her activism shortly after, campaigning for the decriminalization of homosexuality and transgender rights during the transition to democracy.

Political Career and Activism

Legislative Milestones: She served as a deputy in the Assembly of Madrid from 2011 to 2021 as a member of the PSOE, becoming the first trans woman to hold parliamentary office in Spain.  In 2023, she was appointed by the Assembly as an independent associated with Más Madrid, becoming the first trans senator in the Spanish Senate.
Key Achievements: Antonelli was instrumental in the passage of Spain's 2007 Gender Identity Law and same-sex marriage legislation.  She threatened a hunger strike in 2006 to pressure the government to approve the Gender Identity Law, which allowed legal gender recognition without mandatory surgery.
Party Departure: She left the PSOE in October 2022 due to disagreements over the party's handling of transgender rights and delays in approving comprehensive trans legislation.

Thanks @Lori Dee, just added it to my summer reading list. ☺️

Quote from: Lori Dee on June 30, 2026, 12:28:57 PMTransgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Marsha P. Johnson and Beyond, by Leslie Feinberg.

It is a pity it is not available for kindle.

Will keep posting more ❤️

Hello friends ☺️,

Today's role model I wanted to share is:

Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson (1945–1992) was a prominent Black transgender activist who played a pivotal role in the Stonewall uprising of 1969, a catalyst for the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.  She co-founded the Street ->-bleeped-<- Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with Sylvia Rivera to provide housing and support for homeless LGBTQ+ youth and was an early AIDS activist who joined ACT UP in the 1980s.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marsha-P-Johnson

Have a lovely day 🏳��🌈

Canadian motorcycle racer Michelle Duff who when Mike was almost a world champion in the 60s. After transitioning Michelle became a renowned wild life photographer,author and did demonstration laps on the bikes she raced.

Dear @big kim, really interesting, hadn't heard about Michelle Duff before.

Let me share today the case of:

Roberta Cowell

Born in England in 1918, Cowell led an extraordinary life with a career as a Grand Prix racing driver, followed by a period as a front-line Spitfire pilot during World War II.

https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/roberta-cowell

Happy begining of the week loves,

I wanted to share a couple of trans sisters that have had a great impact on me:

The Wachowski sisters https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wachowskis

Lana Wachowski (born June 21, 1965) and Lilly Wachowski (born December 29, 1967) are an American filmmaking duo known collectively as The Wachowskis.  Both are trans women; Lana publicly came out in 2012, and Lilly followed in 2016.  They are best known for creating and directing the groundbreaking The Matrix franchise.

The Matrix franchise is so spectacular for so many reasons. If you like action and Sci-Fi, they are great, but if you like to see further into all the symbolism...all the movies are full of signs from multiple beliefs. Just outstanding.

Have a lovely week. 💜

Quote from: Maid Marion on June 30, 2026, 05:26:25 AMhttps://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/LynnsStory.html
This is the story of a woman who made amazing contributions to society,
in spite of intense ostracism and stigmatization just for trying to be herself,
and how she did it by taking on a secret new identity, and living her life in "stealth mode".
#
Lynn Conway is a famed pioneer of microelectronics chip design. Her innovations during the 1970's at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) have impacted chip design worldwide. Many high-tech companies and computing methods have foundations in her work.

cool topic

One of the most remarkable parts of my transition was getting to know Lynn before she passed. Long story short-- at my former company I managed to get a conference room named after her (removing a problematic name in the process). I wrote her. We traded email. Eventually we had a series of zoom calls. I have some screen grabs somewhere of us on a call. Her first email to me is framed and hangs next to my college degrees.

Lynn was the real deal. I am proud to be one of her mentees, maybe her last


Jenn

Wow, @Jenn104, you really got in touch with Lynn!

I will post today another of our sisters in STEM.

Imogen Gingell

Imogen Gingell is a trans woman and space plasma physicist currently based at Imperial College London. Her research focuses on the ways plasma flowing out from the Sun can interact with Earth's magnetic field – especially when it generates a shock wave! She uses NASA satellite observations and high performance simulations to unpack how these complex space environments transfer energy across the solar system.

https://prideinstem.org/out-thinkers-imogen-gingell/

I remember this speech for Lana Wachowski, I think watched it 10 times the year when it was posted online:

Letitia Winter, better known by her magician stage name Fay Presto. Fay is still performing today in her late 70s!
Terri Rogers, ventriloquist. I saw her show at a rugby club in the 70s, she would have made Chubby Brown blush! Terri's TV performances were considerably toned down! Sadly Terri died young, she was also an accomplished magician who wrote tricks for her husband Val Baker and several magic books.

Quote from: tammy753 on July 14, 2026, 08:35:22 AMI think watched it 10 times the year when it was posted online:

Wow...thanks for the link.

Today I want to share Renée Richards

Renée Richards is a pioneering transgender woman and ophthalmologist who made history as the first trans athlete to compete in professional tennis.  Born Richard Raskind, she underwent gender-affirming surgery in 1973 and won a landmark 1977 lawsuit against the USTA, becoming the first and only person to play in both the men's and women's U.S. Open tournaments. Whenever asked about this, she prefers to talk about anything else.

https://yalealumnimagazine.org/articles/4188-renee-richards

Quote from: Anne_lifetrip on July 15, 2026, 05:58:29 AMWhenever asked about this, she prefers to talk about anything else.

I don't think this is unusual.

We don't transition to become someone who transitioned. We transitioned to start living our lives as ourselves.

In my everyday life, transitioning is rarely a topic of discussion. Sometimes someone will have a question, but most do not. I can't even remember the last time gender was even mentioned.

We are all just people living our lives to the best of our ability and circumstances.

Quote from: Lori Dee on July 15, 2026, 11:17:11 AMI don't think this is unusual.

I know. I included it in the description because it was the first biography that I have found that explicitly says it and I found it was a very clear statement of who she was.

Today I would like to talk about "La Veneno", a Spanish icon for the LGTB.

Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez, known artistically as La Veneno, was a Spanish television personality, star, singer and transgender actress, considered a pioneering icon of LGBT visibility in her country.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Veneno

Today I will name some French sisters

Coccinelle
(Jacqueline-Charlotte Dufresnoy, 1931–2006) was France's first transgender celebrity and a pivotal activist who fought for legal and medical rights.  After becoming the first French person to undergo gender confirmation surgery in 1958 and the first to legally marry in 1960, she co-founded Devenir Femme and helped establish the Center for Aid, Research, and Information for Transsexuality and Gender Identity to support others seeking surgery.

https://frenchly.us/what-you-should-know-about-coccinelle-frances-first-trans-celebrity/

And

Thierry Wilson
Also known by his stage name Zize Dupanier, was a French transgender man and activist who spent the final decade of his life partnering with Coccinelle (Jacqueline-Charlotte Dufresnoy), France's first transgender celebrity.