Wheeler & Schaefer's "Harry Benjamin's first 10 cases" use pseudonyms to refer to 8 of the 10 pat... more Wheeler & Schaefer's "Harry Benjamin's first 10 cases" use pseudonyms to refer to 8 of the 10 patients. However most of the patients are now discussed in trans histories either under different pseudonyms or by their real (ie. post-transition) name. Other writers complicated this further. I attempt to clarify.
1928-9 was a triple whammy for trans men in that within a few months, trans men and masculine wom... more 1928-9 was a triple whammy for trans men in that within a few months, trans men and masculine women in London and Paris were involved in three much publicised trials which, while they did not lead to legislation about clothes, gender or civil rights, did send a message to trans men that they should be careful.
Sylvia Rivera - now legendary - was pivotal in New York trans activism in the 1970s, but some of ... more Sylvia Rivera - now legendary - was pivotal in New York trans activism in the 1970s, but some of what is said about her appears not to be true. Far from starting the Stonewall riot, it appears that she was not even there. She did not conform to any of the standard terms: transsexual, transvestite etc. However transvestite was her preferred term for herself, and she certainly was entitled to it despite the femmiphilics and the psychiatrists who wished to restrict the term to heterosexual males.
The story of John Wojtowicz, famous for what came to be called the Dog Day Afternoon bank robbery... more The story of John Wojtowicz, famous for what came to be called the Dog Day Afternoon bank robbery when it was made into a movie, and John's on-off marriage to trans woman Liz Eden.
To write about Charlotte d'Eon is intrinsically difficult in that so many biographies have been w... more To write about Charlotte d'Eon is intrinsically difficult in that so many biographies have been written, and so many untruths have been added, many of them by d'Eon herself. I am mainly following Gary Kates' Monsieur d'Eon is a Woman: A Tale of Intrigue and Sexual Masquerade, 1995 as the most reliable biographer of D'Eon. He and Peter Farrer in his paper presented at Gendys 2002 were the first biographers to have used the documents stored at the Brotherton Library in Leeds. Kates looked for but failed to find any evidence that D'Eon dressed as female at all before 1777. The major challenge to this was the paper read by Peter Farrer at the Gendys Conference in 2002. Nobody seems to have commented on Farrer's adjustments. I have also included some of the points from James Lander's "A tale of Two Hoaxes in Britain and France in 1775", 2006. Lander uses some of the evidence cited by Farrer but without mentioning him in either text or footnotes.
Cross-Gender, Transgender, concepts and usages
[I wrote this and published it on A Gender Varia... more Cross-Gender, Transgender, concepts and usages
[I wrote this and published it on A Gender Variance Who's Who in five parts in September 2011. There have been a few changes-the term 'transgender (meaning #4, that is, as an umbrella term) has carried the day and is widely used; Virginia Prince is fading into history; the term 'transsexual' is deemed by some as no longer to be used; some of the persons cited are no longer easily remembered (although most of them can be found within the encyclopedic A Gender Variance Who's Who). Inevitably, some of the links within no longer work.]
Vern Bullough contributed to both gay history and trans history but seems to have had an aversion... more Vern Bullough contributed to both gay history and trans history but seems to have had an aversion to discussing androphilic trans persons.
Harry Benjamin's seminal book is now 54 years old. In many respects it is the Ur-Text of transsex... more Harry Benjamin's seminal book is now 54 years old. In many respects it is the Ur-Text of transsexuality. A close and critical reading of the book establishes what is really there. Benjamin's book is situated in its context of the mid-1960s, and contrasted to the changes of the next 50 years. Many later disputes in trans history are anticipated. Thus both Autogynephilia and the Harry Benjamin Syndrome are located in this book despite their great differences. Benjamin's ambivalences re his patients and gaps in his understandings are noted.
Virginia Prince was perhaps the best known spokesperson of transvestite activism in the twentieth... more Virginia Prince was perhaps the best known spokesperson of transvestite activism in the twentieth century. However, an investigation of her life reveals a mixture of achievements and failures stemming largely from an anxious wish for respectability and the desire to disassociate her own kind from what she regarded as similar but less respectable groups. This biography, built largely from the author's encyclopaedic history of gender variance at zagria.blogspot.com, bares Prince's strengths and inadequacies by positioning her against a backdrop of interesting, relevant social events and psychological developments which coincided with the different periods of her life and work, in a chronologically sequential narrative.
Following the biographical narrative, a historical analysis of transgender jargon associated with Prince will resolve widespread controversy over the jargon.
In 1987 Liz came out with Bodyshock, one of the best journalism books on transsexuality for many ... more In 1987 Liz came out with Bodyshock, one of the best journalism books on transsexuality for many years afterwards. This is a rereading from a modern perspective.
It is now almost 25 years since the publication of Leslie Feinberg's seminal Transgender Warriors... more It is now almost 25 years since the publication of Leslie Feinberg's seminal Transgender Warriors. While the book was deservedly widely read, in retrospect there are details that should be more closely looked at.
Charlotte Goiar (1972-), the founder of the HBS movement 2005-2011 has restated her position in a... more Charlotte Goiar (1972-), the founder of the HBS movement 2005-2011 has restated her position in a new book. Some things have changed, but the many of the quirks of the original movement remain.
Wheeler & Schaefer's "Harry Benjamin's first 10 cases" use pseudonyms to refer to 8 of the 10 pat... more Wheeler & Schaefer's "Harry Benjamin's first 10 cases" use pseudonyms to refer to 8 of the 10 patients. However most of the patients are now discussed in trans histories either under different pseudonyms or by their real (ie. post-transition) name. Other writers complicated this further. I attempt to clarify.
1928-9 was a triple whammy for trans men in that within a few months, trans men and masculine wom... more 1928-9 was a triple whammy for trans men in that within a few months, trans men and masculine women in London and Paris were involved in three much publicised trials which, while they did not lead to legislation about clothes, gender or civil rights, did send a message to trans men that they should be careful.
Sylvia Rivera - now legendary - was pivotal in New York trans activism in the 1970s, but some of ... more Sylvia Rivera - now legendary - was pivotal in New York trans activism in the 1970s, but some of what is said about her appears not to be true. Far from starting the Stonewall riot, it appears that she was not even there. She did not conform to any of the standard terms: transsexual, transvestite etc. However transvestite was her preferred term for herself, and she certainly was entitled to it despite the femmiphilics and the psychiatrists who wished to restrict the term to heterosexual males.
The story of John Wojtowicz, famous for what came to be called the Dog Day Afternoon bank robbery... more The story of John Wojtowicz, famous for what came to be called the Dog Day Afternoon bank robbery when it was made into a movie, and John's on-off marriage to trans woman Liz Eden.
To write about Charlotte d'Eon is intrinsically difficult in that so many biographies have been w... more To write about Charlotte d'Eon is intrinsically difficult in that so many biographies have been written, and so many untruths have been added, many of them by d'Eon herself. I am mainly following Gary Kates' Monsieur d'Eon is a Woman: A Tale of Intrigue and Sexual Masquerade, 1995 as the most reliable biographer of D'Eon. He and Peter Farrer in his paper presented at Gendys 2002 were the first biographers to have used the documents stored at the Brotherton Library in Leeds. Kates looked for but failed to find any evidence that D'Eon dressed as female at all before 1777. The major challenge to this was the paper read by Peter Farrer at the Gendys Conference in 2002. Nobody seems to have commented on Farrer's adjustments. I have also included some of the points from James Lander's "A tale of Two Hoaxes in Britain and France in 1775", 2006. Lander uses some of the evidence cited by Farrer but without mentioning him in either text or footnotes.
Cross-Gender, Transgender, concepts and usages
[I wrote this and published it on A Gender Varia... more Cross-Gender, Transgender, concepts and usages
[I wrote this and published it on A Gender Variance Who's Who in five parts in September 2011. There have been a few changes-the term 'transgender (meaning #4, that is, as an umbrella term) has carried the day and is widely used; Virginia Prince is fading into history; the term 'transsexual' is deemed by some as no longer to be used; some of the persons cited are no longer easily remembered (although most of them can be found within the encyclopedic A Gender Variance Who's Who). Inevitably, some of the links within no longer work.]
Vern Bullough contributed to both gay history and trans history but seems to have had an aversion... more Vern Bullough contributed to both gay history and trans history but seems to have had an aversion to discussing androphilic trans persons.
Harry Benjamin's seminal book is now 54 years old. In many respects it is the Ur-Text of transsex... more Harry Benjamin's seminal book is now 54 years old. In many respects it is the Ur-Text of transsexuality. A close and critical reading of the book establishes what is really there. Benjamin's book is situated in its context of the mid-1960s, and contrasted to the changes of the next 50 years. Many later disputes in trans history are anticipated. Thus both Autogynephilia and the Harry Benjamin Syndrome are located in this book despite their great differences. Benjamin's ambivalences re his patients and gaps in his understandings are noted.
Virginia Prince was perhaps the best known spokesperson of transvestite activism in the twentieth... more Virginia Prince was perhaps the best known spokesperson of transvestite activism in the twentieth century. However, an investigation of her life reveals a mixture of achievements and failures stemming largely from an anxious wish for respectability and the desire to disassociate her own kind from what she regarded as similar but less respectable groups. This biography, built largely from the author's encyclopaedic history of gender variance at zagria.blogspot.com, bares Prince's strengths and inadequacies by positioning her against a backdrop of interesting, relevant social events and psychological developments which coincided with the different periods of her life and work, in a chronologically sequential narrative.
Following the biographical narrative, a historical analysis of transgender jargon associated with Prince will resolve widespread controversy over the jargon.
In 1987 Liz came out with Bodyshock, one of the best journalism books on transsexuality for many ... more In 1987 Liz came out with Bodyshock, one of the best journalism books on transsexuality for many years afterwards. This is a rereading from a modern perspective.
It is now almost 25 years since the publication of Leslie Feinberg's seminal Transgender Warriors... more It is now almost 25 years since the publication of Leslie Feinberg's seminal Transgender Warriors. While the book was deservedly widely read, in retrospect there are details that should be more closely looked at.
Charlotte Goiar (1972-), the founder of the HBS movement 2005-2011 has restated her position in a... more Charlotte Goiar (1972-), the founder of the HBS movement 2005-2011 has restated her position in a new book. Some things have changed, but the many of the quirks of the original movement remain.
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I am mainly following Gary Kates' Monsieur d'Eon is a Woman: A Tale of Intrigue and Sexual Masquerade, 1995 as the most reliable biographer of D'Eon. He and Peter Farrer in his paper presented at Gendys 2002 were the first biographers to have used the documents stored at the Brotherton Library in Leeds. Kates looked for but failed to find any evidence that D'Eon dressed as female at all before 1777. The major challenge to this was the paper read by Peter Farrer at the Gendys Conference in 2002. Nobody seems to have commented on Farrer's adjustments. I have also included some of the points from James Lander's "A tale of Two Hoaxes in Britain and France in 1775", 2006. Lander uses some of the evidence cited by Farrer but without mentioning him in either text or footnotes.
[I wrote this and published it on A Gender Variance Who's Who in five parts in September 2011. There have been a few changes-the term 'transgender (meaning #4, that is, as an umbrella term) has carried the day and is widely used; Virginia Prince is fading into history; the term 'transsexual' is deemed by some as no longer to be used; some of the persons cited are no longer easily remembered (although most of them can be found within the encyclopedic A Gender Variance Who's Who). Inevitably, some of the links within no longer work.]
This biography, built largely from the author's encyclopaedic history of gender variance at zagria.blogspot.com, bares Prince's strengths and inadequacies by positioning her against a backdrop of interesting, relevant social events and psychological developments which coincided with the different periods of her life and work, in a chronologically sequential narrative.
Following the biographical narrative, a historical analysis of transgender jargon associated with Prince will resolve widespread controversy over the jargon.
I am mainly following Gary Kates' Monsieur d'Eon is a Woman: A Tale of Intrigue and Sexual Masquerade, 1995 as the most reliable biographer of D'Eon. He and Peter Farrer in his paper presented at Gendys 2002 were the first biographers to have used the documents stored at the Brotherton Library in Leeds. Kates looked for but failed to find any evidence that D'Eon dressed as female at all before 1777. The major challenge to this was the paper read by Peter Farrer at the Gendys Conference in 2002. Nobody seems to have commented on Farrer's adjustments. I have also included some of the points from James Lander's "A tale of Two Hoaxes in Britain and France in 1775", 2006. Lander uses some of the evidence cited by Farrer but without mentioning him in either text or footnotes.
[I wrote this and published it on A Gender Variance Who's Who in five parts in September 2011. There have been a few changes-the term 'transgender (meaning #4, that is, as an umbrella term) has carried the day and is widely used; Virginia Prince is fading into history; the term 'transsexual' is deemed by some as no longer to be used; some of the persons cited are no longer easily remembered (although most of them can be found within the encyclopedic A Gender Variance Who's Who). Inevitably, some of the links within no longer work.]
This biography, built largely from the author's encyclopaedic history of gender variance at zagria.blogspot.com, bares Prince's strengths and inadequacies by positioning her against a backdrop of interesting, relevant social events and psychological developments which coincided with the different periods of her life and work, in a chronologically sequential narrative.
Following the biographical narrative, a historical analysis of transgender jargon associated with Prince will resolve widespread controversy over the jargon.