I can’t help it; I am fascinated by the history of well ….just about anything. Part of my interest in cars is the amazing social and business history each model reveals. Each a microcosm of the nations events and tastes.
I lived in a confusion of naivety about being transsexual for much of my life. Like many I knew there was something terribly wrong but I couldn’t be one of those people could I?
Like the mainstream media I lumped drag queens, homosexuals and sex changes all together, not even sure I had even heard the term transsexual.
Clearly there have been transsexuals since the beginning of time but our history is something still in living memory, particularly in North America where surgery didn’t become available until the late sixties. As the majority of transsexuals want nothing more than to live “normal” lives as female the successful completion of surgery means going stealth and blending back into society. An unfortunate result is that much of that history is lost as on one is there to speak on behalf of those pioneers.
Transsexual history has also been subsumed by the greater LGBT (the T is silent) narrative. Transsexuals were at the forefront if not the vanguard of the gay rights movement. More so than being gay or lesbian being transsexual was, if one chose to try and live in ones true gender, impossible to hide. The very act of wearing appropriate clothes was illegal, their world shrunk to the size of whatever gay ghetto they could find a place to live. The only means of employment were if passable as a female impersonator or prostitute.
With nothing to loose and suffering so much oppression from without and within their own community it was no wonder the first shots in the revolution were fired by transsexuals (known as hair fairies), the battlefields, 1959 Cooper’s Donut Riots in LA, Compton’s Cafeteria 1966 and finally Stonewall. Yes transsexuals started that riot too.
With the advent of surgery by the end of the decade the opportunity for a new life and greater horizons was at once within reach. Perhaps here we see a partying of the ways, Transsexuals individually perused their goals to be accepted into mainstream society and traditional gender roles while the gay rights fought to be recognized as a new addition to what is normal. I am making no judgment here.
A few links for you:
Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria clip from Frameline on Vimeo.
Here is some riotous female rockabilly from 1959:
"I lived in a confusion of naivety about being transsexual for much of my life. Like many I knew there was something terribly wrong but I couldn’t be one of those people could I?"
ReplyDeleteApril, that encapsulates *exactly* how I felt my entire life. Thank you for articulating it so well.
I'm also a history buff (growing up in New England, it's hard not to be!), so I can also appreciate your fascination with what our obsessions can teach us about the past. In my case, it's cartoons. Reading old strips such as Peanuts, Pogo, and Krazy Kat is like opening a window to a different world. I can tell that cars hold the same magic for you. As your fellow Canadian Bruce Cockburn put it: "It depends on what you look at, obviously/But even more it depends on the way that you see." Amen. :c)
Thank you again, April!
Hugs,
Kelly
Dear Kelly,
DeleteThanks for your comment, looking back I cannot believe how little I knew,unfortunately I cannot blame it all on being young as my willful ignorance continued until recently.
Also true here. I think I always knew... but didn't want to know, if that makes sense. Or wouldn't let myself know, I suppose.
DeleteIn any case, what finally helped me come to terms with the truth was reading several blogs - including yours - and realizing I wasn't alone, that others felt and experienced the exact same things. So, again, thank you for that.
Always look forward to your posts to set what new musical gem you'll share with us, incidentally! :c)
Hugs,
Kelly
D'oh! That's "see" what musical gems you'll post, not "set." Sigh. I blame my longer fingernails! ;c)
DeleteThe real importance of history is that without an understanding of the history of any subject it impossible to understand where we are today, and where we are going.
ReplyDeleteLooking back on my own history I can understand how I got to to where I am today and that has helped me to plan my future as a woman.
History can also be fun, but I would say that as I am employed as a historian.
COURAGE
ReplyDelete"The very act of wearing appropriate clothes was illegal, their world shrunk to the size of whatever gay ghetto they could find a place to live. The only means of employment were if passable as a female impersonator or prostitute."
ReplyDeleteDo you think that has really changed in any substantial way?