TRAILBLAZING TRANS WOMEN

Four inspirational individuals whose stories and lives changed the world

● ROBERTA COWELL

The first male to female British person to undergo gender reassignment surgery, at the age of 18, Roberta Cowell forged a career as a racing driver, winning the Land’s End Trial. During World War II Cowell served as a fighter pilot and was shot down over Germany. Following the war she met Michael Dillon, the first female to male to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Dillon performed an operation on Cowell and a year later, in 1954, her story broke. Cowell continued her career as a racing driver into the 1970s.

● RENEE RICHARDS

Dr Renee Richards was the focus of an intense legal battle when she refused to take a chromosome test for entrance into the United States Open Tennis Championships. Billie Jean King served as a witness and Richards was granted the right to compete. Despite the ongoing controversy and unsavoury comments from fellow players, Richards would become the 20th top tennis player in the world and coach Martina Navratilova, who became world number-one. Richards retired from the spotlight and now lives in up-state New York.

● CHRISTINE JORGENSEN

It was in 1950 that US Citizen George William Jorgensen Jr travelled to Denmark to begin her transition from male to female. Two years later, when the story became public, Jorgensen had to deal with a mainly transphobic press who treated her story with disdain. Initially Jorgensen disliked the publicity, but soon turned it to her advantage, developing a nightclub act and telling her story for a fee. Despite the attitudes at the time, Jorgensen’s story began American discussions around trans identities and has an important legacy.

● CHEVALIER D’EON

The Chevalier D’eon lived openly as both a man and a woman at varying points in their life. After a shaky relationship with Louis XV, his successor Louis XVI stated they could return to France if they readopted women’s clothing. How much the Chevalier’s decision was forced by Louis XVI is unknown, but they spent the final 33 years of their life publicly as a woman. While there has been much debate whether to label the Chevalier a proto-trans figure, their life demonstrates an early case of acceptance of fluid gender identity.