HARRY ALLEN

This female-to-male trans individual was a rebel of the Pacific Northwest

Born Nell Pickerell in 1882, Harry Allen (sometimes Livingstone) lived as a man when to do so was not socially acceptable. The media of the time had little understanding and even less respect for a trans individual and portrayed Allen as a fragrant seducer and womaniser. Allen had a difficult childhood, with a father who was abusive and alcoholic. At

18 the troubled young man left home and almost immediately gained the attention of the press as a subject of whimsy and amusement due to their being seen as a woman wearing men’s clothing.

Allen reportedly left a trail of broken hearts and a number newspaper stories of attempted suicide by women who’d fallen in love with him. The press suggested that this was due to Allen being trans and turned him into a figure of notoriety. Allen had legitimate explanations for the stories and solid denials for those that the papers had flagrantly made up. Despite this Allen soon developed a reputation as an outlaw. His reputation made him a target for law enforcement and he regularly found himself arrested and imprisoned. In the early 1910s Allen was interviewed by Miriam Van Waters, a prison reformer and anthropologist, who upon meeting Allen stated that his criminal record was “the result of discrimination.” Allen passed away in 1922 at the age of 40. He remains an important example of the damage that can be caused by media and societal discrimination and abuse towards trans individuals.