More than ever we need to learn about our history to protect it from erasure.

"Protests like this led to Italy’s first law ever recognizing trans people's existence legally, as well as regulating regulating access to life-saving care like gender-affirming surgeries and creating a process for legal name change."

https://www.wearequeeraf.com/tops-off-the-public-pool-protest-that-sparked-the-fight-for-trans-rights-in-italy/

Today’s #transhistory post brings us back to 18th Century Boston. In an article by Caitlin Hopkins, we are offered a single newspaper advert describing a runaway enslaved person, “named Cato […] and well known by the Name of Miss Betty Cooper”.

It’s Trans+ History week and in addition to TransActual’s articles library (see yesterday morning’s post), there are some great resources on our history from Trans+ History Week too.

Find them at: https://www.wearequeeraf.com/transhistoryweek/

For #ThrowbackThursday we are bringing #TransHistory to the forefront with NOTCHES’ own Kit Heyam’s 2022 work, “Before We Were Trans.” which explores a global, deeply layered history of gender beyond binary, Western ideas— instead spotlighting fluid, transgressive identities from Renaissance Venice to Edo Japan.

Link to our author interview: https://wp.me/p6JJ6S-4uJ

Elagabalus was made a Roman Emperor at the age of just 14. The Emperor often wore wigs and makeup, and liked to be referred to by feminine titles. Elagabalus reportedly offered a large sum of money to any doctor who could give them a vagina.

Amelio Robles Ávila was a colonel during the Mexican revolution in the early 1900s. He changed his name in the 1920s, but it wasn’t until much later that he was able to change his military records and be recognised as a “Veteran of the Revolution”. Trans people have always been part of our history, but often their stories don’t get told or their identities are erased.

Hanan El Tawil was an Egyptian actress and is thought to be the first openly trans Arab woman to be in films and TV.

We’wha was a Lhamana (or two spirit) person born into the Zuni tribe in 1849 New Mexico. We’wha was a spiritual leader, a pottery and textile artist, and a Zuni cultural ambassador.

Innana was an important deity for the ancient Mesopotamians. They believed she had the power to change someone’s gender. Her priests and followers were known for their rejection of gender binaries.

Jazzie Collins was a Black, trans, HIV+ woman. Her campaigning and organizing highlights the way in which so many of our struggles are linked. Jazzie campaigned on economic inequality, housing issues, disability rights and trans rights.

April Ashley MBE first found fame as a model and actress. However, after press outed her as transgender, she never modelled in the UK again. Not only was April one of the first trans people to undergo gender confirming surgery, her 1971 divorce set a legal precedent regarding trans people’s gender recognition. This precedent stood until 2004, when the UK’s current Gender Recognition Act was introduced.

Transgender activist and TED Resident Samy Nour Younes shares the remarkable, centuries-old history of the trans community.

https://www.ted.com/talks/samy_nour_younes_a_short_history_of_trans_people_s_long_fight_for_equality #TED #Transgenderl #LGBTQ #History #TransHistory #Identity #Equality

Danielle Bunten-Berry is one of the most influential game designers you've never heard of. Her work on early multiplayer computer games, including M.U.L.E., Wheeler Dealers, and Modem Wars, made a huge mark on the computer multiplayer scene. She was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame, and The Sims is dedicated to her memory.

"No one ever said on their deathbed, ‘Gee, I wish I had spent more time alone with my computer.'"

interesting article:
"Trans people affirmed their gender without medical help in medieval Europe − history shows how identity transcends medicine and law"

https://theconversation.com/trans-people-affirmed-their-gender-without-medical-help-in-medieval-europe-history-shows-how-identity-transcends-medicine-and-law-248559

YAY! We were well received last weekend at The Actors theatre in Brighton. Look out for more performances, as we may be taking it to Dublin

https://www.gscene.com/arts/theatre/review-the-strange-case-of-dr-dillon-at-the-actors-theatre-brighton/