Press Photos, Trans Women, Five Examples, 1952-1970.
Including black-and-white press images of the following subjects: one UPI 8 x 10 of Lauraine & Lennette Lee, dated 29 July 1970; one UPI 8 x 10 of April Ashley, dated 2 March 1970; [and] three photos of Christine Jorgensen, one 8 x 10 image taken by Charlie See for the Hollywood Picture Service, Denmark, 1952; and two 9 x 12 inch images of Jorgensen, the first posing in a studio, the second walking in the street with another woman, also from the 1950s (signs of handling, Joregensen's companion crossed out lightly in pencil, stamps on versos.)
Lauraine & Lennette are siblings who participated in the University of Minnesota's "Transsexual Research Project," undergoing gender reassignment surgeries in 1967. "After being female for 48 years I will tell you that my sister and I have not regretted one moment of that 48 years. Would I go through numerous surgeries, and endure all that pain and tears again? You ‘betcha', as life as a male would be unendurable and life would not be worth living." (Lauraine Lee, 22 March 2015; http://transascity.org/lenette-and-lauraine-lee-1970/)
April Ashley, born in Liverpool in 1935, was outed by the Sunday People newspaper in 1961. The British courts found that she was not entitled to support following her divorce because she was a legal man and therefore could not legally wed "another" man. Her autobiography, The First Lady, came out in 2006.
Christine Jorgensen (1926-1989) grew up in the Bronx and served in the army during World War II. Because her transition was highly publicized, and she was a proficient communicator, and wonderful public presence, she contributed greatly to the general public's awareness of trans issues and trans rights, in addition to supporting other trans people.
