Andrea Jenkins made history in 2017 when she became the first African American, openly transgender woman elected to public office in the United States. As a politician, poet, activist, and community historian, Jenkins strives to bring “the notion of love into the public discourse.”
Between 1996 and 1997, three transgender women – known in in court records as A, D and G to protect their identities – were denied gender reassignment surgery by the North West Lancashire Health Authority in England. In 1999, the women brought a legal suit against the Health Authority.
One of the first individuals to receive gender-affirming surgery in the United States, Simmons was also well-known in Charleston society for her marriage to John Paul Simmons. Theirs was reportedly the first documented interracial marriage in South Carolina.
American butch lesbian, transgender activist, author, and communist. Her notable works include “Stone Butch Blues” (1993) and “Transgender Warriors” (1996), which played a significant role in gender studies.
Nadezhda Andreyevna Durova, under the guise of a man, achieved distinction as a decorated soldier within the Russian cavalry during the Napoleonic Wars. She was one of the earliest documented female officers in the Russian military.
Spanish-American military heroine
Transgender former Labour Party Parliamentary candidate, RAF veteran, Premier League Football photographer, self harm and suicide survivor
Army doctor
Marsha P. Johnson was one of the most prominent figures of the gay rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s in New York City. Always sporting a smile, Johnson was an important advocate for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, those effected by H.I.V. and AIDS, and gay and transgender rights.
Carmen Rupe was a trailblazing transgender woman and entertainer, a larger-than-life personality, sex worker, and celebrated LGBTIQ+ icon. Proprietor of several notorious Wellington nightspots and one-time mayoral candidate, she pushed the boundaries of Wellington nightlife and both entertained and outraged New Zealanders during the 1960s and 1970s. The most visible transgender New Zealander of her time, she used her celebrity to advocate for LGBTIQ+ rights. She was well-known for helping homeless people and others in need.