Thanks for your patience during our recent outage at scalar.usc.edu. While Scalar content is loading normally now, saving is still slow, and Scalar's 'additional metadata' features have been disabled, which may interfere with features like timelines and maps that depend on metadata. This also means that saving a page or media item will remove its additional metadata. If this occurs, you can use the 'All versions' link at the bottom of the page to restore the earlier version. We are continuing to troubleshoot, and will provide further updates as needed. Note that this only affects Scalar projects at scalar.usc.edu, and not those hosted elsewhere.
Trans Visibility Main MenuTrans VisibilityIntroductionLet's get started!Basics of "Transgender"Christine JorgensonLaurence Michael DillonMarsha P. JohnsonShawn StinsonJanet MockWren KauffmanJazz JenningsInterview: Juniper XiomaraPolitical RevolutionPublication: The Experience NewspaperGary Walker-Robertsff82d71fc8661901c549a69ff80c9bac7b614722
Christine Jorgensen arriving at Idlewild airport(1952)
12016-04-03T16:57:06-07:00Gary Walker-Robertsff82d71fc8661901c549a69ff80c9bac7b61472291211A media sensation was created on December 1, 1952 when the New York Daily News carried a front-page story (under the headline "Ex-GI Becomes Blonde ...plain2016-04-03T16:57:06-07:00Gary Walker-Robertsff82d71fc8661901c549a69ff80c9bac7b614722
Christine Jorgenson (1926- 1989) is a famous trans woman who underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1954. She went public with her surgery and used one of the earliest forms of social media to do so: television. Jorgenson bravely took advantage of modern medicine to her advantage. Native Indian and Native Hawaiian transgender individuals could not alter their physical body to match their gender identities because during this period the medical industry was not as advanced as it is today. Nonetheless, they were transgender. Remember that our physical appearance does not determine the gender that we are. Jorgenson was the first American transgender woman to utilize social media platforms. Many Americans had never heard of a person identifying with a gender identity other than the one they were assigned at birth. Seeing Jorgenson on the television opened the door to new possibilities. Jorgenson went on to utilize the television to educate on transgender issues through out her life. These clips can be found on YouTube, but on this page you will view the historical first video clip of a courageous and fascinating woman!
