Digital Transgender Archive

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The Phi Journal

This short-lived newsletter ran from the early 1980s until 1988 when the Phi Chapter became part of Renaissance. The issues discuss local events and major national news stories.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan
 

Phyllis Frye Collection

Phyllis Randolph Frye is the first openly transgender judge in the United States. She is also a U.S. Army veteran, a licensed engineer, an attorney, and a prominent trans activist. This collection includes 11 photographs and 1 certificate from the U.S. Army that document Frye's life journey between 1962 and 2006, reflecting her life before transitioning as well as her important role in the movement for transgender rights. This collection also features many documents including the International Bill of Gender Rights, an employer’s handbook for addressing employees’ gender transitioning, the Gay Agenda of the LGBTIQA Community of Houston, law reviews by Phyllis Frye, and biographical materials about Phyllis Frye. These documents provide information about the transgender movement, legal issues surrounding marriage and parenting, and information on many types of discrimination. Frye grants unrestricted permission for use of these materials with the purpose to "encourage people to know more of this history": https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/hd76s006h

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive, JD Doyle Archives
 

Postcards of Female and Male Impersonators and Cross-dressing

This collection of postcards of female and male impersonators and cross-dressing in Europe and the United States, 1900-1931, 1955 features copies of original postcards held by Cornell’s Human Sexuality Collection, part of Cornell Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections. They reflect the complete contents of two collections as of June 2019: Postcards of female and male impersonators and cross-dressing, #7778 and Postcards of German female impersonators, #7636. Digitization and description of these physical materials were was supported by the Grants Program for Digital Collections in Arts and Sciences, awarded to Durba Ghosh, Professor in the Department of History and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Cornell University, in 2018. Collaborators on the this project included: Leslie Adelson, German; Mitchell Greenberg, Romance Studies; Tamara Loos, History; Brenda Marston, Cornell University Library; and Kristin Roebuck, History. See https://digital.library.cornell.edu/collections/impersonator-postcards for more information.

From Institution(s): Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University, New York Public Library, Digital Transgender Archive
 

Prison Photographs

Photographs found in this collection feature prisoners at San Quentin State Prison in the early 20th century. Male prisoners often crossdressed as part of performances that were produced by the prisoners themselves. Many of these photographs depict the 20th Annual Field and Track Day at San Quentin sponsored by the Olympic Club of San Francisco. The event took place in 1933 and consisted of some 29 athletic events, stunts, chorus girls and vaudeville acts performed by prisoners. It was sponsored by Frank G. O'Kane of the Olympic Club. Some 5000 inmates attended.

From Institution(s): California State Library, Anne T. Kent California Room, Marin County Free Library
 
 

Reed Erickson Collection

These photos come from the ONE Archives at the University of Southern California Libraries. The ten photographs in this collection are of the well-known transsexual philanthropist and activist, Reed Erickson. The collection includes both black and white and color photos, ranging from approximately 1928 to approximately 1969. Some of the photographs are portraits of Erickson as an adult and a teenager, while others include him with his family, friends, or pet leopard.

From Institution(s): ONE Archives at the USC Libraries
 

Renaissance News & Newsletters

Renaissance News, which became Renaissance News & Views in 1994, was a longstanding publication, “mostly about the lifestyle of crossdressing with short pieces on politics.” This publication was created by the Renaissance Education Association (later the Renaissance Transgender Association) and published by Creative Design Services. Significant contributors include JoAnn Roberts and Angela Gardner. The newsletter focused mostly on relevant current events and politics, crossdressing practices, and the lifestyle of crossdressers. This collection includes a complete run of the first nine volumes, which were published monthly from 1987-1995. The collection ends in 1999, but the newsletter changed its name to Transgender Community News along with its format and continued until the early 2000s. Also included in this collection are regional newsletters.

From Institution(s): Transgender Archives, University of Victoria, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan
 

Riki Anne Wilchins' Flyers

Activist Riki Anne Wilchins founded the direct action group The Transexual Menace, as well as the organizations Hermaphrodites With Attitude and the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC). Wilchins also created the newsletter In Your Face: Political Activism Against Gender Oppression. This collection of Wilchins' flyers from the 1990s advocate for trans rights, condemn offensive behavior, and illuminate acts of violence and intolerance. Related link to In Your Face newsletters: https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/col/2r36tx594

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive
 

Scrapbooks and Albums

This collection contains a variety of scrapbooks and albums compiling materials related to drag, cross-dressing, and gender transition. The books are interesting not only for the historical images and texts they contain, but also for their artistic arrangement.

From Institution(s): Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, E.H. Butler Library, Buffalo State, Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, Transgender Archives, University of Victoria
 

Sheet Music

A unique collection of sheet music featuring male and female impersonators from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

From Institution(s): JD Doyle Archives, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive
 

Short Runs of Periodicals

This is a catch-all collection of periodicals that were published between the 1950s and the 1990s. Materials are placed in this collection when five or fewer full scans of a specific periodical are accessible. Though only a few issues of particular publications are often included, most had much longer runs that have not yet been digitized.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, Transgender Oral History Project, Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University, Transgender Archives, University of Victoria, The ArQuives, JD Doyle Archives, Independent Voices, Grupo Dignidade, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives, University at Albany, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, Digital Transgender Archive, Yale University Libraries, Princeton University Library
 

South Africa Media Coverage (via Gender Dynamix)

This collection contains five objects published from 1988-1996 in various South African media outlets including Femina Magazine, The Sunday Star, YOU Magazine, and Playboy Magazine South Africa. The articles and letters to the editor describe personal transgender experiences such as transitioning, societal and familial acceptance, sexuality, and gender identity. This collection was submitted by Liesl Theron from her work at Gender Dynamix.

From Institution(s): GALA Queer Archive
 

The Sweetheart Connection

The Sweetheart Connection was a newsletter for wives and partners of heterosexual crossdressers published by the Tri-Ess Society for the Second Self during the 1990s. Topics covered in these publications include the annual Spouses and Partners International Conference for Education (SPICE), personal experiences at support groups, and couples' marital issues.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan
 

The Tartan Skirt

Between 1992 and 1995, Anne Forrester published 16 issues of The Tartan Skirt through ADF Editorial Services. This Scottish magazine presented poems, book reviews, personal stories, and articles that discuss many issues faced by the “gender community” (people who identified as crossdressers, transsexuals, and transgender). Topics covered include appearance, passing, healthcare, transitioning, terminology, support groups, legislation, travel, and familial and romantic relationships.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan
 

Te Papa Collection

This collection contains items from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, most of which focus on the lives of Maori people. Many of the items were from the Evergreen Cafe, a hub for the LGBTQ+ and Drag communities in Wellington, New Zealand. Chrissy Witoko and Carmen Rupe were prominent figures in the community and many of the items in the collection come from their personal collections. For more information about Maori gender identities and expression, see: https://genderminorities.com/2021/02/26/irawhiti-takatapui-transgender-rainbow-maori/ https://genderminorities.com/2017/09/11/takataapui-over-the-rainbow/

From Institution(s): Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
 

Tiffany Club Documents

This collection includes eleven documents from May 1978 to December 1978 pertaining to the Tiffany Club, a social club in the greater Boston area for crossdressers, their families, and friends. Merissa Sherrill Lynn, the founder, held the Tiffany Club’s first organizational meeting in her home on November 26, 1978. The collection includes Lynn’s outreach letters, which discuss her hopes and plans for the club, as well as logistical concerns such as the club’s location, finances, and goals. The collection also contains Lynn’s account of the first meeting’s minutes. Other documents in this collection include an annotated copy of the Kay Mayflower Society’s constitution, a draft of the Tiffany Club’s constitution, and a typed explanation of the club’s name and symbol.

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive, Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University
 

Transas City Photographs (1900-1950)

The photos compiled in this collection originate before 1950 and can be found on the Transas City blog. Though a small collection, the photos depict a variety of subjects from MTF performers to some early pioneering transsexual women. The people photographed hail from a range of places such as Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

From Institution(s): Transas City
 

Transas City Photographs (1950-2000)

The people depicted in these photos include some of the earliest high-profile transsexual women from 1950-1980, as well as many female impersonators who performed during the 1960s. One half of the collection portrays the height of glamour with various headshots and modeling photoshoots while the other half depicts trans women in their day-to-day lives. Like our other Transas City collection, these photos cover multiple places around the world, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and cities in the U.S. like Kansas City, the namesake of the institution.

From Institution(s): Transas City
 

Transas City Photographs (Pre-1900)

The photos compiled in this collection originate before 1900 and can be found on the Transas City blog. Though a small collection, the photos depict a variety of subjects from MTF performers to some early pioneering transsexual women. The people photographed hail from a range of places such as Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

From Institution(s): Transas City
 

Transgender Tapestry

Founded by Merissa Sherrill Lynn, Transgender Tapestry was a magazine published from the late 1970s to the early 2000s first by the Tiffany Club and later by the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE). The publication went through several names changes including The TV-TS Tapestry, Tapestry, and The Tapestry Journal. This collection includes 106 issues including newsletters and quarterly periodicals from 1979 to 2008. Each issue of this magazine covers a variety of topics such as crossdressing, transsexualism, healthcare, political movements, film reviews, and more.

From Institution(s): Transgender Oral History Project, Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University, Digital Transgender Archive
 

The Transsexual Voice

Phoebe Smith published The Transsexual Voice during the 1980s and 1990s. These newsletters feature advice from doctors to transsexual people and the medical community regarding medical care and transitioning. Other topics covered include the experiences of the transsexual community, from activism to discrimination to familial relationships. This periodical includes personal ads and letters to the editor, and contributors frequently share their personal experiences regarding transitioning and gender identity.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan
 

TransSisters: The Journal of Transsexual Feminism

TransSisters: The Journal of Transsexual Feminism was created by Davina Anne Gabriel and published by Skyclad Publishing Co. throughout 1994 and 1995. Its statement of purpose reads: “In recognition of the fact that transsexual persons have been systematically silenced, marginalized, maligned and even brutalized, not only within mainstream society, but also even within feminist philosophy and culture, TransSisters: The Journal of Transsexual Feminism has been created to further the process of defining ourselves and creating our own reality, rather than allowing others to do so.” These periodicals feature articles, letters to the editor, book reviews, cartoons, photographs, and artwork. Issues covered include feminism, activism, the transgender movement, the women’s movement, transphobia, discrimination, and civil rights.

From Institution(s): Transgender Oral History Project
 

Transvestia

Transvestia was an important periodical by and for transvestites published in the United States from 1960 to 1986. The magazine was founded by Virginia Prince who also served as editor-in-chief for the majority of its run until Carol Beecroft took over. Transvestia published life stories, articles, poetry, fiction, comics, photographs, and correspondence. This collection comprises 114 items including 111 unique issues and a small number of issue variations.

From Institution(s): Transgender Archives, University of Victoria
 

Turnabout Publications

This collection contains nine Turnabout Magazines and seven fictional Turnabout Books published by Abbé de Choisy Press and Wholesale Book Corporation between 1965 and 1969. The magazines consist of articles, fictional stories, photographs, art and literature reviews, and makeup tips. The books, written by Nan Gilbert and Siobhan Fredericks, tell fictional stories about the experience of crossdressing, particularly focusing on the concept of “petticoat punishment.” One book, titled "Transvestite Post-Box," is a compilation of stories submitted by readers about similar issues of femininity, masculinity, and sexuality.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University, University of Waterloo Library, Special Collections & Archives
 

TV Guise and GenderFlex

This collection contains the full run of TV GUISE, which later became GenderFlex. Both newsletters are quirky publications revolving around the informally written and oftentimes political musings of the editor Billie Jean Jones concerning trans-related current events and community cultures in the 1990s. They often deal with the differences and interactions between TVs, CDs, and TSs, as well as the complexities surrounding the early emergence of the term transgender. These two publications also include various pieces from its contributors writing about specific elements of the trans experience in the 90s and their own personal reflections.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive
 

Twenty Minutes

These newsletters were published by The XX Club from 1988 to 1997. The newsletter was originally titled Twenty Minutes but was rebranded Twenty in 1991. These publications provided information to and support for members of the transgender community by publishing personal accounts as well as academic writings. Topics include gender realignment surgery and hormone therapy, transitioning, religious beliefs and spirituality, entertainment materials, and civil rights.

From Institution(s): Sexual Minorities Archives