TRANSGENDER TIMELINE

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1848 — Columbus, Ohio bans crossdressing

The city bans crossdressing in public and isn’t overturned until 1974.

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1886 — Denver fines and imprisons people for crossdressing

Any person who is dressed in clothing “not belonging to their sex,” will be fined or sent

to jail, according to Denver, Colorado’s new law.

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1910 — The word “transvestite” is coined

The word transvestite was coined by Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, a Jewish German

physician and an advocate for gays and transgender people and is used as the title of

his book, The Transvestites: The Erotic Drive to Cross-Dress.

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1919 — Institute of Sexual Research is Founded in Germany

Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld co-founds the Institute of Sexual Research Institut für

Sexualwissenschaft, a private sexology research institute, which had a research library

and a large archive and included a marriage and sex counseling office.

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1933 — Nazi’s destroy the Institute of Sexual Research in Germany

T he Nazi’s gain control of Germany; they destroy the institute and burned its books.

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1944 — Detroit passes ordinance against crossdressing

The law prohibits men in Detroit, Michigan from wearing clothes of the opposite sex in

public and private settings.

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1952 — 1st public sex reassignment

Christine Jorgensen, a trans woman, becomes the first American to publicize their sex

reassignment surgery. She was on the front page of the New York Daily News and

became an instant celebrity. Christine became one of the first advocates for trans rights.

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1966 — Compton Cafeteria Protest

Many transgender people couldn’t go to bars or clubs due to transphobia in the gay and

lesbian community. The management of Compton Cafeteria called the police on a group

of trans people. Due to the terrible mistreatment of the trans people by the police, a

trans woman threw a coffee in the police officer's face. A riot broke out, and the

immediately following trans people began a picket outside of Compton Cafeteria.

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1969 — Stonewall Rebellion

The Stonewall Rebellion, most popularly known as ‘Stonewall Riots’ — was a series of

uprisings by LGBT people after a police raid on Stonewall Inn in New York. Police

routinely raided Stonewall and blackmailed the management and staff to avoid raids.

Marsha P. Johnson, a black transwoman and Silvia Rivera a Puerto Rican trans women

are recognized as being leaders in starting the riots, which is widely recognized as the

birth of the LGBT movement in the United States.

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1972 — Sweden grants gender reassignment

Transgender people are allowed to legally change their name in Sweden after sex

reassignment surgery and hormone therapy.

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1976 — New Jersey Validates first trans marriage

New Jersey Superior Court validates a trans woman’s marriage to a man in M.T. v J.T.

in the first legal case that addresses transgender marriage.

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1992 — 1st transgender state legislator elected to U.S. Office

Althea Garrison from Boston, Massachusetts becomes the first trans elected official in

the state legislator in American history.

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1993 — Brandon Teena is murdered in the US

Brandon Teena is a transgender youth raped and murdered at the age of 21 in

Nebraska. Teena’s life was depicted in the film Boys Don’t Cry.

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1993 — Minnesota Bans Discrimination Based on Gender Identity

Minnesota Human Rights Act adds “gender identity,” as a protected class in the Human

Rights Act, banning discrimination in housing, insurance, goods and services, contracts,

health benefits, hospital visitation rights, and employment.

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1999 — Transgender Day of Remembrance is established

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded in honor of Rita Hester, an African

American transgender woman who was murdered.

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2006 —Transwoman elected to Hawaii State Board of Education

Kim Coco Iwamoto, a Japanese American trans woman becomes the highest-elected

transgender official in the country when elected to Hawaii’s state board of education.

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2009 - International Transgender Day of Visibility is established

Established by Rachel Crandall, a Michigan-based transgender activist, the

International Day of Transgender Visibility is held on March 31 around the world to

celebrate the community and raise awareness about the discrimination trans people

face in society.

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2012 — Transgender identity no longer classified as a mental illness

The American Psychological Association removes “gender identity disorder” from its list

of mental illnesses after activists organized for its deletion.

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2013 — California become 1st state to protect transgender students

California passes AB1266: School Success & Opportunity Act which allows students to

participate in sex-segregated programs such as athletic teams and competitions, use

facilities (such as bathrooms) consistent with the gender identity the student identifies

with, irregardless of the gender listed on the student’s record.

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2014 — 1st trans person nominated for an Emmy

Laverne Cox, an African American actress in Orange is the New Black becomes the first

openly trans person to be nominated for an Emmy.

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2016 — President Obama releases guidance for transgender students in schools

President Obama issues guidance to public schools that students should be able to use

the restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity (even if it differs

from their student record.) The memo also directs schools to use the student’s preferred

name and gender pronouns.