List of transgendered people
A number of noted individuals are or were transgendered.
The word transgender, for the purposes of this article, is an umbrella term that can include transmen and transwomen, who may identify themselves as transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, androgynous, cross-dressers, transvestites, drag queens, drag kings or those intersexual (some prefer hermaphroditic) people whose gender identity differs from the gender they were assigned; or people who use similar terms to describe themselves. See those pages for an explanation of these terms. People on the list have been described according to their self-identification. This article is not sorted by transgender behaviour.
Regarding historical persons, please also note that for individuals at least until the beginning of the 20th century, there were no names for transgender behaviour, and therefore we have no statements that are a clear documentation for their reasons to behave the way they did; most of the time, we have no statements by themselves at all. All we can say is that by today's standards, these people or their behaviour would be considered transgender.
The people on this list have been selected because their fame or notoriety was in some way due or connected to their transgender behaviour.
| Contents |
Living individuals
- Courtney Act, Drag queen
- Nadia Almada, Big Brother UK 2004 winner; transsexual.
- Enza "Supermodel" Anderson, drag performer
- Z Gabriel Arkles, attorney and activist with Sylvia Rivera Law Project
- April Ashley, a model
- House of Diabolique, Drag queen
- Mianne Bagger, golfer, transsexual woman
- Shirley Temple Bar, drag performer
- Milton Berle, comic who had a standard routine of dressing as a woman.
- Georgina Beyer, New Zealand's (and the world's) first transsexual mayor (1995) and member of parliament (2002)
- Joan Jett Blakk, drag performer
- Sister Boom-Boom, Drag queen
- Kate Bornstein, transsexual author, playwright, performance artist and gender theorist
- Sara Davis Buechner (née David Buechner), concert pianist
- Lady Bunny, drag performer
- Charles Busch, drag performer
- Mauro Cabral, transman, educator
- Meryn Cadell, writer and singer-songwriter
- Patrick Califia, a writer
- Loren Cameron, transman, photographer
- Wendy Carlos, American transsexual composer and electronic musician
- The Lady Chablis, drag queen
- Parinaya Charoemphol aka Nong Toom, transsexual Thai actress and former kickboxer
- Lynn Conway, transsexual computer scientist, electrical engineer and transgender advocate
- Caroline Cossey, also Tula, British transsexual model, author, and Bond girl
- Jayne County, US rock singer (previously famous as 'Wayne County')
- Ginger Coyote, San Francisco punk scenester and founder of Punk Globe magazine. Singer in the White Trash Debutantes.
- Candy Darling, part of Andy Warhol's Factory and subject of The Velvet Underground song "Candy Says", and Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side"
- Dreuxilla Divine, Drag queen
- Aaron H. Dover, writer and educator
- Michelle Dumaresq, transsexual professional mountain bicyclist
- Monet Dupree, drag performer
- Ethyl Eichelberger, Drag queen
- Julian Eltinge, drag performer
- Jackie Enx, transsexual drummer for the heavy metal band Rhino Bucket
- Bulent Ersoy, Turkish transsexual singer
- Leslie Feinberg, transgender activist and author
- Harvey Fierstein, drag performer
- James Green, transman, writer & educator
- Jacob Hale, transman, philosopher
- Lauren Harries, famous as child prodigy 'James Harries'
- David Harrison, performer
- Harisu, transsexual model, singer and actress
- Mike Hernandez, writer and activist
- Blaine Paxton Hill, transman, psychic
- Clover Honey, Drag queen
- Mary Ann Horton, (also Mark Horton), transgendered (bi-gendered) Internet pioneer
- Dana International, Israeli pop singer
- Eddie Izzard, a comedian who cross-dresses and calls himself an "executive transvestite"
- Michelle Josef, Canadian musician
- Kamikawa Aya, or Aya KAMIKAWA Tokyo municipal official (first transgendered person to seek elected office in Japan)
- Mara Keisling, transsexual, founder of the National Center for Transgender Equality. Key leader in passing several several laws protecting transgender people. www,nctequality.org
- Taff al-Khalifa, transsexual man, member of Bahrain's royal family, now exiled
- Andreas Krieger, transman, athlete
- Jennifer Jane Leitham, transsexual jazz bassist
- Lypsinka (John Epperson), Drag queen
- Christine Mancini, drag performer
- Brini Maxwell, drag performer
- Billy More, Drag queen
- Angela Morley, (née Wally Stott), composer and conductor
- Mado Lamotte, drag performer
- Danny La Rue, drag performer
- Hedda Lettuce, drag performer
- Miss Shangay Lily, drag performer
- Shirley Q Liquor, drag queen
- Charles Ludlam
- Shannon Minter, transsexual man, attorney, legal director of National Center for Lesbian Rights
- Jan Morris, transsexual author
- Terri O'Connell, stock car racer, previously paricipated in NASCAR under the name T.J. Hayes
- Kathy Padilla, transsexual, aka Kathleen Padilla, the first openly transgender official in Pennsylvania, Democratic delegate to the 2004 Democratic Presidential Convention in Boston, Commissioner Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission
- Dee Palmer, (née David Palmer), transsexual musician
- Larry Paciotti, porn movie director, transvestite
- Pauline Pantsdown, Australian drag queen and musician
- Grayson Perry, artist whose work sometimes features his female alter ego, Claire. Winner of the 2003 Turner Prize for art
- Charles Pierce, drag performer
- Angela Piland, a model
- Mark Rees, activist
- Dr. Renee Richards, transsexual, professional tennis player
- Joan Roughgarden, professor of biology; evolution and ecology expert
- RuPaul, AKA RuPaul Andre Charles, American drag queen
- José Sarria, drag performer
- Lily Savage, drag performer
- Melissa Sklarz, the first openly transgender public official in New York State, Democratic county judicial delegate in Manhattan
- Fonda Shepards, Drag queen
- Dean Spade, transman, attorney, and founder Sylvia Rivera Law Project
- Sandy Stone, transgender activist and author
- Ethan St. Pierre, transsexual man, hate crimes survivor, radio host transfm.org
- Margaret Stumpp, transsexual co-manager of Quantitative Management department at Prudential Financial Inc.
- Jolene Sugarbaker, Drag queen
- Terre Thaemlitz, musician
- Stephen Thorne, transman, police officer
- Pussy Tourette, drag performer and singer
- Pieter Dirk Uys, drag performer
- Vaginal Creme Davis , Drag queen
- Daniel Van Oosterwijck, transman, lawyer
- Max Valerio, performer
- Del Lagrace Volcano, transman, performer and photographer
- Stephen Whittle, transman, lawyer, writer and educator
- Holly Woodlawn, US drag queen, part of Andy Warhol's Factory and featured in Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side"
20th and 21st century individuals
- Gwen Araujo, US pre-operative transsexual girl, murdered 2002 [1]
- Danielle Bunten Berry, US software developer, formerly Dan Bunten, author of several titles for Electronic Arts in the 1980s, died of cancer
- Jackie Curtis, US drag queen who had a friendship with the famous pop artist, Andy Warhol
- Lili Elbe, Danish transsexual, one of the first women to undergo a crude form of sexual reassignment surgery, through five operations which were completed by 1930. Fifteen months after her final surgery, she either died from complications or faked her own death to avoid the media attention. She is the subject of the 1933 book Man Into Woman, although it is likely she was never biologically male, but rather born intersexual, supposedy with rudimentary ovaries which would conflict with the speculative diagnosis of Klinefelter's Syndrome
- Bella Evangelista, also known as Elvys Perez, drag performer who was murdered in Washington, D.C. [2]
- Tyra Hunter, US transsexual woman, died 1995
- Marsha P Johnson, transgender activist, involved in Stonewall (UK), co-founder of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR).
- Christine Jorgensen, one of the first Americans to have sexual reassignment surgery in 1952
- Pepper LaBeija, Harlem, New York drag queen, subject of the documentary Paris Is Burning
- Cam Lyman millionaire transman, disappeared in 1987, found murdered in 1997.
- Glen Milstead, actor and drag performer also known popularly as Divine, star of many John Waters films
- Sylvia Rivera, transgender activist, resisted police at Stonewall on June 27, 1969
- Brandon Teena, US transsexual boy who was murdered, subject of the film Boys Don't Cry [3]
- Billy Tipton, woman who lived as a male jazz musician
- Ed Wood, Jr., film-maker with transvestite tendencies
Mythological figures
- Achilles, dressed in women's clothing at the court of Lycomedes
- Alfhild, beautiful maiden in Norse mythology who dressed as a man to avoid marrying King Alf
- Guan Yin, Bodhisattva of Compassion, who has both been depicted as male and female, and, according to the Lotus Sutra, has the ability to change form in order to help people.
- Heracles, was dressed as a woman when enslaved by Omphale
- The Norse god Thor put on the wedding gown and veil of his enemy's bride, married his enemy, and then slew him at the end of the ceremony.
- Tiresias, soothsayer to Oedipus from Greek mythology changed into a woman and back in an unrelated tale
- Pope Joan, who according to legend was a cross-dressing woman elected Catholic Pope (given the name "John VIII"), whose reign was variously attributed to several periods of history. She allegedly died or was murdered in childbirth during a papal procession. There is no evidence for her existence, and the story originates from a much later date than the purported events.
Earlier historical individuals
It is often difficult to construe the gender and sexual identity of pre-modern individuals. In many societies, those whom Western society might consider homosexual or bisexual are or were considered transgendered. Therefore, see also List of famous gay, lesbian, or bisexual people.
- Countess Jeanne de Montfort, led the Montfortist faction in Brittany in the 1340s after the capture of her husband left her as the titular head of the family; wore the accoutrements of a soldier at engagements such as the siege of Hennebont.
- "Big Martha", served as Jacob van Artevelde's standard bearer during his revolt.
- Lady Jeanne de Belleville (Lady of Clisson), led a small privateer squadron in the Channel on the side of the Montfortist faction in Brittany after the death of her husband left her as the head of the family; wore the accoutrements of a soldier while leading boarding assaults.
- Jacqueline of Wittelsbach (Countess of Hainaut), led the Hoek faction in Holland; she and one of her servants disguised themselves as soldiers in order to escape confinement in Ghent.
- Elagabalus, Roman Emperor
- Chevalier d'Eon, French diplomat (1728-1810) who claimed that he had been born a girl and later adopted a female persona.
- Christina of Sweden, Queen of Sweden from 1632 to 1654 who went by the name of "Count Dohna" at one point, dressing in male attire as part of the role. Despite speculation, modern medical examinations of her remains have not uncovered any evidence of intersexuality, although such examinations might not be conclusive.
- Joan of Arc, French commander and martyr who was accused of cross-dressing by the tribunal which put her on trial after her capture by the English.
- Venerable Onuphrius, in Eastern Orthodoxy, is supposed to had been a virtuous young girl who, in order not to lose her virginity to a persistent suitor, had her wish to become a man granted by divine intervention.
- Pope Paul II, Catholic pope known to have worn women's clothes and was nicknamed "Our Lady of Pity"
- James Barry, female bodied surgeon who lived as a man throughout his/her life, according to some accounts in order to be able to practice medicine
- Deborah Sampson, 18th century Massachusetts woman who disguised herself as a male to serve in the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War
- Hannah Snell, 18th century English woman who entered military service under the name "James Gray", initially for the purpose of searching for her missing husband. She served in General Guise's regiment in the army of the Duke of Northumberland, and then in the marines.
Fictional individuals
- Azure C., a transsexual model on the American soap opera The City. The first transsexual portrayed on American soaps, she was played by Carlotta Chang from 1995 to 1996.
- Myra Breckinridge, transsexual character in two best-selling novels by Gore Vidal, Myra Breckinridge and Myron, and a well-known film.
- Mrs. Cartman, Mother?/Father? of Eric Cartman and local hermaphrodite in the fictional town of South Park
- Herbert Garrison, schoolteacher in the fictional town of South Park, who, in the Season 8 premiere, underwent sexual reassignment surgery.
- Hayley Cropper, transsexual character in the popular British soap opera Coronation Street. First transsexual portrayed on British soaps, since 1998.
- Henry "Hildegarde" Desmond, a hetero male who dresses as a woman to live in a budget "women's hotel" in the TV sitcom Bosom Buddies. Portrayed by Peter Scolari.
- Frank N Furter, the transvestite antagonist of the cult musical Rocky Horror Show and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
- Emily Howard, the "unconvincing transvestite" character in the BBC sketch show Little Britain.
- Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger, of M*A*S*H, a hirsute transvestite seeking a discharge from the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Although a transvestite, he loudly denied any charges of homosexuality.
- Mrs. Anna Madrigal, transexual landlady in the Tales of the City novels, and TV mini-series. Her name is a scramble of "a man and a girl." Portrayed by Olympia Dukakis in the mini-series.
- Dorothy Michaels, a male actor posing as an actress in the film Tootsie. Portrayed by Dustin Hoffman.
- Ava Moore, transsexual character in the American drama Nip/Tuck, played by Famke Janssen from 2004.
- Roberta Muldoon, a large muscular transexual woman (former male football player) in The World According to Garp. Portrayed by John Lithgow in the film version.
- Orlando, An Elizabethan era immortal from the novel of the same name by Virginia Woolf. After 200 years, Orlando changes from a man to a woman. Also a 1993 film of the same name.
- Hedwig Robinson, "internationally ignored song stylist" and lead role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch
- Kip "Buffy" Wilson, a hetero male who dresses as a woman to live in a budget "women's hotel" in the TV sitcom Bosom Buddies. Portrayed by Tom Hanks.
Books
- Wheelwright, Julie (1989). Amazons and Military Maids: Women Who Dressed As Men in Pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness. London: Pandora Books. ISBN 0-04-440494-8