Assignment 1 @ AUGUST 6th

8/5/2020 Transgender Liberation - WS-370U-001: HISTORY OF SEXUALITIES (Summer 2020)

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Transgender Liberation Sadie Stevens posted Aug 4, 2020 10:11 AM

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This week I was interested to learn how the transgender liberation came to floraction.

Historical moments of resistance at Cooper's Do-nut, Dewey's, and Compton's Cafeteria,

paved the way for an ultimate crescendo at Stonewall. However, when looking back on

history we can see the treatment on transgender individuals is similar to modern time.

Trans people were highly discriminated against for housing and employment opportunities,

leaving them to live in different vice district's around the US. This discrimination is still a

current battle in the US. Furthermore, as the gay liberation took strides into the modern

gay movement we know today, Transgender people were alienated in the movement and

further oppressed. The reasoning is complex, but what I understand is that most of the gay

movement was made up of middle class white citizens, while the trans or cross-dressing

community was majority people of color. I remember watching the movie The life and

death of Martha P. Johnson, of Sylvia Rivera being booed off the stage by a crowd of white

gay and lesbian people. The treatment of many transgender people within the LGBT+ is

unacceptable.

Another topic that I found interesting was the life of Reed Erickson. I have never heard of

him. However, Erickson's contributions to trans lives will continue to echo. With the

understanding that Erickson was white upper class female to male transitioner, it took most

of his life to be able to live as a man. Once this was a accomplished Erickson funded many

organizations. The most important being the work of Dr. Harry Benjamin, who was the first

doctor to preform transitional surgery for Trans patients in the US.

In all, its very interesting to learn about the historical moments before Stonewall and learn

about the lives of individuals that gave their lives to create organizations to help

transgender people when there wasn't much help around.

8/5/2020 Transgender Liberation - WS-370U-001: HISTORY OF SEXUALITIES (Summer 2020)

https://d2l.pdx.edu/d2l/le/814403/discussions/threads/3660431/View 2/2

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