Trailblazers of change: Trans voices throughout history

At Mass General Brigham, our mission is to dismantle barriers to care inside and outside our walls to provide excellent medical care and equity for all. That’s why our health system has a highly experienced multidisciplinary team that supports transgender patients during every step of their health journey. This includes transgender health programs at Mass General and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Transgender care includes a full range of surgical and medical care in a safe, attentive setting. In recognition of Transgender Day of Visibility, let’s spotlight some of the trans voices throughout history.

Countless trans individuals have paved the way for greater understanding and change by overcoming obstacles and challenging societal norms. Though not all received the recognition they deserved for their efforts, every individual has left a mark on this world due to their courage and resilience. From advocating for equality to representing excellence in their professional field, trans voices have shaped history for the better. When we celebrate their stories, we honor not only their achievements but also the legacy of hope they’ve created for future generations:

Christine Jorgenson: The 1950s marked a conservative era in America’s history. At the time, members of the LGBTQ+ community were without legal protections and largely closeted, but that didn’t stop Christine Jorgenson from making waves when she became the first widely known trans American to undergo gender-affirming surgery. Her surgery took place in Denmark in 1950, conducted by Dr. Christian Hamburger, the surgeon who would go on to inspire Jorgenson’s chosen name.

Though her surgery was meant to be confidential, an unidentified person who knew about it contacted the press who then published an article outing Jorgenson in 1952. It was at that point she became a celebrity overnight. Upon returning to the United States the next year, Jorgenson was greeted by hundreds of reporters and gave an interview at the airport. That interview proved to be the first of many as Jorgenson would go on to travel the world, speak at college campuses, appear on television talk shows, and later publish an autobiography that advocated for the acceptance of trans people and other individuals whose identity did not fall in line with typical societal expectations.

Marsha P. Johnson: Born in August 1945, Marsha P. Johnson was one of the most prominent figures of the gay rights movement of the 60s and 70s. As a transgender woman and sex worker, Johnson advocated for LGBTQ+ rights, homeless LGBTQ+ youth, as well as those affected by the AIDS epidemic of the 80s. She is perhaps most well known for being on the front lines of the Stonewall Riots, a turning point in the gay rights movement in which New York City police raided The Stonewall Inn and began arresting patrons, many of whom were gay, and faced mass resistance.

Following the Stonewall Riots, Johnson, along with Sylvia Rivera, a fellow transgender woman and gay rights advocate, led a series of protests. According to the website Women’s History, Johnson would go on to involve herself in two major gay rights organizations, the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activist Alliance, though she “grew frustrated by the exclusion of transgender and LGBTQ+ people of color from the movement.” She and Rivera would later co-found Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a group dedicated to providing shelter for transgender individuals who were rejected by their families. Johnson continued to fight for LGBTQ+ rights and the destigmatization of HIV up until her untimely death at 46.

Rachel Levine: Women’s History reports that, in 2021, “Rachel Levine became the highest-ranking openly transgender government official in U.S. history when she was confirmed by the Senate as the 17^th Assistant Secretary for Health.” A Massachusetts native, Levine graduated from Harvard in 1979 and later enrolled at Tulane University School of Medicine. Women’s History writes that, after graduating from Tulane in 1983, she “began her residency in pediatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where she was named chief resident in her final year.” There, she completed her fellowship in adolescent medicine in 1988 and went on to hold staff positions at Mount Sinai, Lenox Hill, as well as in private practice.

In her 40s, Levine faced growing difficulty compartmentalizing her feelings about her gender identity and started experimenting with her gender expression. This led her to fully transition by 2011. At the time, she was working at Penn State Hershey Medical Center where she worked with administration to create the Levine Policy, a non-discrimination policy that included protections for gender identity and expression. It was around that time she became involved in political advocacy and was later appointed Physician General of Pennsylvania. Her clinical and public health work has benefitted countless people dealing with a variety of medical issues, ranging from eating disorders and opioid addiction to COVID-19.

These are just three examples of trans individuals who have changed the world for the better. There are so many more whose voices and experiences remind us of the power of courage and authenticity in the face of adversity. Their achievements have advanced the ongoing fight for equality and continue to inspire generations of trans individuals to live boldly as who they are. For that, we thank them.

Learn more about how you can celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility and practice allyship.

If you're a member of Mass General Brigham Health Plan, learn more about our gender-affirmation care management program.