Christine Jorgensen
1926-1989
Christine Jorgensen, a U.S. Army veteran and Bronx native, was the first American woman to publicly announce her gender confirmation surgery. Her transition was the subject of a New York Daily News front-page story. She became an instant celebrity, using the platform to advocate for transgender people and became known for her directness and polished wit. She also worked as an actress and nightclub entertainer and recorded several songs.
‘’At first I was very self-conscious and very awkward,’’ Jorgensen said in a 1970 interview, according to her New York Times obituary. ‘’But once the notoriety hit, it did not take me long to adjust.’’
In 1967, she moved to Los Angeles where she published her autobiography Christine Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography, which chronicled her life experiences and included her own personal perspectives on major events in her life. Jorgensen gave countless television interviews, performed in nightclubs, wrote books and even lectured on college campuses. She said lecturing was her life’s “greatest pleasure,” estimating in a 1982 interview that she had spoken with over 200,000 students.
She saw herself as a founding member in what became known as the “sexual revolution.” Jorgensen stated in a Los Angeles Times interview, “I am very proud now, looking back, that I was on that street corner 36 years ago when a movement started. It was the sexual revolution that was going to start with or without me. We may not have started it, but we gave it a good swift kick in the pants.”
Jorgensen has been inducted into Chicago’s Legacy Walk, San Francisco’s Rainbow Honor Walk, and the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor at the Stonewall Inn in New York City.