Why do we need Trans+ History Week?
What is Trans+ History Week?
Founded by QueerAF, Trans+ History Week (6 – 12 May 2024) is a week to learn and celebrate the rich and long history of trans, non-binary, gender diverse, and intersex people. It is a time to reflect and educate on trans history and identities. As the organisers say, “knowledge of our past is absolutely fundamental for our future liberation”.
At a time where anti-trans rhetoric is on the rise and hate crimes against trans people have risen by 186% in the last five years, now more than ever we need to uplift the trans community, and send a clear message: trans people have always been here.
Trans+ History Week begins on 6 May, a date deliberately chosen as it is the anniversary of the Nazi raid on the world’s first ever trans clinic in 1933. The Institute of Sexology, an academic foundation carrying out research on sexuality and gender and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, was broken into and had the entire contents of its library burned.
So why do we need Trans+ History Week?
To remember and that trans people have always been here.
Today, there is a rising narrative in some circles that trans and gender non-confirming identities are a new ‘trend’ – but if you speak to trans people about what it is like to be trans, you will understand how deep-rooted and profound their own internal experience of gender is to them and their identity. Older trans people will often speak to how they have always felt this way, even if they didn’t necessarily have the words to describe it, like we do today.
To say that trans identities are unique to the 21st century is not just damaging to trans people, it is untrue. Although the term ‘transgender’ wasn’t coined until the 1960s, people have been subverting the gender binary since ancient times, across cultures.. For example:
- c 300 BCE - c 400 CE: The Galli, priests in the cult of Cybele, occupied a third-gender space in Roman society and spread as far as the British Isles.
- c 1479 - 1458 BCE: Joan of Arc was willing to die at the stake rather than stop wearing men’s clothing.
- 1946: Michael Dillon becomes the first transgender man to undergo phalloplasty across 13 surgeries.
The 2021 Census was the first time that LGBTQ+ people were included in the national data, and for the first time, there was a question about gender identity. The Census revealed that 0.5% of the population in England and Wales have a gender identity that is different from the one they were assigned at birth, a figure in line with the census in Canada. Trans people are a very small group in our society, but need our respect and support more than ever.
Download QueerAF’s Trans+ History Week workbook to learn more about the key dates in trans history.
A time to celebrate the diversity of the trans community
We can take this week as an opportunity to spotlight the diversity of the trans community, and learn more about the expansive trans identities from different countries and cultures. Trans communities and gender diversity have thrived across the world for centuries; after all, they’re not new or unique to only one culture, time or demographic.
For example, the hijra community in South Asia. ‘Hijra’ is often used as an umbrella term to encompass a range of gender non-conforming identities. In South Asia, the Hijra have been historically categorised as a third gender, distinct from the male and female binary. They have a long history going back to the 13th century and play a unique role in the cultural and social fabric of the region. Watch our short film documentary about the Hijra community to learn more.
To recognise that trans people have always been at the heart of LGBTQ+ liberation
Trans and gender diverse people are, and have always been, integral to LGBTQ+ movements across the globe. In fact, trans people were at the heart of the Stonewall uprising in New York City back in 1969, the moment in history from which we take our name, and which prompted LGBTQ+ rights movements around the world and led to the existence of Pride as we know it.
Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were among those on the frontline at the Stonewall uprising, risking their lives to fight for LGBTQ+ liberation and equality. Marsha was vocal about the exclusion of trans people from the mainstream gay rights movement in the 70s, advocating for a LGBTQ+ rights movement that included everyone.
Without these revolutionaries – LGBTQ+ liberation might look very different.
Want to learn more? Dive into trans history with these resources
This is a week for reflection, education, and celebration of the beautiful and complex history of the trans community. Founders of Trans+ History Week, QueerAF have put together a workbook to help you explore trans history, it’s the history lesson we never had.
Download QueerAF’s Trans+ History Week workbook.
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