Digital Transgender Archive

Adam's Word

Adam's Word was a monthly newsletter of The Adam Society, a non-profit support group for female-to-male crossdressers, transsexuals, and their significant others. This collection contains 6 issues of the newsletter and 2 meeting notices. A typical Adam's Word publication includes information concerning transitioning, support groups, books with trans content (sometimes accompanied by a review), and various reflections from contributors regarding events and conferences they attended. Some pieces in the newsletter are reprinted from other publications such as The Tartan Skirt or The Seahorse Newsletter.

From Institution(s): Sexual Minorities Archives, The ArQuives

AEGIS Publications

Between 1990 and 1998, the American Educational Gender Informational Service, Inc. published materials including medical bulletins, pamphlets, articles, and results from research. The topics covered in these publications include gender identity in a medical context, gender realignment surgery, hormone therapy, and health-related risks during and after transitioning. Included are 13 issues of AEGIS News, which was founded by Dallas Denny in October, 1990.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, Digital Transgender Archive

Alpha Zeta Newsletter

Alpha Zeta, an organization for heterosexual crossdressers, most of whom were white, published a series of newsletters during the late 1980s. Several issues were published in collaboration with their more expansive sister group, A Rose, which welcomed people who identified as transvestites, transsexual, or transgender. These publications share information about local events in Arizona as well as national events for the trans community. They also feature poetry, photographs, and anecdotes about crossdressing, relationships, and travel.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan

Art Works

This collection contains various art pieces that depict scenes of historical gender diversity.

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive, Yale University Libraries, Transas City, The ArQuives, JD Doyle Archives, Sexual Minorities Archives, Cork LGBT Archive, Wellcome Library

Audio and Video Clips and Transcripts

Audio and Video Clips and Transcripts is a growing collection that features A/V materials from multiple institutions. Please note that though this collection includes oral histories, the Oral Histories with People of Color collection specifically highlights the stories of individuals who self-identify as a member of a racial or ethnic minority group. This collection contains other materials featuring people of color.

From Institution(s): London Metropolitan Archives, American Archive of Public Broadcasting, Country Queers, Transas City, The ArQuives, University of South Florida, UCLA Film and Television Archive, Digital Transgender Archive, LGBTQ Religious Archives Network, British Pathé, Transgender Archives, University of Victoria, GLBT Historical Society, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library, Skeivt arkiv, JD Doyle Archives, Transgender Oral History Project, Sherman Grinberg Film Library, We Who Feel Differently, Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection, University of Minnesota, NYC Trans Oral History Project, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project, OUTWORDS, Arizona Queer Archives, LGBTQ+ Collection, University of Southern Maine Libraries, Independent Voices, Louisiana Trans Oral History Project, E.H. Butler Library, Buffalo State, UNC Charlotte Atkins Library, Special Collections and University Archives, RI LGBTQ+ Community Archives at Providence Public Library, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, PrideNZ

Berg and Høeg Photographs

Marie Høeg (1866-1949) and Bolette Berg (1872-1944) were Norwegian photographers from Horten, Norway. Marie, the more outgoing of the two, was an active women's rights advocate who also enjoyed crossdressing in private. A private collection of photographs from the Berg and Høeg photography studio primarily shows Marie, with occasional appearances of Bolette, crossdressing in various fashions. These photographs show Marie's willingness to digress from and contradict social norms.

From Institution(s): Preus Museum

Boys Will Be Boys

Boys Will Be Boys operated out of Sydney, Australia, and explored the FTM experience in the early 1990s. These eight monthly newsletters include reflections from regular contributors as well as various letters to the editor from subscribers.

From Institution(s): Sexual Minorities Archives

Buffalo Belles Newsletters

The Journey, titled Buffalo Belles until July 1999, was a monthly newsletter that documented the monthly meetings and experiences of the members of Buffalo Belles, a support group for crossdressers, trans people, and their partners in Buffalo, New York. The support group and newsletter were established in the Fall of 1992. This collection provides an in-depth look into the identities and lived experiences of mostly white crossdressers and trans people in the New York area.

From Institution(s): E.H. Butler Library, Buffalo State

Charlotte McLeod Collection

The items in the Charlotte McLeod Collection pertain to the transition and subsequent life of Charlotte McLeod, a white woman who was the second woman in the United States to undergo a gender realignment surgery that became known to the general public. The collection contains four photographs, one full autobiographical article, and thirty-seven news clippings. Nearly all of the materials discuss McLeod in relation to Christine Jorgensen, the first woman to become publicly known for receiving gender realignment surgery. Other topics include McLeod's employment history and paparazzi encounters.

From Institution(s): Transas City, GLBT Historical Society

Christine Jorgensen Collection

This collection features materials related to Christine Jorgensen a white trans woman who was the first person in the United States to become publicly known for receiving gender realignment surgery. The collection includes newspaper clippings, one video, and photographs created between the 1950s and the early 1980s. Including both press coverage and candid photographs, the collection depicts Jorgensen's public life as well as her personal life.

From Institution(s): Transas City, JD Doyle Archives, Transgender Archives, University of Victoria, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, Sherman Grinberg Film Library, British Pathé

Clothing Collection

The Clothing collection includes wearable items from around the world that pertain to transgender history. Highlights include t-shirts from Wearing Gay History and a chest binder from the Sexual Minorities Archives.

From Institution(s): Sexual Minorities Archives, LGBTQ+ Collection, University of Southern Maine Libraries, Wearing Gay History, Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand

Creative Design Services Publications and Documents

This collection contains an assortment of books and other materials from 1989 through 2004 that were published by Creative Design Services, a publishing business owned by JoAnn Roberts. These broadly address topics in crossdressing and transitioning. The topics of individual books include the risks and benefits of hormone therapy, having relationships as a crossdresser, managing one’s legal identity, and self-help voice training for passing. Authors featured in this collection are JoAnn Roberts, Dallas Denny, Alison Laing, and Delia Van Maris. Additional documents include miscellaneous official and legal documents and event pamphlets and programs related to Creative Design Services from 1989 through 1998.

From Institution(s): Transgender Archives, University of Victoria

Cross-Port InnerView

The Cross-Port InnerView monthly newsletter documents the monthly meetings as well as the experiences of the members of Cross-Port, a support group for crossdressers, trans people, and their partners in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cross-Port was founded in the summer of 1985 and continues to run today. This collection represents a thorough look into the lived experiences of crossdressers and trans people in the greater Cincinnati area.

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive

Désirée Hafstad, Skeivopedia, and Kim Frieles Materials

This online collection of Norwegian trans history materials includes advertisements, programs, and articles. The collection includes advertisements for the Christmas show "Merry Kitschmas" and the camp culture music talent show "Melodi kvasi Grand Prix" hosted by Désirée Hafstad (now Daisy Saelen Hafstad). The collection also contains short articles on topics such as trans periodicals, activist organizations, an 18th century "female marriage," and press coverage of Christine Jorgensen.

From Institution(s): Skeivt arkiv

Discovery Resources

These helpful resources will aid in further research away from the digital pages of the DTA. This collection includes finding aids, overviews, and spreadsheets that will help researchers discover items that have not yet been digitized, but can be found in archives across the world.

From Institution(s): Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, Sexual Minorities Archives, Digital Transgender Archive, Arizona Queer Archives, Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection, University of Minnesota, California State University, Northridge, Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University, Art Gallery of Ontario, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, GLBT Historical Society, Leather Archives & Museum, Duke University, Bancroft Library, University of California at Berkeley, James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library, LGBTQ+ Collection, University of Southern Maine Libraries, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives, University at Albany, Transgender Archives, University of Victoria, UCLA Film and Television Archive, The University of Winnipeg, GALA Queer Archive, Stanford University Special Collections, Texas A&M University, E.H. Butler Library, Buffalo State, Queer Digital History Project, Emerson College Archives and Special Collections, Sexual Representation Collection, Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, Museum of Transology, The ArQuives, Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections, John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives, William Way LGBT Community Center, London Metropolitan Archives, Center for the History of Medicine (Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine), Brown University Library, Yale University Libraries, Frameline Distribution, Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Drag

Drag was a magazine published throughout the 1970s and 1980s by Lee's Mardi Gras Enterprises, Inc. This collection contains 29 issues published between 1971 and 1983 and a special supplement edition published in 1975. Each issue of the magazine generally includes a mix of articles, editorials, and photo spreads of drag queens. The issues featured in this collection cover a range of topics related to crossdressing and drag, such as drag balls, civil rights demonstrations, and profiles of popular drag queens.

From Institution(s): Transgender Oral History Project

East Coast FTM Group Organizational Records

The East Coast FTM Group was a support group for FTMs––including transsexuals, crossdressers, and transgender people––and their partners that ran continuously from 1992 to 2015. The collection includes serial publications concerning the group meetings, posters, press releases, and organization directories. The collection also contains correspondence between Ben Power and various other figures related to the East Coast FTM group. Also featured are photographs for Leslie Feinberg's book "Transgender Warriors."

From Institution(s): Sexual Minorities Archives

Ephemera

A wide array of objects are housed in this collection of ephemera. From postcards to matchboxes, these objects are written or printed memorabilia intended for short-term use.

From Institution(s): Cork LGBT Archive, JD Doyle Archives, Transas City, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, GLBT Historical Society, California State Library, The ArQuives, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, Peabody Essex Museum, Queer Zine Archive Project, Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, Transgender Archives, University of Victoria, OUTWORDS, The History Project, Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, Houghton Library, Harvard University, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries

ETVC

The Educational TV Channel (ETVC), which became Transgender San Francisco (TGSF) in 1998, was created to be a “social, recreational and education support group for transvestites, transsexuals, transgenderists and their friends and/or Significant Others” (December 1984). This collection contains issues of the organization’s newsletter from 1984 through 2006. The newsletter generally provides information about events hosted by the organization and other trans-friendly groups and spaces in the Bay Area. Later issues address a wider range of topics and include feature articles through which community members share their experiences.

From Institution(s): Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive

Fantasia Fair: Miscellaneous Documents

Founded in 1975 by Ariadne Kane, Fantasia Fair is an annual week-long conference in Provincetown, MA, to explore issues relevant to the trans community. This collection encompasses the various miscellaneous documents from the overarching Fantasia Fair Collection, including materials such as tickets for the various Fantasia Fair events, documents from the 25th Anniversary Alumnae Program, advertisements from non-Fan Fair entities, and three participant profiles, to highlight a few.

From Institution(s): Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, Transgender Archives, University of Victoria, Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University

Fantasia Fair: Photographs

These photographs were taken at Fantasia Fair, an annual week-long conference in Provincetown, MA, where participants spend a week exploring issues relevant to the trans community. This collection includes photographs from three decades, 1970-1990.

From Institution(s): Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan

Felicity Chandelle Collection

The Felicity Chandelle Collections consists of photographs from albums owned by Felicity Chandelle (1905-2008) that depict Felicity and other members of The Playgirl Club, mostly from the early 1960s. The Playgirl Club was a social group of mostly white people who self-identified as cross-dressers. Most of the members presented as men in their daily lives and adopted “femme-names” and used she/her pronouns when dressed in feminine attire. Felicity Chandelle was also known as John Miller and was one of the first commercial airline pilots in the U.S. Felicity was arrested in 1964 under an antiquated law that prevented someone from appearing in public with their face “painted, discolored, covered, or concealed” in a way that might prevent them from being recognized. This collection provides a glimpse into Felicity’s life attending Playgirl Club house parties, red carpet events, and shopping on 5th Avenue. For more information, see https://tgforum.com/felicity-chandelle-1905-2008-pilot-and-crossdresser/ and https://zagria.blogspot.com/2011/05/felicity-chandelle-1905-2008-pilot.html.

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Female Mimics International

Published between 1980 and 1999, these 110 issues of Female Mimics International feature photographs of famous drag queens, coverage of prominent events in the trans community, letters to the editor, personal ads, and fictional stories.

From Institution(s): Transgender Oral History Project

Fiction

The creation of fictional stories is an important part of the trans community throughout history because of the lack of trans representation across all mediums. This collection includes stories from the 1970s and 1980s which feature main characters from across the gender spectrum.

From Institution(s): Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University, University of Waterloo Library, Special Collections & Archives

Gateway Gender Alliance Publications

The Gateway Gender Alliance, formerly known as Golden Gate Girls/Guys, was one of the earliest social and educational organizations for transgender people that also included support for those who identified as female-to-male (FTM). This collection, spanning from 1979-1984, includes issues of The Gateway and its successor, Phoenix.

From Institution(s): Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, GLBT Historical Society

Gender Quest

Gender Quest is the quarterly publication of Kindred Spirits. These eight newsletters, published between 1998 and 2000, cover topics of spirituality, alternative medicine, indigenous cultures, and gender diversity.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan

GenderServe

These six publications of GenderServe, published by the Canadian “counseling, education, and research service” of the same name, are newsletters intended to provide information about and for the trans community. These newsletters include short bulletins on recent significant publications and upcoming events pertaining to the trans community, articles about the GenderServe, Gender Review, and FACT organizations and their reorganization.

From Institution(s): The ArQuives

Government Documents

Governments at the local, state, provincial, and national levels regularly produce official documents, including reports, handbooks, forms of identification, and records. These documents include published and unpublished materials from a range of contexts.

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive

Hartford T.V.I.C.

Hartford T.V.I.C., later renamed the Sugar and Spice Sorority, was a TVTS (transvestite/transsexual) organization in Hartford, CT that offered information and social activities for members of the trans community. They believed in opening doors, as many of their members who identified as trans had been outcast from crossdressing organizations in the past. This collection contains issues from 1973-1974.

From Institution(s): M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives, University at Albany

In Your Face

These five newsletters, titled “In Your Face: Political Activism Against Gender Oppression,” were published as inserts in magazines between 1995 and 1997. They highlight acts of anti-trans discrimination and violence around the United States and the world, and provide information about protests, lobbying efforts, and other political action in response to this discrimination.

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive

The Ingersoll Message

This set of newsletters from 1995–1998 details the activities of the Ingersoll Gender Center based out of Seattle, Washington.

From Institution(s): Sexual Minorities Archives

International Foundation for Gender Education Publications and Documents

The items in this collection were published by the International Foundation for Gender Education between 1987 and 2002. “I.F.G.E. publications are designed to be a source of information, support, and friendship for all persons interested in crossdressing and transsexualism, and to persons affected by those phenomenon.” Other miscellaneous items were part of Alison Laing's personal collection of I.F.G.E.-related documents.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, The History Project

JD Doyle Photographs (1900-1949)

The JD Doyle Photograph Collection contains a wide variety of photographs collected from across the JD Doyle Archives and spans over 100 years between the 19th and 20th centuries.

From Institution(s): JD Doyle Archives

JD Doyle Photographs (Pre-1900)

The JD Doyle Photograph Collection contains a wide variety of photographs collected from across the JD Doyle Archives and spans over 100 years between the 19th and 20th centuries.

From Institution(s): JD Doyle Archives

Journal of Male Feminism

The Journal of Male Feminism, formerly titled Hose & Heel, was a bi-monthly publication of the International Alliance for Male Feminism (IAMF). This organization had chapters in multiple cities across the U.S. and was "open to feminists of both sexes." It was an offshoot of Virginia Prince's Full Personality Expression (FPE) groups. This collection of issues span cover 1977-1980.

From Institution(s): Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive

Kewpie Photographs

Kewpie was part of a queer community of people who were known amongst themselves and by the wider community in Cape Town as 'moffies.' These photographs document Kewpie’s life in District Six, Cape Town, South Africa between 1950 and 1993. This collection contains pictures of Kewpie working in salons as a hairdresser, attending parties and costume balls, and posing for photos outside on streets and beaches with her friends and her partner, Brian.

From Institution(s): GALA Queer Archive

Letters from Female Impersonators

This periodical, published by Nutrix Co. between 1961 and 1963, is comprised of photographs and letters written by female impersonators. Common themes throughout these letters include a desire for community and acceptance, a lack of access to medical treatment and legal rights, and personal experiences with crossdressing.

From Institution(s): Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University

Lou Sullivan Collection

The Lou Sullivan Collection includes letters between Sullivan and various medical professionals, colleagues, and friends. Some correspondents include Rupert Raj, Ben Power, Alyn Hess, Dr. Michael Brownstein, and Dr. Paul Walker. Lou Sullivan was known for identifying as an openly gay trans man and fought for the medical and social rights of those who identified similarly. These letters, dated from 1973 to 1991, detail Lou's medical transition, FTM publications, and his struggle with AIDS.

From Institution(s): GLBT Historical Society, Sexual Minorities Archives

Marsha P. Johnson & Sylvia Rivera Collection

Based in New York City, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera are well-known trans women of color who spent decades of their lives side-by-side, engaging in activism on behalf of the most marginalized members of their communities. This collection includes a range of materials about Marsha and Sylvia, in both their activist efforts and daily lives. Dated as early as 1968, these materials include photographs, correspondence, periodical clippings, event flyers and programs, audiovisual interviews and transcripts, and art from several collaborating institutions.

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive, New York Public Library, Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, Independent Voices, The Jose Gutierrez Archives, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, Yale University Libraries, Queer Zine Archive Project

Military

The Military collection comprises a series of photographs and artifacts relating to the military and service members. Highlights include photographs from a 1942-1945 era show at Bolling Field Airbase and items from a Military Ball put on by the Houston Motorcycle Club.

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive, JD Doyle Archives, Transas City

Miscellaneous Photographs

Included in this collection are various photographs of individuals and from conferences, gatherings, and events.

From Institution(s): Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, The ArQuives, Yale University Libraries, James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library, California State Library, Los Angeles Public Library, Sexual Minorities Archives, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, Digital Transgender Archive, American Antiquarian Society, Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, The Jose Gutierrez Archives, Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, GLBT Historical Society, Stanford University Special Collections, New York Public Library, Princeton University Library, OUTWORDS, The History Project

Mountain Lace

Mountain Lace was the newsletter for a group called Trans West Virginia. Edited by Beverly Williams, each issue covers local meet-ups, events, and news. This collection currently contains issues from 1991-1993.

From Institution(s): Transgender Archives, University of Victoria

Newspaper and Periodical Clippings (1950-2000)

This collection contains clippings from newspapers and, to a much lesser extent, periodicals published between 1950 and the 1990s. Topics discussed in the articles include early gender realignment surgeries, marriages of transgender individuals, artistic representations of transgender characters, and legal issues faced by the trans community. Prominent publications in this collection include The Berkeley Barb, ONE Magazine, Out/look, Women, and Great Speckled Bird.

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive, Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, LGBTQ+ Collection, University of Southern Maine Libraries, Independent Voices, Transas City, The ArQuives, JD Doyle Archives, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, Grupo Dignidade, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives, University at Albany, Transgender Archives, University of Victoria, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections, GLBT Historical Society, Cork LGBT Archive, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, OUTWORDS, The History Project

ONE Archives Online Materials

This assortment of pictures and audio files is hosted online by the ONE Archives at the University of Southern California Libraries. Within the collection, there are a variety of photos from the early 1900s through 2000. Notably, there are ten pictures of Latino gay activist José Sarria participating in a drag show at the Black Cat Bar in San Francisco, California. Overall, the photos capture diverse events such as AIDS fundraisers, gay pride events in the United States, and drag shows.

From Institution(s): ONE Archives at the USC Libraries

Our Special Joy

Our Special Joy was a newsletter published by Chi Delta Mu chapter of the Tri-Ess Sorority. Most issues focus on chapter happenings and event. There is regular coverage of recent book publications and other media on the topic of crossdressing.

From Institution(s): Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University

The Phi Journal

This short-lived newsletter ran from the early 1980s until 1988 when the Phi Chapter became part of Renaissance. The issues discuss local events and major national news stories.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan

Postcards of Female and Male Impersonators and Cross-dressing

This collection of postcards of female and male impersonators and cross-dressing in Europe and the United States, 1900-1931, 1955 features copies of original postcards held by Cornell’s Human Sexuality Collection, part of Cornell Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections. They reflect the complete contents of two collections as of June 2019: Postcards of female and male impersonators and cross-dressing, #7778 and Postcards of German female impersonators, #7636. Digitization and description of these physical materials were was supported by the Grants Program for Digital Collections in Arts and Sciences, awarded to Durba Ghosh, Professor in the Department of History and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Cornell University, in 2018. Collaborators on the this project included: Leslie Adelson, German; Mitchell Greenberg, Romance Studies; Tamara Loos, History; Brenda Marston, Cornell University Library; and Kristin Roebuck, History. See https://digital.library.cornell.edu/collections/impersonator-postcards for more information.

From Institution(s): Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University, New York Public Library, Digital Transgender Archive

Rare Books

These books, published between 1910 and 1972 (or unpublished), showcase a wide range of coverage of trans-related issues.

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive, Transgender Oral History Project, Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University, Transgender Archives, University of Victoria, Duke University, JD Doyle Archives, Transas City, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, Wellcome Library

Renaissance News & Newsletters

Renaissance News, which became Renaissance News & Views in 1994, was a longstanding publication, “mostly about the lifestyle of crossdressing with short pieces on politics.” This publication was created by the Renaissance Education Association (later the Renaissance Transgender Association) and published by Creative Design Services. Significant contributors include JoAnn Roberts and Angela Gardner. The newsletter focused mostly on relevant current events and politics, crossdressing practices, and the lifestyle of crossdressers. This collection includes a complete run of the first nine volumes, which were published monthly from 1987-1995. The collection ends in 1999, but the newsletter changed its name to Transgender Community News along with its format and continued until the early 2000s. Also included in this collection are regional newsletters.

From Institution(s): Transgender Archives, University of Victoria, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive, Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan

Rupert Raj Collection

Eurasian-Canadian Rupert Raj has been a trans activist in Canada, the USA and abroad since 1971---the same year he began his 41-year gender transition in Ottawa. First a newsletter editor, peer-counsellor, researcher and educator (1978-2001), then a psychotherapist, gender consultant and professional trainer (2001-2015), and finally an author/editor (1997-present), Rupert has been engaging with queer, trans, non-binary, intersex, two-spirit adults and teens, and their loved ones for more than 50 years. The two trans service organizations he co-founded were Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Transsexuals (FACT) (1978-1982) and Metamorphosis Medical Research Foundation (MMRF) (1983-1988), and the three counselling/consulting services were: Metamorphosis Counselling & Educational Services (1982-1983), Gender Worker/Gender Consultants (1988-1990) and RR Consulting (2001-2015). Rupert's three published books include: Trans Activism in Canada: A Reader (with Dan Irving) (2014), Of Souls & Roles, Of Sex & Gender: A Treasury of Transsexual, Transgenderist and Transvestic Verse from 1967 to 1991 (2017, 2018) and Dancing the Dialectic: True Tales of a Transgender Trailblazer (second edition) (2020). The Rupert Raj Collection in the Digital Transgender Archive (DTA) includes newsletters, magazines, books, newspaper clippings (scrapbooks), correspondence, photographs and other materials.

From Institution(s): Digital Transgender Archive, The ArQuives

Sheet Music

A unique collection of sheet music featuring male and female impersonators from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

From Institution(s): JD Doyle Archives, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive

Sir Lady Java

The Sir Lady Java collection features images, promotional materials, and flyers advertising female impersonator Sir Lady Java. The collection highlights Sir Lady Java's activity from the 1960s to the 1980s.

From Institution(s): Houghton Library, Harvard University, Transas City, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive

The Sweetheart Connection

The Sweetheart Connection was a newsletter for wives and partners of heterosexual crossdressers published by the Tri-Ess Society for the Second Self during the 1990s. Topics covered in these publications include the annual Spouses and Partners International Conference for Education (SPICE), personal experiences at support groups, and couples' marital issues.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan

Te Papa Collection

This collection contains items from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, most of which focus on the lives of Maori people. Many of the items were from the Evergreen Cafe, a hub for the LGBTQ+ and Drag communities in Wellington, New Zealand. Chrissy Witoko and Carmen Rupe were prominent figures in the community and many of the items in the collection come from their personal collections. For more information about Maori gender identities and expression, see: https://genderminorities.com/2021/02/26/irawhiti-takatapui-transgender-rainbow-maori/ https://genderminorities.com/2017/09/11/takataapui-over-the-rainbow/

From Institution(s): Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Transas City Photographs (1950-2000)

The people depicted in these photos include some of the earliest high-profile transsexual women from 1950-1980, as well as many female impersonators who performed during the 1960s. One half of the collection portrays the height of glamour with various headshots and modeling photoshoots while the other half depicts trans women in their day-to-day lives. Like our other Transas City collection, these photos cover multiple places around the world, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and cities in the U.S. like Kansas City, the namesake of the institution.

From Institution(s): Transas City

Transgender Tapestry

Founded by Merissa Sherrill Lynn, Transgender Tapestry was a magazine published from the late 1970s to the early 2000s first by the Tiffany Club and later by the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE). The publication went through several names changes including The TV-TS Tapestry, Tapestry, and The Tapestry Journal. This collection includes 106 issues including newsletters and quarterly periodicals from 1979 to 2008. Each issue of this magazine covers a variety of topics such as crossdressing, transsexualism, healthcare, political movements, film reviews, and more.

From Institution(s): Transgender Oral History Project, Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University, Digital Transgender Archive

TransSisters: The Journal of Transsexual Feminism

TransSisters: The Journal of Transsexual Feminism was created by Davina Anne Gabriel and published by Skyclad Publishing Co. throughout 1994 and 1995. Its statement of purpose reads: “In recognition of the fact that transsexual persons have been systematically silenced, marginalized, maligned and even brutalized, not only within mainstream society, but also even within feminist philosophy and culture, TransSisters: The Journal of Transsexual Feminism has been created to further the process of defining ourselves and creating our own reality, rather than allowing others to do so.” These periodicals feature articles, letters to the editor, book reviews, cartoons, photographs, and artwork. Issues covered include feminism, activism, the transgender movement, the women’s movement, transphobia, discrimination, and civil rights.

From Institution(s): Transgender Oral History Project

Turnabout Publications

This collection contains nine Turnabout Magazines and seven fictional Turnabout Books published by Abbé de Choisy Press and Wholesale Book Corporation between 1965 and 1969. The magazines consist of articles, fictional stories, photographs, art and literature reviews, and makeup tips. The books, written by Nan Gilbert and Siobhan Fredericks, tell fictional stories about the experience of crossdressing, particularly focusing on the concept of “petticoat punishment.” One book, titled "Transvestite Post-Box," is a compilation of stories submitted by readers about similar issues of femininity, masculinity, and sexuality.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University, University of Waterloo Library, Special Collections & Archives

TV Guise and GenderFlex

This collection contains the full run of TV GUISE, which later became GenderFlex. Both newsletters are quirky publications revolving around the informally written and oftentimes political musings of the editor Billie Jean Jones concerning trans-related current events and community cultures in the 1990s. They often deal with the differences and interactions between TVs, CDs, and TSs, as well as the complexities surrounding the early emergence of the term transgender. These two publications also include various pieces from its contributors writing about specific elements of the trans experience in the 90s and their own personal reflections.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive

Upstate New York Newsletters

Three organizations in upstate New York (Transegenderests Independence Club, Butterfly, and Expressing Our Nature) collaborated to create four newsletters for the trans and crossdressing communities between 1988 and 1989. In 1993, Expressing Our Nature published two newsletters on their own. These newsletters provide information on different events, share personal articles, and publish excerpts of books and news articles. Central themes include community support, self-acceptance, and feminine appearance.

From Institution(s): Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives, University at Albany, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, Transgender Archives, University of Victoria, Human Sexuality Collection, Cornell University

Victor Lopez and Rudy Cardona Photograph Collection

Rudy Cardona owned Texas Crown Productions, which sponsored the Miss Corpus Christi American pageant and related pageants in Corpus Christi, Texas between 1990 and 1996. Victor Lopez was the co-creator of and photographer for the pageant. This collection is comprised of prints and negatives of events organized and held by Texas Crown Productions. These included the Miss Corpus Christi America, Miss Corpus Christi Metroplex, Miss Nueces County, Miss Texas Riviera, and Mr. Corpus Christi pageants. Also in the collection are photographs from Houston Pride parades from 1992 to 1994 and the Houston Baile (formal dance) of 1994.

From Institution(s): The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)

Your SOFFA Voice

Your SOFFA Voice is a newsletter published in the late 1990s by American Boyz. American Boyz was a support and social group for people who were born female but who feel that this is not a complete or accurate assessment of who they are. The group also included their significant others, friends, families, and allies (SOFFA). Although membership of the group included a wide range of people and identities, Your SOFFA Voice primarily focused on the FTM community.

From Institution(s): Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive