Stephan Thorne Oral History

Stephan ‘Steph’ Thorne was born on September 2nd, 1954, in Hillsboro, Oregon. Despite a happy childhood, Steph faced challenges as a closeted transgender man, identifying as a tomboy. In 1979, Steph moved to San Francisco, where he applied to the police department during a period of active recruitment of gay candidates (he identified as a lesbian at the time). At the age of 39, Steph came to realize that he was transgender. In a press conference, he publicly announced his identity, becoming a pioneer for transgender visibility and acceptance. Steph started training the San Francisco police department in transgender community awareness, the world’s first program of its kind. As interest in the training grew, he extended his efforts to other police forces across America.

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Item Information:

Identifier: 2227mq056
Collection: Audio and Video Clips and Transcripts
Institution: OUTWORDS
Creator(s): Thorne, Stephan
Funk, Mason
Contributor(s): Sandhu, A.K.
Date Created: Aug. 11, 2021
Dates Covered: 1970
1984
1993
1995
Jan. 1979
Genre: Oral Histories
Subject(s): Proposition L
Stephan Thorne
White Night Riots
Places: California > San Francisco County > San Francisco
Nebraska > Lancaster County > Lincoln
California > Alameda County > Oakland
Topic(s): Attitudes of LGBTQ+ people toward police
FtMs
Gay bars
Gay liberation
Hormone therapy (Gender)
LGBTQ+ support groups
LGBTQ+ visibility
Police
Trans men
Resource Type: Moving image
Language: English
Rights: In copyright
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