Trans+ History Week: Remembering trans lives across time
April 30, 2026Trans+ History Week is a time to remember that trans and gender-diverse people have always been here. Building communities, challenging injustice, and reshaping how the world understands gender. This week, we take a look at some figures whose lives and historical impact continue to inspire the community to this day.
Dr. James Barry (1789–1865)
Dr. James Barry served as a surgeon in the British Army, living and recognized as a man. He carried out one of the first recorded successful Caesarean sections where both mother and child survived. Only after his death did others reveal that he had been assigned female at birth. Barry’s life shows that trans histories are often hidden in plain sight.
Lili Elbe (c. 1882–1931)
A Danish artist, Lili Elbe is one of the earliest known people to undergo what we now call gender-affirming surgeries. Her journey was documented at a time when medical science and social attitudes were extremely hostile. Remembering Lili is also a way of remembering all those whose transitions were treated as curiosities instead of expressions of self.
Marsha P. Johnson (1945–1992)
Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans woman and drag performer, was central to early queer organizing in New York City. She helped create Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with Sylvia Rivera, providing housing and support for homeless queer and trans youth. Marsha’s life was marked by joy, direct action, and solidarity with those facing poverty, policing, and violence, and her particular mission for equality is told in documentaries and essays to this day.
Sylvia Rivera (1951–2002)
Sylvia Rivera, a Latina trans woman, fought throughout her life for trans people, especially those who were poor, incarcerated, or living on the streets. She spoke out when mainstream gay and lesbian groups tried to push trans people to the margins. Rivera initially identified as a drag queen and then later spoke of her identity as a transgender woman, and spent much of her life campaigning that any movement for queer rights include the most vulnerable, not only those who were easiest for the public to accept.
Miss Major Griffin-Gracy (1940-2025)
Miss Major is a Black trans elder, community mother, and activist. She survived incarceration and police brutality and later dedicated her life to supporting trans women of color, particularly those in prison or recently released. She served as the first executive director for the Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Project, and her organizing work helped create networks of care that many people still depend on today.
Georgina Beyer (1957–2023)
From Aotearoa New Zealand, Georgina Beyer became the first openly trans Member of Parliament in the world. As a former sex worker, she used her position in government to advocate for sex workers’ rights, Māori communities, and queer and trans people. She also proudly supported progressive policies including prostitution law reform, civil unions, and anti-discrimination laws. Her election challenged assumptions about who belongs in political office.
Lou Sullivan (1951–1991)
Lou Sullivan was a gay trans man, writer, and activist who argued strongly that trans men could be attracted to men at a time when medical systems often tried to deny care to anyone who did not fit narrow expectations. His diaries and educational work helped many trans men see their experiences reflected for the first time.
For every person named here, there are countless others whose stories were erased through misgendering, secrecy, or violence. Many trans people did not get obituaries that reflected who they were, or records that told the truth about their lives.
Trans+ History Week is an invitation to remember them all: the well-known figures, the local organizers, the friends and relatives who might never appear in archives but shaped the world around them. Learning these histories is one way to honor their lives and to support trans people who are writing the next chapter today.