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Christine Jorgensen Becomes First American to Have a Sex Change
A former Army private from the Bronx became the first American to undergo a sex change operation after traveling to Denmark for surgery and hormone treatments. Upon her return, she publicly announced her transition, and became an advocate and a celebrity. -
'The Transsexual Phenomenon'
The physician Harry Benjamin published “The Transsexual Phenomenon,” a groundbreaking book that outlined how transgender people could transition medically. -
The Stonewall Riots
Police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City. The crowd, weary of the raids on gay clubs, rioted. Many in the L.G.B.T. community, including transgender people, joined in several days of demonstrations. The Stonewall Riots are widely considered to have sparked the L.G.B.T. rights movement. -
Transgender Protections in Minneapolis
Minneapolis became the first city to pass a law prohibiting discrimination against transgender people. -
Renée Richards
The The New York Supreme Court ruled that Renée Richards, a transgender woman who played professional tennis, was eligible to play at the United States Open as a woman. -
Gender Identity Disorder
The revision of “The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” the American Psychiatric Association added “gender identity disorder” as a classification for transgender people. -
First State Protections
Minnesota becomes the first state to ban anti-transgender discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. -
Brandon Teena
Brandon Teena, a 21-year-old transgender man, was beaten, raped and murdered in Nebraska. His story was later shared in the film “Boys Don’t Cry” in 1999. -
Day of Silence
A day of action to protest the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students and their supporters. -
Rita Hester
Rita Hester, a young transgender woman of color who was murdered in her apartment in Allston, Mass. It was her death that led to the creation of the Transgender Day of Remembrance. -
The Transgender Day of Remembrance
Observance of the first international Day or Remembrance, an annual event that takes place to recognize and mourn the killings of transgender people, like Rita Hester. -
Rhode Island Passes Law
Rhode Island became the second state to include transgender people in a nondiscrimination law. Seventeen more states now do so. -
First Transgender Person Officially Visits White House
George W. Bush became the first president to officially welcome an openly transgender person, Petra Leilani Akwai, into the White House as part of a Yale 1968 class reunion. -
First March
San Francisco’s first Trans March took place. -
California Bans Insurance Discrimination Against Transgender Patients
California became the first state to mandate transgender health care coverage with the Insurance Gender Nondiscrimination Act. -
A Change at the American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association updates its diagnostic manual to stipulate that being transgender is no longer considered a mental disorder. -
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox, an actress in “Orange Is the New Black,” became the first transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine.
In July, she became the first transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy. -
Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner completes her gender transition, appears on the cover of Vanity Fair. -
Equality Act
Brought the protections afforded to LGBT Americans into parity with those afforded to members of other protected groups who face discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or national origin.
