Autobiography of Christine Jorgensen, First American Trans Woman to Receive Reassignment Surgery 1967
Book
[LGBTQ][Transgender] Jorgensen, Christine. Christine Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography. New York: Paul S. Eriksson, 1967. First edition. Introduction by Harry Benjamin, M.D. 332 pages. Illustrated with photographic plates. Bound in publisher’s gray cloth, in original silver-grey dust jacket featuring a photograph of Jorgensen with torn-paper design motif. 8vo. Widely regarded as the first American woman to undergo gender confirmation surgery, Christine Jorgensen (1926–1989) became an icon of trans visibility in postwar America. Her groundbreaking autobiography, introduced by pioneering endocrinologist Harry Benjamin, is the first full-length memoir by a trans person to achieve major publication and distribution.Jorgensen’s memoir narrates her early life in the Bronx, military service, and the physical and psychological journey that led her to Denmark for sex reassignment surgery in 1952—a procedure that thrust her into the global spotlight. More than a celebrity memoir, the book is a forthright and compassionate account of gender identity, societal misunderstanding, and personal resilience. Jorgensen recalls the public’s often hostile reception and the various labels imposed upon her, writing: “I have been called a male homosexual, a female homosexual, a transvestite... a true male masquerading as a female, or a totally sexless creature.” By confronting these projections directly, she asserts a deeply human and dignified trans narrative during a time when gender variance was pathologized and criminalized. Jorgensen’s courage to tell her story opened doors for countless others and marked a foundational moment in the public discourse on transgender identity. Her visibility laid critical groundwork for future generations of trans activists and writers. Dust jacket with moderate chipping at spine ends and edges, several closed tears and small losses, including a triangular tear to upper rear panel and abrasions at lower front; binding solid and corners square, pages clean and unmarked. Overall very good in good jacket. A cornerstone document in the history of gender and sexuality studies, Jorgensen’s autobiography remains an essential document of trans history and queer visibility in the 20th century.
Item #21795
Price: $225.00
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