Timeline Of Transgender History
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The following is a timeline of transgender history.
Transgender history Transgender people (including non-binary and third gender individuals) have existed in cultures worldwide since ancient times. The modern terms and meanings of "transgender", "gender", "gender identity", and "gender role" only emerged in the 195 ...
dates back to the first recorded instances of transgender individuals in ancient civilizations. However, the word ''transgender'' did not exist until 1965 when coined by psychiatrist John F. Oliven of
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in his 1965 reference work ''Sexual Hygiene and Pathology''; the timeline includes events and personalities that may be viewed as transgender in the broadest sense, including third gender and other gender-variant behavior, including ancient or modern precursors from the historical record.


Before the Common Era

* 7,000 BCE 1700 BCEAmong the sexual depictions in
Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
and
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
drawings and figurines from the Mediterranean are, as one author describes it, a " third sex" human figure having female breasts and male genitals or without distinguishing sex characteristics. In Neolithic Italy, female images are found in a domestic context, while images that combine sexual characteristics appear in burials or religious settings. In Neolithic Greece and Cyprus, figures are often dual-sexed or without identifying sexual characteristics. * 2900 BCE 2500 BCEA burial of a suburb of
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
, Czech Republic, a male is buried in the outfit usually reserved for women. Archaeologists speculate that the burial corresponds to a transgender person or someone of the third sex. * 400 BCEAncient Greek physician
Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; grc-gre, Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος, Hippokrátēs ho Kôios; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of ...
writes of the ''
enarei The ''Enarei'', singular Enaree ( grc, Ἐνάρεες , , derived from the Iranian term , meaning "unmanly"), were Scythian androgynous/effeminate priests and shamanistic soothsayers who played an important role in the Scythian religion. Relig ...
'', a class of androgynous Scythian priests and healers; "there are many eunuchs among the Scythians, who perform female work, and speak like women". The ''enarei'' are also mentioned around the same time in
Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known f ...
' work ''
Histories Histories or, in Latin, Historiae may refer to: * the plural of history * ''Histories'' (Herodotus), by Herodotus * ''The Histories'', by Timaeus * ''The Histories'' (Polybius), by Polybius * ''Histories'' by Gaius Sallustius Crispus (Sallust), ...
''; "the Scythians who plundered the temple were punished by the goddess with the female sickness, which still attaches to their posterity. They themselves confess that they are afflicted with the disease for this reason, and travellers who visit Scythia can see what sort of a disease it is. Those who suffer from it are called Enarees".


First millennium (1–1000)

* 1 100 Philo of Alexandria and
Marcus Manilius Marcus Manilius (fl. 1st century AD) was a Roman poet, astrologer, and author of a poem in five books called '' Astronomica''. The ''Astronomica'' The author of ''Astronomica'' is neither quoted nor mentioned by any ancient writer. Even his n ...
provided descriptions of transgender people during the early
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
. Philo stated: "Expending every possible care on their outward adornment, they are not ashamed even to employ every device to change artificially their nature as men into women". He also attested that some members of this group, to that end, had their penises removed. *
Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
becomes Emperor of Rome. Nero married two men,
Pythagoras Pythagoras of Samos ( grc, Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, Pythagóras ho Sámios, Pythagoras the Samos, Samian, or simply ; in Ionian Greek; ) was an ancient Ionians, Ionian Ancient Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher and the eponymou ...
and Sporus, in legal ceremonies, with Sporus accorded the regalia worn by the wives of the Caesars. *
Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his t ...
wrote in ''
Germania Germania ( ; ), also called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman province of the same name, was a large historical region in north- ...
'' that priests of the Swabian sub-tribe, the Naharvali or Nahanarvali, "dress as women" to perform their priestly duties. * 218222Roman emperor Elagabalus's reign begins. According to Cassius Dio, Elagabalus delighted in being called the mistress, wife, and queen of Hierocles, one of Elagabalus's lovers. The emperor wore makeup and wigs, preferred to be called a lady and not a lord, and offered vast sums to any physician who could provide the emperor with a vagina; for this reason, the emperor is seen by some writers as an early transgender figure and one of the first on record as seeking sex reassignment surgery.Tess deCarlo, ''Trans History'' (), page 32 * Death of
Anastasia the Patrician Saint Anastasia the Patrician (''Anastasia Patricia''; fl. 576) was a Byzantine courtier and later saint.Laura Swan, ''The Forgotten Desert Mothers'' (2001, ), pages 72-73 She was a lady-in-waiting to the Byzantine empress Theodora. Justinian I, ...
who left life as a lady-in-waiting in the court of
Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
in Constantinople to spend twenty-eight years (until death) dressed as a male monk in seclusion in
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
,Laura Swan, ''The Forgotten Desert Mothers'' (2001, ), pages 72–73 and has been adopted by today's
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...
community as an example of a "transgender" saint.


1001–1900

*
Kalonymus ben Kalonymus Kalonymus ben Kalonymus ben Meir (Hebrew language, Hebrew: קלונימוס בן קלונימוס), also romanized as Qalonymos ben Qalonymos or Calonym ben Calonym, also known as Maestro Calo (Arles, 1286 – died after 1328) was a Jewish philo ...
composes a poem for ''Even Boḥan'', a Jewish ethical treatise. The poem expresses discontent with having been born male instead of female. The poem, which was traditionally interpreted as a piece of
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
, has sometimes been reinterpreted as a genuine expression of gender dysphoria. * Rolandino Roncaglia is tried for sodomy, an event that caused a sensation in Italy. He confessed he "had never had sexual intercourse, neither with his wife nor with any other woman, because he had never felt any carnal appetite, nor could he ever have an erection of his virile member". After his wife died of plague, Rolandino started to prostitute himself, wearing female dresses because "since he has female look, voice and movementsalthough he does not have a female orifice, but has a male member and testiclesmany persons considered him to be a woman because of his appearance". *
John Rykener Eleanor Rykener, also known as John, was a 14th-century sex worker arrested in December 1394 for performing a sex act with John Britby, a man who was a former chaplain of the St Margaret Pattens church, in London's Cheapside while wearing fema ...
, known also as Johannes Richer and Eleanor, was a transvestite
prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...
working mainly in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
(near
Cheapside Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, which forms part of the A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St. Martin's Le Grand with Poultry. Near its eastern end at Bank junction, where ...
), but also active in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. He was arrested in 1395 for
cross-dressing Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself. Cross-dressing has play ...
and interrogated. * Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca documents same sex marriages and men "who dress like women and perform the office of women, but use the bow and carry big loads" among a Native American tribe in his publication, ''The Journey of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca and His Companions from Florida to the Pacific 1528–1536''. * Process of Wojciech z Poznania, who married Sebastian Słodownik, and lived with him for two years in
Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...
. Both had female partners. On his return to
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
, he married Wawrzyniec Włoszek. Wojciech, considered in public opinion as a woman, was burned for 'crimes against nature'. * 1586Barbara Brunner of Kusnacht, living in Lenzburg, was discovered to "be male under (her) clothes" and is burned at the stake on May 28 that year; a man was also burned for sodomy the same day between Lenzburg and
Aarau Aarau (, ) is a List of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital of the northern Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Aargau. The List of towns in Switzerland, town is also the capital of the dis ...
, but it is unknown if the two executions were related. The executions were recorded in the chronicles of
Johann Jakob Wick Johann Jakob Wick (1522 – 14 August 1588) was a Protestant clergyman from Zürich. Wick lived in the Zürich of Heinrich Bullinger, the successor of Huldrych Zwingli. He studied theology in Tübingen, and was pastor of Witikon, at the city hospi ...
. *
Thomas(ine) Hall ? (Can't find online, and I'm not ordering a book from amazon for this) Taylor => Brown Brown => ? hort => ? Vaughan => ? Rose => ? Bridenbaugh => ? MSmith => reis2005 Floyd => ? reis2005 => reis2005 Here's some citations which I removed in try ...
is ordered by the Quarter Court of
Jamestown, Virginia The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James (Powhatan) River about southwest of the center of modern Williamsburg. It was ...
to wear a combination of male and female attire after a series of incidents led to Hall submitting to physical examination and the Court determining Hall to have a "dual nature" gender; it is likely that Hall was
intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bina ...
as well as non-binary. * After recovering from a fever, a preacher in
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
claimed to have died and started calling themselves the " Public Universal Friend" eschewing use of gendered pronouns and identification as either male or female. * The Chevalier d'Éon, an androgynous French courtier and spy of disputed gender identity, agrees with a request by French authorities to live and present as a woman. * Jens Andersson of Norway, assigned female at birth but identifying as male, was imprisoned and put on trial after getting married to Anne Kristine Mortensdotter in a Lutheran church. When asked about his gender, the response was "Hand troer at kunde henhøre til begge Deele" ("He believes he belongs to both"). *
Mary Jones Mary Jones may refer to: People American * Mary Alice Jones (1898–1980), American children's writer *Mary Cover Jones (1896–1987), American psychologist * Mary Ellen Jones (chemist) (1922–1996), American biochemist * Mary Ellen Jones (politi ...
, a transgender African-American sex worker, is placed on trial in New York City after allegedly pickpocketing a client. The case received significant press attention, and she was depicted in a published lithograph entitled "the Man-Monster". * The '' hijra'' (a term used in South Asia to refer to eunuchs, intersex, or transgender people) are defined by the colonial authorities of the
British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
as a "criminal tribe" alongside various other social groups following the enactment of the
Criminal Tribes Act Since the 1870s, various pieces of colonial legislation in India during British rule were collectively called the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA), which criminalized entire communities by designating them as habitual criminals. Under these acts, ethni ...
, imposing state surveillance and restrictions on free movement. * Frances Thompson, a former African-American slave who had ten years earlier testified before the U.S. Congress on having been raped during the Memphis riots of 1866 amid the
Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...
in the former
Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
, is arrested for "being a man dressed in women's clothing". * The
Cercle Hermaphroditos The Cercle Hermaphroditos was the first known informal transgender advocacy organisation in the United States, founded in 1895 in New York City "to unite for defense against the world’s bitter persecution". The group met at Paresis Hall, also call ...
, the earliest known transgender organization in the United States, was reportedly founded in this year according to Jennie June.


20th century


First half

* -
Karl M. Baer Karl M. Baer (20 May 1885 – 26 June 1956) was a German-Israeli author, social worker, reformer, suffragist and Zionist. He came out as a trans man in 1904. In December 1906, he became the first transgender person to undergo sex reassignmen ...
, in December 1906, becomes the first transgender person to undergo sex reassignment surgery. * The word 'transsexual' is used to mean between or applicable to both men and women (modern usage of this and related words develops later, see 1931 onwards). * English sexologist Havelock Ellis (known for his writings on homosexuality) coins the term "sexo-aesthetic inversion" to refer to a phenomenon "by which, a person's tastes and impulses are so altered, that if a man, he emphasizes and even exaggerates the feminine characteristics in his own person". He would later use the term "
eonism Henry Havelock Ellis (2 February 1859 – 8 July 1939) was an English physician, eugenicist, writer, Progressivism, progressive intellectual and social reformer who studied human sexuality. He co-wrote the first medical textbook in English on ho ...
", named for the aforementioned Chevalier d'Éon, to refer to this phenomenon. * In Berlin, Germany, Doctor Magnus Hirschfeld co-founds the
Institut für Sexualwissenschaft The was an early private sexology research institute in Germany from 1919 to 1933. The name is variously translated as ''Institute of Sex Research'', ''Institute of Sexology'', ''Institute for Sexology'' or ''Institute for the Science of Sexual ...
(Institute for Sex Research), a pioneering private research institute and counseling office. Its library of thousands of books was destroyed by Nazis in May 1933. * Lili Elbe had received emasculation and
ovary transplant Transplantable organs and tissues may refer to both organs and tissues that are relatively often transplanted (here "major organs and tissues"), as well as organs and tissues which are relatively seldom transplanted (here "non-major organs and tis ...
in June 1930. She changed her legal gender in October 1930. * Hirschfeld introduces the (German) term "Transsexualismus". * In Berlin in 1931,
Dora Richter Dora "Dorchen" Richter (16 April 1891 – presumed 1933) was the first known person to undergo complete male-to-female gender reassignment surgery. She was one of a number of transgender people in the care of sex-research pioneer Magnus Hirschfel ...
became the first known transgender woman to undergo vaginoplasty. * Lili Elbe received vaginoplasty and
uterus transplant A uterine transplant is a surgical procedure whereby a healthy uterus is transplanted into an organism of which the uterus is absent or diseased. As part of normal mammalian sexual reproduction, a diseased or absent uterus does not allow normal em ...
. Immune system rejection of the transplanted uterus caused her death. * Nazis burn the library of Magnus Hirschfeld's
Institute for Sexual Research An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...
, and destroy the Institute. * ** The first use of the English word ''
transsexuality Transsexual people experience a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desire to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (including sex reassignment ...
'' in print recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary indicates the word is already in use, regarded by that author as a rarer synonym for homosexuality; the first use in print in a modern sense that the dictionary records is in 1950. ** Barbara Ann Wilcox, a transgender woman, successfully petitions
Los Angeles County Superior Court The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The ...
to change her legal name, in one of the earliest known legal cases of its kind. * Plastic surgeon Harold Gillies carries out female-to-male sex reassignment surgery on
Michael Dillon Laurence Michael Dillon (born Laura Maud Dillon; 1 May 1915 – 15 May 1962) was a physician and the first trans man to undergo phalloplasty. Early life and transition Dillon was the second child of Robert Arthur Dillon (1865–1925), heir to ...
in Britain.


1950s

* 1950s
Rina Natan Rina Natan ( he, רינה נתן; September 8, 1923 – August 13, 1979) was the first known Israeli transgender woman. Biography Natan was born male on September 8, 1923, in the town of Siegen in Germany, to a wealthy Jewish family. As a child s ...
becomes the first known transsexual woman in Israel to undergo sex reassignment surgery. The surgery was conducted as an emergency operation after she attempted to perform it on herself; This came after her unsuccessful campaign to change Israeli policy to allow for sex reassignment surgeries. After the incident, the Israeli government did change its policy. * David Oliver Cauldwell uses the term "trans-sexual" in English (in its modern meaning) based on an earlier German term, having introduced "transsexualism" in 1949. * Christine Jorgensen becomes the first widely-publicized person to have undergone sex reassignment surgery, in this case
male to female A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and som ...
, creating a world-wide sensation. * ** '' Glen or Glenda'', an American film featuring transgender surgery and transvestism, is released. A promotional poster for the film advertised that it would include a character that had changed sex. ** Danish endocrinologist
Christian Hamburger Christian Hamburger (19 February 1904 – 6 October 1992) was a Danish endocrinologist. He worked in Copenhagen and was the doctor responsible for Christine Jorgensen's sex reassignment, and she would choose her name in honor of him. Career Ha ...
publishes one of the earliest reports on hormone therapy in transgender women, effective pharmaceutical female sex-hormonal medications having been available since the 1920s and 1930s. * The gender transition of
Roberta Cowell Roberta Elizabeth Marshall Cowell (8 April 1918 – 11 October 2011) was a British racing driver and Second World War fighter pilot. She was the first known British trans woman to undergo gender-affirming surgery in 1948. Early life Roberta C ...
, a British pilot during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, is reported internationally by the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
. She also appeared that month on the cover of '' Picture Post'', a then-popular magazine in the United Kingdom. * The term " Transsexual" is used by U.S. physician Harry Benjamin in a public lecture. * The
Cooper Do-nuts Riot The Cooper Do-nuts Riot was a small uprising in response to police harassment of LGBT people at the 24-hour Cooper Do-nuts cafe in Los Angeles in May 1959. This occurred 10 years prior to the better-known Stonewall riots in New York City and is ...
occurs at Cooper's Do-nuts in Los Angeles, US; rioters were arrested by
LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
. Transgender women, lesbian women, drag queens, and gay men riot, one of the first
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...
uprisings in the US. It is viewed by some historians as the first modern LGBT uprising in the United States.


1960s

* The term ''transgender'' is coined by psychiatrist John F. Oliven of
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in his 1965 reference work ''Sexual Hygiene and Pathology''. * The Compton's Cafeteria Riot occurred in August 1966 by transgender women and Vanguard members in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. This incident was one of the first recorded
transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
riots in United States history, preceding the more famous 1969
Stonewall Riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of Ju ...
in New York City by three years. * According to the online encyclopedia
glbtq.com glbtq.com (also known as the glbtq Encyclopedia Project) was an online encyclopedia of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer ( GLBTQ) culture. Launched in 2003, it was edited by Claude J. Summers, emeritus professor at the University of ...
, "In the aftermath of the riot at Compton's, a network of transgender social, psychological, and medical support services was established, which culminated in 1968 with the creation of the National Transsexual Counseling Unit
TCU TCU may stand for: Education * Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania * Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas ** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school * Tok ...
the first such peer-run support and advocacy organization in the world". * ** The
Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of Ju ...
occur in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. ** ''
Funeral Parade of Roses is a 1969 Japanese drama art film directed and written by Toshio Matsumoto, loosely adapted from ''Oedipus Rex'' and set in the underground gay culture of 1960s Tokyo. It stars Peter as the protagonist, a young transgender woman, and features Osa ...
'', a Japanese drama
art film An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...
, is released. It features Tokyo's underground gay and transgender subcultures.


1970s

* ** Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a transgender and gender non-conforming activist organization, is founded in New York City by Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson in the wake of the Stonewall uprising. ** A "male homosexual" group presents eighteen demands to the Revolutionary People's Constitutional Convention, one of which is the "right to free physiological change and modification of sex". * "There are as many sexes as there are people" was a popular slogan in London's
Gay Liberation Front Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of several gay liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots. Similar organizations also formed in the UK and Canada. The GLF provided a ...
(GLF) during this time; It relates to both cross-dressers and transsexuals. A subgroup called the "Transvestite, Transsexual and Drag Queen Group" was also formed within the GLF. * Sweden becomes the first country in the world to allow transgender people to legally change their sex, and provides free hormone therapy; * **
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
allows a trans woman, Marcia Torres, to legally change her name and gender on the birth certificate after undergoing sex reassignment surgery, becoming the second country in the world to do so. ** Angela Morley became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, when she was nominated for one in the category of Best Music, Original Song Score/Adaptation for ''The Little Prince'' (1974), a nomination shared with
Alan Jay Lerner Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre bot ...
,
Frederick Loewe Frederick Loewe (, originally German Friedrich (Fritz) Löwe ; June 10, 1901 – February 14, 1988) was an Austrian-United States, American composer. He collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on a series of Broadway musicals, including ''Br ...
, and
Douglas Gamley John Douglas Gamley (13 September 19245 February 1998), generally known as Douglas Gamley, was an Australian composer, who worked on orchestral arrangements and on local, British and American films. Biography John Douglas Gamley was born on 1 ...
. ** ''Conundrum'', by
Jan Morris (Catharine) Jan MorrisJan Morris, Paul Clements, University of Wales Press, 2008, p. 7 (born James Humphry Morris; 2 October 192620 November 2020) was a Welsh historian, author and travel writer. She was known particularly for the ''Pax Brita ...
, was the first widely sold autobiography published by a transgender woman detailing her experience. * **
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
becomes the first city in the United States to pass trans-inclusive civil rights protection legislation. *1976 ** Renée Richards competes in the US Open; she is one of the first prominent transgender athletes in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.


1980s

* ** The
Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...
Fund is founded by Steve Endean; the Human Rights Campaign is now America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. ** The
gender identity disorder in children Gender dysphoria in children (GD), also known as gender incongruence of childhood, is a formal diagnosis for children who experience significant discontent ( gender dysphoria) due to a mismatch between their assigned sex and gender identity. T ...
(GIDC) diagnosis is introduced in the DSM-III; prior to the DSM-III's publication in 1980, there was no diagnostic criteria for
gender dysphoria Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identitytheir personal sense of their own genderand their sex assigned at birth. The diagnostic label gender identity disorder (GID) was used until ...
. * France prohibits discrimination based on lifestyle (moeurs) in employment and services. * Lou Sullivan founds the
FTM International FTM International is the oldest organization for trans men in the United States. Founded by Lou Sullivan in 1986, it is dedicated to the provision of resources for FTM individuals along with creating a visible community. History The organization ...
, the oldest organization specifically for trans men in the United States.


1990s

* Althea Garrison was elected as the first transgender state legislator in America, and served one term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. It was not publicly known that she was transgender when she was elected. * US state of
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
enacts gender identity anti-discrimination legislation. * The
Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...
drops the word "Fund" from their title and broadens their mission to promote "an America where gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are ensured equality and embraced as full members of the American family at home, at work and in every community;" * **
Gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the i ...
was added to the mission of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays after a vote at their annual meeting in San Francisco. Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays is the first national LGBT organization to officially adopt a transgender-inclusion policy for its work. ** Dana International became the first trans person to win the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
, representing
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
with the song " Diva". **
Parinya Charoenphol Parinya Charoenphol ( th, ปริญญา เจริญผล; ), nicknamed Toom,; also known by the stage name Parinya Kiatbusaba; and the colloquial name Nong Toom or Nong Tum,; ; meaning 'Lil Sis Toom' is a Thai boxer, former muay ...
becomes the first
kathoey ''Kathoey'' or ''katoey'' ( th, กะเทย; ) is an identity used by some people in Thailand, whose identities in English may be best described as transgender women in some cases, or effeminate gay men in other cases. Transgender wom ...
(transgender)
Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...
boxing champion. * The
Transgender Day of Remembrance The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), also known as the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, has been observed annually (from its inception) on November 20 as a day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transp ...
was founded in 1999 by
Gwendolyn Ann Smith Gwendolyn Smith (born 22 July 1967) is a transgender woman from the San Francisco Bay Area who co-founded Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to memorialize people who have been killed as a result of transphobia. ''Trans/Active: A Biography of ...
, a
trans woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...
who is a graphic designer, columnist, and activist, to memorialize the murder of
Rita Hester The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), also known as the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, has been observed annually (from its inception) on November 20 as a day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transp ...
in
Allston, Massachusetts Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most part ...
. Since its inception, TDoR has been held annually on 20 November, and it has slowly evolved from the
web Web most often refers to: * Spider web, a silken structure created by the animal * World Wide Web or the Web, an Internet-based hypertext system Web, WEB, or the Web may also refer to: Computing * WEB, a literate programming system created by ...
-based project started by Smith into an international day of action.


2000s

*The
Transgender Pride flag The first transgender flag is a pride flag having five horizontal stripes of three colors—light blue, pink and white. It was designed by American trans woman Monica Helms in 1999 to represent the transgender community, organizations, and indi ...
was first shown, at a pride parade in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
. * Anti-discrimination legislation (gender identity): US state of
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
*
Transcendence Gospel Choir The Transcendence Gospel Choir, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is the first documented transgender gospel choir. It was founded in 2001 by record producer Ashley Wai'olu Moore, with Yvonne Evans as its first conductor, and was a community choi ...
, the first known transgender choir, was founded in San Francisco. * Canada's
Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
became the first jurisdiction in Canada to ban discrimination based on
gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the i ...
; the remaining provinces all would by 2017. * Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays established its Transgender Network, also known as TNET, as its first official "Special Affiliate", recognized with the same privileges and responsibilities as its regular chapters. * At the Reform seminary
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
in New York, the Reform rabbi
Margaret Wenig Margaret Moers Wenig (born 1957) is an American rabbi known for advocating LGBT rights within Reform Judaism. Margaret became spiritually aware at an early age. A seminal moment in her development occurred when she was in sixth grade and had a bir ...
organized the first school-wide seminar at any rabbinical school which addressed the psychological, legal, and religious issues affecting people who are intersex or transsexual. * In December 2002, the British Lord Chancellor's office published a ''Government Policy Concerning Transsexual People'' document that categorically states, "What transsexualism is not ... It is not a mental illness." *
Reuben Zellman Reuben Zellman is an American teacher, author, rabbi, and musician. He became the first openly transgender person accepted to the Reform Jewish seminary Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 2003. Education Zellman received his B.A ...
became the first openly transgender person accepted to the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he was ordained in 2010. * The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards approved a rabbinic ruling that concluded that sex reassignment surgery (SRS) is permissible as a treatment of
gender dysphoria Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identitytheir personal sense of their own genderand their sex assigned at birth. The diagnostic label gender identity disorder (GID) was used until ...
, and that a transgender person's sex status under Jewish law is changed by SRS. * Legal recognition of indeterminate gender:
Alex MacFarlane Alex MacFarlane is an intersex person born with XXY sex chromosomes in Victoria, Australia. MacFarlane is believed to be the first holder of an indeterminate birth certificate and passport. Birth certificate and passport MacFarlane is believ ...
became the first person reported to obtain a birth certificate and passport, in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, showing indeterminate gender. *
Jennifer Finney Boylan Jennifer Finney Boylan (born June 22, 1958) is a bestselling author, transgender activist, professor at Barnard College, and a contributing opinion writer for the ''New York Times''. Early life and education Boylan was born in Valley Forge, Pen ...
's autobiography, ''She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders'', was the first book by an openly transgender American to become a bestseller. Preceded by ''Conundrum'', by
Jan Morris (Catharine) Jan MorrisJan Morris, Paul Clements, University of Wales Press, 2008, p. 7 (born James Humphry Morris; 2 October 192620 November 2020) was a Welsh historian, author and travel writer. She was known particularly for the ''Pax Brita ...
in 1974. * The first all-transgender performance of ''The Vagina Monologues'' was held. The monologues were read by eighteen notable transgender women, and a new monologue revolving around the experiences and struggles of transgender women was included. * ''Luna'', by Julie Anne Peters, was published, and was the first young-adult novel with a transgender character to be released by a mainstream publisher. * The first European Transgender Council Meeting was held in Vienna. * Anti-discrimination legislation for gender identity:
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, and
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
*
Elliot Kukla Elliot Kukla is the first openly transgender person to be ordained by the Reform Jewish seminary Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. Kukla is a rabbi at thBay Area Jewish Healing Center.ref name="healing" /> He came ...
, who came out as transgender six months before his ordination in 2006, was the first openly transgender person to be ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. *
Kim Coco Iwamoto Kim Coco Iwamoto (born May 26, 1968) is an American politician from Hawaii. She was one of the Democratic primary candidates for the position of Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii in the 2018 election. She previously served as a commissioner on the Ha ...
became the first transgender official to win statewide office in Hawaii. * Anti-discrimination legislation for gender identity: the
US states In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of Colorado, Iowa Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon and Vermont. *
Candis Cayne Candis Cayne (born August 29, 1971) is an American actress and performance artist. Cayne performed in New York City nightclubs in drag since the 1990s, and came out as transgender in 1996; Cayne came to national attention in 2007 for portraying ...
played Carmelita Rainer, a transgender woman having an affair with married New York Attorney General Patrick Darling (played by William Baldwin), on the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
prime time drama '' Dirty Sexy Money''. The role made Cayne the first openly transgender actress to play a recurring transgender character in prime time. * Joy Ladin became the first openly transgender professor at an Orthodox institution (Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University). * Amaranta Gómez Regalado (for México Posible) became the first trans person in the Mexican Congress. *
Theresa Sparks Theresa Sparks is an American transgender woman, and is the Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and was a candidate for San Francisco Supervisor for District 6 in the November 2010 election. She is a former president of ...
was elected president of the San Francisco Police Commission by a single vote, making her the first openly transgender person ever to be elected president of any San Francisco commission, as well as San Francisco's highest ranking openly transgender official. * Silverton, Oregon elected Stu Rasmussen as the first openly transgender mayor in America. * Angie Zapata, a transgender woman, was murdered in
Greeley, Colorado Greeley is the home rule municipality city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Weld County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,795 at the 2020 United States Census, an increase of 17.12% since the 2010 ...
. Allen Andrade was convicted of
first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...
and committing a
bias-motivated crime A hate crime (also known as a bias-motivated crime or bias crime) is a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or racial demograph ...
, because he killed her after he learned that she was transgender. This case was the first in the nation to get a conviction for a
hate crime A hate crime (also known as a bias-motivated crime or bias crime) is a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or racial demograph ...
involving a transgender victim. Angie Zapata's story and murder were featured on
Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...
's " Aqui y Ahora" television show on 1 November 2009. * The first ever U.S. Congressional hearing on discrimination against transgender people in the workplace was held, by the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions. * The International Transgender Day of Visibility was founded by Michigan-based transgender activist Rachel Crandall in 2009 as a reaction to the lack of LGBT holidays celebrating transgender people, citing the frustration that the only well-known transgender-centered holiday was the Transgender Day of Remembrance which mourned the loss of transgender people to hate crimes, but did not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community. * Diego Sanchez became the first openly transgender person to work on
Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
; he was hired as a legislative assistant for Barney Frank. Sanchez was also the first transgender person on the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) Platform Committee in 2008. * Barbra "Babs" Siperstein was nominated and confirmed as an at-large member of the
Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...
, becoming its first openly transgender member. * In May 2009, the government of France declared that a transsexual gender identity would no longer be classified as a psychiatric condition, but according to French trans rights organizations, beyond the impact of the announcement itself, nothing changed.


2010s


2010

* Tyler McCormick became the first openly transgender man (and the first wheelchair user, and the first person from New Mexico) to win
International Mr. Leather International Mr. Leather (IML) is an international, though largely American, conference and contest of leathermen held annually in May since 1979 in Chicago, Illinois. Every year, the event corresponds to the weekend of the United States' Mem ...
. * After a lawsuit filed by golfer
Lana Lawless Lana Lawless (born in 1953) is a professional golfer. Lawless is a transgender woman and underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2005 before playing golf professionally. She became a professional title-holding golfer and received recognition for ...
, the rules of the
LPGA The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...
were changed in 2010 to allow transgender competitors. * Guinness World Records recognized transgender man
Thomas Beatie Thomas Trace Beatie (born 1974) is an American public speaker, author, and advocate of transgender and sexuality issues, with a focus on transgender fertility and reproductive rights. Assigned female at birth, Beatie came out as a trans man ...
as the world's "First Married Man to Give Birth". *
Amanda Simpson Amanda Renae Simpson (born March 26, 1961) is an American pilot, businesswoman and politician. She serves as vice-president for Research and Technology at Airbus Americas and was the former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Operationa ...
became the first openly transgender presidential appointee in America when she was appointed as senior technical adviser in the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security. * Kye Allums became the first openly transgender athlete to play in NCAA basketball. He was a transgender man who played on
George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...
's women's team. *
Phyllis Frye Phyllis Randolph Frye is an Associate Judge for the Municipal Courts in the US city of Houston, Texas. Frye is the first openly transgender judge appointed in the world. Biography Phyllis Frye, born circa 1946, is a transgender woman. She was ...
became the first openly transgender judge appointed in the United States.


2011

*
Chaz Bono Chaz Salvatore Bono (born Chastity Sun Bono; March 4, 1969) is an American writer, musician and actor. His parents are entertainers Sonny Bono and Cher, and he became widely known in appearances as a child on their television show, ''The Sonny ...
appeared on the 13th season of the US version of ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'' in 2011. This was the first time an openly transgender man starred on a major network television show for something unrelated to being transgender. *
Harmony Santana Harmony Santana is an American film actress. She is most noted for her appearance in the 2011 film '' Gun Hill Road'', for which she garnered an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and became the first openly transgen ...
became the first openly transgender actress to receive a major acting award nomination; she was nominated by the
Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with Poly(methyl m ...
as Best Supporting Actress for the movie '' Gun Hill Road''. * Jaiyah "Johnny" Saelua became the first openly transgender international footballer to play in the World Cup when she took the field for American Samoa in Oceania's first round of World Cup qualifiers for Brazil 2014.


2012

* Anti-discrimination legislation for gender identity:
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, Canadian province of
Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
* Anti- discrimination legislation for gender expression:
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
* The U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity issued a regulation to prohibit LGBT discrimination in federally assisted housing programs. The new regulations ensure that the Department's core housing programs are open to all eligible persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. * Emily Aviva Kapor, an American rabbi who had been ordained privately by a "
Conservadox Conservadox is the term occasionally applied to describe either individuals or congregations located on the religious continuum somewhere between the Conservative and Modern Orthodox wings of American Jewry. The epithet "Traditional" is also spari ...
" rabbi in 2005, began living as a woman in 2012, thus becoming the first openly transgender female rabbi. * Rainbow Jews, an oral history project showcasing the lives of Jewish bisexual, lesbian, gay, and transgender people in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
from the 1950s until the present, was launched. It is the United Kingdom's first archive of Jewish bisexual, lesbian, gay, and transgender history. *
Stacie Laughton Stacie-Marie Laughton (born ) is an American politician who served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 2020 to 2022, representing District 31 in Hillsborough County. A member of the Democratic Party, she had previously been elec ...
became the first openly transgender person elected to any American state legislature when she won a seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. However, she resigned from the New Hampshire state legislature before she took office, after it was revealed that she had served four months in Belknap County House of Corrections following a 2008 credit card fraud conviction. *
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
voted to become the first U.S. city to provide and cover the cost of sex reassignment surgeries for uninsured transgender residents.


2013

* Anti-discrimination legislation for gender identity:
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
,
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, US state of
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
* Anti-discrimination legislation for gender expression: Canadian provinces of
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
and
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
*
Nikki Sinclaire Nicole Sinclaire (born 26 July 1968) is a British politician and former leader of the We Demand a Referendum Party who served as a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands from 2009 to 2014. She was elected MEP in June 2009, as ...
came out as transgender, thus becoming the United Kingdom's first openly transgender Parliamentarian. * The first United Nations ministerial meeting on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals was held. *
Fallon Fox Fallon Fox (born November 29, 1975) is an American former mixed martial artist (MMA), and the first MMA fighter who is openly transgender. Early life Fox was born in Toledo, Ohio. She recalls struggling with her gender as early as age five or ...
came out as transgender, thus becoming the first openly transgender athlete in
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
history. * Philadelphia passed one of the most comprehensive transgender rights bills on the city level, which addresses transgender bathroom use and city employee healthcare, making it the first city on the east coast to provide transition related healthcare to its city employees. *
Autumn Sandeen Autumn Sandeen is a Transgender activism, transgender activist and United States Navy, US Navy veteran. In 2013, she became the first United States Armed Forces, US service member to succeed in petitioning the United States Department of Defense, ...
, a U.S. veteran and transgender woman, received a letter from a Navy official stating, "Per your request the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) has been updated to show your gender as female effective 12 April 2013."
Allyson Robinson Allyson Dylan Robinson is an American human rights activist, specializing in LGBT rights in the United States. She attended West Point before gender reassignment, graduated in 1994 majoring in her undergraduate degree in physics, and was then co ...
of
Outserve OutServe-SLDN was a network of LGBT military personnel, formed as a result of the merger between OutServe and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. OutServe-SLDN was one of the largest LGBT employee resource groups in the world. OutServe was ...
declared, "To our knowledge, this is the first time that the Department of Defense has recognized and affirmed a change of gender for anyone affiliated, in a uniformed capacity—in this case a military retiree." *
Ben Barres Ben A. Barres (September 13, 1954 – December 27, 2017) was an American neurobiologist at Stanford University. His research focused on the interaction between neurons and glial cells in the nervous system. Beginning in 2008, he was chair of the ...
became the first openly transgender scientist in the US National Academy of Sciences in 2013. * For the first time, the California Department of Education's list of recommended books for grades Pre-K-through-12 included a book with a transgender theme, ''I Am J'' by Cris Beam. * California enacted America's first law protecting transgender students. The
School Success and Opportunity Act The School Success and Opportunity Act (Assembly Bill 1266), is a California state law which extends gender identity and gender expression discrimination protection to transgender and gender-nonconforming K-12 students in public schools. Provision ...
extends gender identity and gender expression discrimination protection to transgender and gender-nonconforming K-12 students in public schools *
Jennifer Pritzker Jennifer Natalya Pritzker (born James Nicholas Pritzker; August 13, 1950) is an American investor, philanthropist, and member of the Pritzker family. Pritzker retired as a Lieutenant Colonel (United States), lieutenant colonel from the Illinois ...
came out as transgender in 2013 and thus became the world's first openly transgender billionaire. * A six-year-old girl named Luana, who was assigned male at birth, became the first transgender child in Argentina to have her new name officially changed on her identity documents. She is believed to be the youngest to benefit from the country's new Gender Identity Law, which was approved in May 2012. *
Jennifer Finney Boylan Jennifer Finney Boylan (born June 22, 1958) is a bestselling author, transgender activist, professor at Barnard College, and a contributing opinion writer for the ''New York Times''. Early life and education Boylan was born in Valley Forge, Pen ...
was chosen as the first openly transgender co-chair of
GLAAD GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals ...
's National Board of Directors. * On 31 October 2013
Paris Lees Paris Lees (born 1986) is an English journalist, presenter, campaigner and author. She topped ''The Independent on Sunday''s 2013 Pink List, came second in the 2014 Rainbow List, and was awarded the Positive Role Model Award for LGBT in the 201 ...
became the first openly transgender panellist to appear on the BBC's '' Question Time'' programme, drawing praise from commentators who included former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and the Labour Party deputy leader Harriet Harman. * Stephen Alexander, of Rhode Island, became the first high school coach to come out publicly as transgender. * On 1 November Audrey Gauthier was elected president of CUPE 4041, representing Air Transat flight attendants based in Montreal. She thus became the first openly transgender person elected president of a union local in Canada. * Q Radio, which went on the airwaves in September, claims to be India's first radio station which caters to the country's lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people. * San Francisco's first Project Homeless Connect for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people was held. * The diagnostic label gender identity disorder (GID) was used until 2013's release of the diagnostic manual DSM-5. The condition was renamed to
gender dysphoria Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identitytheir personal sense of their own genderand their sex assigned at birth. The diagnostic label gender identity disorder (GID) was used until ...
to remove the Stigmatization, stigma associated with the term ''disorder''. The DSM-5 also moved this diagnosis out of the sexual disorders category and into a category of its own.


2014

* Anti-discrimination law for gender identity: Canadian province Saskatchewan * The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the first Title VII action taken by the federal government on behalf of transgender workers. The lawsuits were filed for Amiee Stephens and Brandi Branson, both transgender women. * Meghan Stabler became the first openly transgender woman to be named ''Working Mother'' magazine's Working Mother of the Year. * Laverne Cox was on the cover of the 9 June 2014 issue of ''Time (magazine), Time'', and was interviewed for the article "The Transgender Tipping Point". She also became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award, Emmy in an acting category: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sophia Burset in ''Orange Is the New Black''. * ''Transgender Studies Quarterly'', the first non-medical academic journal devoted to transgender issues, began publication, with Susan Stryker and Paisley Currah as coeditors. * Mills College became the first single-sex college in the U.S. to adopt a policy explicitly welcoming transgender students, Mount Holyoke College, Mount Holyoke became the first Seven Sisters (colleges), Seven Sisters college to accept transgender students. * Blake Brockington became the first openly transgender high school homecoming king in North Carolina. * Nina Chaubal and Greta Gustava Martela cofounded Trans Lifeline, the first U.S. suicide hotline dedicated to transgender people. * Tona Brown became the first African-American openly transgender woman to perform at Carnegie Hall. * The Transgender Trends panel was the first panel on that subject ever held at San Diego Comic-Con. * The San Francisco Police academy graduated its first openly transgender police officer, Mikayla Connell. * The 100 block of Turk Street in San Francisco was renamed Vicki Mar Lane after trans activist Vicki Marlane. * Lea T became the face of American hair-care brand Redken, thus making her the first openly transgender model to front a global cosmetics brand. * A national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention campaign featured an openly transgender person, Jennifer Barge, as its spokesperson for the first time. * Chris Mosier became the first openly transgender man inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame. * Kinnon MacKinnon became the first openly transgender man to earn a gold in powerlifting at the Gay Games in the 2014 Games. * BBC2 commissioned Britain's first transgender sitcom, called Boy Meets Girl, which follows the developing relationship between Leo, a 26-year-old man and Judy, a 40-year-old transgender woman. * ICEIS Rain became the first openly two-spirit person to perform at the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards. * Padmini Prakash became India's first openly transgender television news anchor. * Denmark became the first European country to remove the Gender Identity Disorder diagnosis as a necessary requirement in the gender recognition process. * Malta became the first European state to add recognition of gender identity to its constitution as a protected category. * The first openly transgender woman got married in Malta. * At least 1,000 openly transgender Bangladeshis held Bangladesh's first pride march, to mark one year since the government recognized them as a third gender. * The Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Board approved the first transgender student-athlete to play in a winter sport in Arizona. * The FTM Fitness Conference hosted the first bodybuilding competition for transgender men, the FTM Fitness World Bodybuilding Competition. * The UN Human Rights Council adopted a second resolution related to sexual orientation and gender identity on 26 September 2014. It passed by a vote of 25-14 and is the first time in the Council's history that it adopted a resolution on LGBT rights with the majority of its members. * Petra De Sutter became the first openly transgender person to serve in Belgium's Parliament, specifically its Senate. * Luisa Revilla Urcia became the first openly transgender person elected to a public office in Peru when she won a seat on the local council in La Esperanza in the province of Trujillo in northwestern Peru. * The Labor government in Victoria, Australia appointed Martin Foley as Minister of equality, marking the first time an Australian government has ever had a dedicated Minister overseeing gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex issues. * Vered Meltzer was elected to the City Council in Appleton; as such he became the first openly transgender elected official in Wisconsin. * Butterfly Music Transgender Chorus, the U.S.'s second known transgender chorus, was founded, inspiring others to found similar groups in cities across the country.


2015

;No date * Anti-discrimination law for gender identity and gender expression: Canadian province of Alberta. ; * Madhu Kinnar became India's first openly transgender person to be elected mayor; she was elected mayor of Chhattisgarh's Raigarh Municipal Corporation. * Zoey Tur joined ''Inside Edition'' as a Special Correspondent during February, thus becoming the first openly transgender television reporter on national TV in America. ; * Pennsylvania State Representative Mark B. Cohen introduced the first transgender rights bills in Pennsylvania's history. ; * The inaugural White House Trans Women Of Color Women's History Month Briefing was held. * The U.S. Justice Department announced that it had filed its first civil lawsuit on behalf of a transgender person (Rachel Tudor); the lawsuit was ''United States of America v. Southeastern Oklahoma State University and the Regional University System of Oklahoma'', filed in federal court in that state. ; * In a first for the state, California's Department of Corrections was ordered by a federal judge to grant a transgender prisoner (Michelle-Lael Norsworthy) access to gender-affirming surgery. * Andreja Pejic became the first openly transgender model profiled by ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'', in its May 2015 issue. * Laverne Cox (among others) posed nude for the ''Allure (magazine), Allure'' annual "Nudes" issue, becoming the first openly transgender actress to do so. She also became the first openly transgender person to have a wax figure of herself at Madame Tussauds. She also won a Daytime Emmy Award in Outstanding Special Class Special as Executive Producer for ''Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word.'' This made her the first openly transgender woman to win a Daytime Emmy as an Executive Producer; as well, ''The T Word'' is the first trans documentary to win a Daytime Emmy. * Scott Turner Schofield became the first openly transgender actor to play a major role on daytime television, as the character Nick on the show ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. On the same show, the character Maya Avant (played by Karla Mosley) became the first transgender bride to be married on daytime television when she married Rick Forrester (played by Jacob Young). * Maka Brown, an 18-year-old senior at the Salt Lake School for Performing Arts, was crowned Utah's first openly transgender prom queen. ; * When President Obama declared May to be National Foster Care Month in 2015, he became the first president to explicitly say gender identity should not prevent anyone from adopting or becoming a foster parent. * Abby Stein came out as transgender and thus became the first openly transgender woman (and the first woman) to have been ordained by an ultra-Orthodox institution, having received her rabbinical degree in 2011 from Yeshiva Viznitz in South Fallsburg, New York. However, this was before she was openly transgender, and she is no longer working as a rabbi as of 2016. She is also the first openly transgender woman raised in a Hasidic community, and is a direct descendant of Hasidic Judaism's founder the Baal Shem Tov. ; * Loiza Lamers won "Holland's Next Top Model", making her the first openly transgender winner of the "Top Model" franchise. * Philadelphia flew the transgender pride flag above City Hall for the first time. * Caitlyn Jenner became the first openly transgender woman on the cover of ''Vanity Fair''. * Chris Mosier became the first known out trans athlete to join a U.S. national team that matched his gender identity, rather than the gender assigned him at birth, when he won a spot on Team USA in the men's sprint duathalon. * Manabi Bandopadhyay, India's first openly transgender college principal, began work; she worked as the principal of the Krishnagar Women's College in Nadia district. * Breanna Sinclairé became the first openly transgender person to sing the national anthem at a professional sporting event, which she did at a Major League Baseball game. * Audrey Middleton became the U.S. television show Big Brother's first openly transgender houseguest. ; * Aydian Dowling became the first openly transgender man on the cover of ''Men's Health (magazine), Men's Health'' magazine, as part of a special collector's edition. * Jacob Anderson-Minshall became the first openly transgender author to win a Goldie award from the Golden Crown Literary Society; he shared the award for best creative non-fiction book with Diane Anderson-Minshall for ''Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders''. ; *
Schools In Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools
' was introduced; it is a first-of-its-kind publication for school administrations, teachers, and parents about how to provide safe and supportive environments for all transgender students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. * Hari Nef became the first openly transgender model signed to IMG. * President Obama appointed Raffi Freedman-Gurspan to serve as an Outreach and Recruitment Director in the Presidential Personnel Office, making her the first openly transgender appointee to work inside the White House. * The (American) Department of Veterans Affairs opened its first clinic for transgender service members. ; * Andrew Guy became Australia's first openly transgender TV host, as a guest presenter on ''The Project (Australian TV program), The Project''. * Nepal adopted its first democratic constitution, which is the first in Asia to specifically protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. ; * The first Oscar campaigns for openly transgender actresses supported by a movie producer were launched for actresses Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor of the movie ''Tangerine (film), Tangerine''. * ''EastEnders'' chose Riley Carter Millington as the first openly transgender actor in UK TV soap history; he played 'Kyle', a man who has transitioned from female to male, which Riley did in real life. Shortly after, ''Hollyoaks'' cast transgender actress Annie Wallace. * A transgender man's phalloplasty became the first ever seen on camera, in the Channel 4 documentary ''Girls to Men''. ; * The first U.S. congressional forum on anti-transgender violence was held. ; * Mya Taylor won the Gotham Independent Film Awards 2015, Gotham Award for Breakthrough Actor, making her the first openly transgender actress to win a Gotham award. * Tamara Adrian was elected to the Venezuelan National Assembly, thus becoming the first openly transgender Venezuelan to be elected to their national legislature, as well as the first openly transgender person in the entire Western Hemisphere to do so.


2016

; * Through her Foundation,
Jennifer Pritzker Jennifer Natalya Pritzker (born James Nicholas Pritzker; August 13, 1950) is an American investor, philanthropist, and member of the Pritzker family. Pritzker retired as a Lieutenant Colonel (United States), lieutenant colonel from the Illinois ...
gave a $2 million donation to create the world's first endowed academic chair of transgender studies, at the University of Victoria in British Columbia; Aaron Devor was chosen as the inaugural chair. The United Nations voted to create their first LGBT human rights watchdog. ; * Caitlyn Jenner became the first openly transgender person on the cover of ''Sports Illustrated''. * Mya Taylor became the first openly transgender actor to win an Independent Spirit Awards, Independent Spirit Award; she won for Best Supporting Female. ; * Israel held its first transgender beauty pageant, which was called "Miss Trans Israel", and was held at a club in Tel Aviv. * President Barack Obama appointed Raffi Freedman-Gurspan as the White House's primary LGBT liaison, making her the first openly transgender person in the role. * Nisha Ayub received the International Women of Courage Award in 2016, becoming the first openly transgender woman to receive that award. * Aiden Katri, 19, became the first Israeli transgender woman to be jailed for refusing to serve in the military. ; * Trans United Fund was founded; it is the first group of its kind, a 501(c)(4) organization of transgender leaders focused on transgender issues. ; * Geraldine Roman became the first openly transgender woman elected to Congress in the Philippines. * Anwen Muston was elected to Wolverhampton City Council, making her the first openly transgender woman to be elected as a Labour representative. ; * Amelia Gapin became the first openly transgender woman to be featured on the cover of ''Women's Running''. * On 10 June 2016, an Oregon circuit court ruled that a resident, Elisa Rae Shupe, could obtain a non-binary gender designation. The Transgender Law Center believes this to be "the first ruling of its kind in the U.S." * On 10 June 2016, the National Assembly of Quebec passed a bill to amend the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or expression. * Chris Mosier was chosen as the first openly transgender athlete to be featured in the "Body Issue" of ''ESPN The Magazine'', and appeared in Nike's first ad with an openly transgender athlete. * It was announced on 30 June 2016 that, beginning on that date, otherwise qualified United States service members could not any longer be discharged, denied reenlistment, involuntarily separated, or denied continuation of service because of being transgender. ; * Misty Plowright became the first openly transgender candidate to win a major party primary for the US House of Representatives. * An important legal victory for transgender people occurred in April 2016, when the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of transgender male student Gavin Grimm, which marked the first ruling by a U.S. appeals court to find that transgender students are protected under federal laws that ban sex-based discrimination. The ruling came on a challenge to the Gloucester County School Board's policy of making transgender students use alternative restroom facilities. * On 25 July, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia unanimously passed a bill to amend the Human Rights Code (British Columbia), British Columbia Human Rights Code to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression. * Sarah McBride was a speaker at the Democratic National Convention, 2016, Democratic National Convention, becoming the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in American history. * ''Elle (magazine), Elle'' printed special collectors' covers for their September 2016 issue, and one of them featured Hari Nef, which was the first time an openly transgender woman had been on the cover of a major commercial British magazine. ; * Lea T became the first openly transgender person ever to participate in the opening ceremonies of an Olympics when she led the Brazilian team into the stadium on her bike during the 2016 Summer Olympics, 2016 Rio Olympics. ; * Tracey Norman and Geena Rocero became the first two openly transgender models to appear on the cover of an edition of ''Harper's Bazaar''. ; * Harrison Browne of the National Women's Hockey League (2015–), National Women's Hockey League came out as a transgender man, which made him the first openly transgender athlete in professional American team sports.


2017

; * The January 2017 issue of ''National Geographic (magazine), National Geographic'' has a nine-year-old transgender girl on the cover (Avery Jackson); she is thought to be the first openly transgender person on ''National Geographics cover. * Denmark became the second country in the world to officially remove transgender identities from its list of mental health disorders. * Gabrielle Tremblay became the first openly transgender actress ever nominated for a Canadian Screen Award, as Best Supporting Actress for her role in ''Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves (Ceux qui font les révolutions à moitié n'ont fait que se creuser un tombeau)''. ; * Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio became the first openly transgender model on the cover of French ''Vogue''. * Joe Maldonado became the first openly transgender member of the Boy Scouts of America. In 2016, he was rejected from the Cub Scouts for being transgender, but this policy was changed in 2017 after his story became nationally known. * Martina Robledo became the first openly transgender woman to act as a trophy presenter at the Grammys. ; * Japan became the first country in the world to elect an openly transgender man to a public office when Tomoya Hosoda was elected as a councilor for the city of Iruma, Saitama, Iruma. ; * M Barclay became the first openly non-binary trans person to be commissioned as a Deacon in the United Methodist Church. * The Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly voted to create inclusive wordings for non-binary, genderqueer, gender fluid, agender, intersex, two-spirit and polygender people, replacing the words "men and women" with the word "people". Of the six sources of the living tradition, the second source of faith, as documented in the bylaws of the denomination, now includes "Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love." ; * Philippa York, formerly Robert Millar, came out as transgender, thus becoming the first former professional cyclist to have publicly transitioned. * Alex Hai came out as a transgender man, thus becoming the first openly transgender gondolier in Venice. ; * Ines Rau became the first openly transgender Playboy Playmate. ; * Danica Roem was elected as Virginia's first transgender lawmaker. * Andrea Jenkins became the first openly transgender black woman elected to public office in the United States when she was elected to the Minneapolis City Council. * Tyler Titus, a transgender man, became the first openly transgender person elected to public office in Pennsylvania when he was elected to the Erie School Board. He and Phillipe Cunningham, elected to the Minneapolis City Council on the same night, became the first two openly trans men to be elected to public office in the United States. * The
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
Defense Health Agency for the first time approved payment for sex reassignment surgery for an active-duty U.S. military service member. The patient, a trans woman infantry soldier, had already begun a course of treatment, and the procedure, which the treating doctor deemed medically necessary, was performed on 14 November at a private hospital, since U.S. military hospitals lacked the requisite surgical expertise. ; * America's first all-LGBT city council was elected in Palm Springs, California, consisting of three gay men, a transgender woman and a bisexual woman.


2018

; * Canadian Women's Hockey League player Jessica Platt came out as a transgender woman, making her the first transgender woman to come out in North American professional hockey. * Yance Ford and Joslyn Barnes were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for producing ''Strong Island (film), Strong Island'', which he also directed. As such, Ford was the first openly transgender man to be nominated for any Academy Award, and the first openly transgender director to be nominated for any Academy Award. *
Paris Lees Paris Lees (born 1986) is an English journalist, presenter, campaigner and author. She topped ''The Independent on Sunday''s 2013 Pink List, came second in the 2014 Rainbow List, and was awarded the Positive Role Model Award for LGBT in the 201 ...
became the first openly transgender woman featured in British ''Vogue (British magazine), Vogue''. ; * Laverne Cox became the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of any ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine (specifically, Cosmopolitan South Africa's February 2018 issue). * ''Transgender Health'' reported that a transgender woman in the United States breastfed her adopted baby; this was the first known case of a transgender woman breastfeeding. * Daniela Vega became the first openly transgender person in history to be a presenter at the Academy Awards. ; * Marvia Malik became the first openly transgender newsreader to appear on Pakistani television in 2018. ; * Peppermint (drag queen), Peppermint made her Broadway theatre, Broadway debut in The Go-Go's-inspired musical ''Head Over Heels (musical), Head Over Heels''. The show began previews on 23 June 2018 and officially opened 26 July; playing the role of Pythio, Peppermint became the first trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway. * Angela Ponce made history on 29 June 2018 as the first openly transgender woman to be crowned Miss Spain, and became the first openly transgender contestant in Miss Universe. * Jesse James Keitel played TV Land's first non-binary character on Younger (TV series), ''Younger''. ; * Christine Hallquist became the first openly transgender candidate for governor nominated by a major political party in the United States when she was nominated for governor of Vermont by the Democrats. ; * Stav Strashko became the first openly transgender actress ever to receive an Ophir Award nomination for Best Actress. * Yance Ford and Joslyn Barnes were awarded an Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking for producing ''Strong Island (film), Strong Island'', which made Ford the first openly transgender man and the first black openly transgender person to win an Emmy award, as well as the first openly transgender filmmaker to win a Creative Arts Emmy. ; *
Paris Lees Paris Lees (born 1986) is an English journalist, presenter, campaigner and author. She topped ''The Independent on Sunday''s 2013 Pink List, came second in the 2014 Rainbow List, and was awarded the Positive Role Model Award for LGBT in the 201 ...
became a correspondent with British ''Vogue''. ; * Patricio Manuel became the first openly transgender male to box professionally in the United States, and, as he won the fight, the first openly transgender male to win a pro boxing fight in the U.S. * Colombia prosecuted a transgender woman's murder as a femicide for the first time in 2018, sentencing Davinson Stiven Erazo Sánchez to twenty years in a psychiatric center for "aggravated femicide" a year after he killed Anyela Ramos Claros, a transgender woman.


2019

; * Nyla Rose became the first openly transgender woman to sign with a major American professional wrestling promotion when she signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). * Army Capt. Alivia Stehlik, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Blake Dremann, Army Capt. Jennifer Peace, Army Staff Sgt. Patricia King and Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Akira Wyatt became the first openly transgender members of the United States military to testify publicly in front of Congress. ; * The Trump administration announced on April 12 that transgender people were no longer allowed to enlist in the United States military if they had ever medically transitioned or had a history of gender dysphoria. Currently serving individuals were required to serve under their gender assigned at birth. This legal action is colloquially known as the "Trans Military Ban". ; * Meghan Stabler became the first openly transgender member of Planned Parenthood's National Board of Directors. ''The Advocate (LGBT magazine), The Advocate'' editors named Meghan as one of ''The Advocate'' magazine's 2019 Champions of Pride. * Indya Moore became the first openly transgender person to be featured on the cover of the U.S. version of ''Elle (magazine), Elle'' magazine. * Lucia Lucas, normally based in Germany, made her debut as Don Giovanni with the Tulsa Opera, becoming the first openly transgender person to sing a lead role in a standard operatic work in the US. * Gianmarco Negri was elected mayor of Tromello, making him Italy's first openly transgender mayor. ; * Janet Mock signed a three-year deal with Netflix giving them exclusive rights to her TV series and a first-look option on feature film projects; this made her the first openly transgender woman of color to secure a deal with a major content company. * Zach Barack became the first openly transgender actor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he played a classmate of Peter Parker's in ''Spider-Man: Far From Home.'' ; * Laverne Cox was one of fifteen women chosen by guest editor Meghan, Duchess of Sussex to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue, British ''Vogue''; this made Cox the first openly transgender woman to appear on the cover of British ''Vogue''. ; * Valentina Sampaio was hired by Victoria's Secret as their first openly transgender model in August 2019. * MJ Rodriguez became the first openly transgender woman to win Best Actress - Television at the Imagen Awards. * June Eastwood became the first openly male-to-female transgender athlete to compete in NCAA Division I cross country; she competed for the University of Montana women's team. * Teddy Quinlivan became the first openly transgender model to be hired by Chanel. ; * Angelica Ross became the first openly transgender person to host an American presidential forum. * Mattel launched the world's first line of gender-neutral dolls, which they marketed as Creatable World. ; * In November 2019, transgender community leader Lauren Pulido raised the transgender pride flag over the California state capitol for Trans Day of Remembrance, reportedly the first time the transgender flag was raised over a state capitol building in the United States. ; * In December 27,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
's Gender Identity Law came into force, allowing people to change their legal name and gender without the need of sex reassignment surgery.


2020s


2020

; * Camila Prins became the first openly transgender woman to lead the drum section of a top samba school in the Carnival parade in Sao Paulo. * The Pfister Hotel named Nykoli Koslow as its first openly transgender Artist in Residence. ; * Megan Youngren became the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Olympic marathon trials in U.S. history. * The Philadelphia Police Academy graduated its first openly transgender officer, Benson Churgai. * Diana Zurco became Argentina's first openly transgender newscaster. * Chris Mosier became the first openly transgender male athlete to ever compete in an Olympic trial alongside other men; however, he was unable to finish the race due to injury. ; * The Trump administration passed a regulation removing protections for transgender patients under medical care. * The US Supreme Court ruled (in ''Bostock v. Clayton County'') in favor of protecting employees from workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. ; * The US Department of Housing and Urban Development announced plans to revert an ObamaCare-era ruling that prevented federally funded homeless shelters from discriminating against transgender people. * Peyton Rose Michelle Theriot won election in Louisiana to the women's Democratic State Central Committee seat for the 46th District (seat A), representing St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, St. Martin, Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Iberia and St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, St. Landry, becoming the first out transgender woman elected to a political position in the state. * Valentina Sampaio became the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue's first openly transgender model in 2020. ; ; ; * On 1 October 2020, Petra De Sutter was sworn in as one of seven deputy prime ministers in the De Croo Government, government of Prime Minister of Belgium, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, becoming Europe's first transgender deputy prime minister, and the most senior trans politician in Europe. * FaZe Clan's Soleil 'Ewok' Wheeler came out as transgender, making him the first transgender male on a T1 esports organization. ; * On 3 November 2020, Sarah McBride became the first transgender state senator elected in America. * On 3 November 2020, Taylor Small became the first transgender person elected to be a state legislator in Vermont. * On 7 November 2020, Joe Biden became the first president-elect to mention the transgender community in a victory speech. * ''Big Sky (American TV series), Big Sky'' premiered on 17 November 2020, making Jesse James Keitel the first nonbinary actor to play a nonbinary series regular on primetime television. * In November 2020, Mauree Turner became the first non-binary state legislator elected in the United States. * In November 2020, Stephanie Byers became the first Native American transgender person elected to office in America, when she was elected to the Kansas state House of Representatives; she is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. This election also made her the first transgender person elected to the Kansas state legislature. ; * Mara Gómez became the first trans footballer to play in a top-flight Argentinian league.


2021

; * Gottmik became the first openly transgender male contestant on ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. * After Transgender personnel in the United States military, varying restrictions over the years, there stopped being restrictions on people serving in the US military due to their being transgender when President Joe Biden signed the "Executive Order on Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform" on January 25, 2021. ; * In LGBT rights in Angola, Angola a new criminal code went into effect after the parliament passed it in January 2019 and the president signed it into law in November 2020. The new code contains full anti-discrimination protections on the basis of gender identity. ; * Elliot Page became the first openly trans man to appear on the cover of ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine. * Tashnuva Anan Shishir became Bangladesh's first openly transgender news anchor. * Patti Harrison became the first known transgender actor to appear in a Disney animated film, due to voicing the small part of Tail Chief in ''Raya and the Last Dragon.'' * Rachel Levine was confirmed 24 March as U.S. assistant secretary for health, making her the first openly trans person confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a U.S. federal government position. * Martine Delaney became the first openly transgender woman inducted into the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women. * Joe Biden became the first American president to issue a formal presidential proclamation recognizing the International Transgender Day of Visibility, Transgender Day of Visibility. ; * Alana Gisele Banks became the first Black openly transgender woman elected to a public school board in the United States. ; * Megan Rohrer was instated as a Bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, becoming the first openly transgender and non-binary bishop in any Christian denomination. ; * The character of Bia was introduced as the first openly transgender Amazon in DC Comics’ Wonder Woman series.


2022

; * On 15 February 2022, Jowelle de Souza became the first transgender Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, parliamentarian (specifically a Senate (Trinidad and Tobago), Trinidad and Tobago senator) in the Caribbean. ; * Jamie Wallis came out as transgender, becoming the first openly transgender MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. * Swimmer Lia Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I, NCAA Division I national championship in any sport, after winning the women's 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:33.24. ; * L. Morgan Lee became the first openly transgender person nominated for a Tony Awards, Tony Award in an acting category; she was nominated for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for playing Thought 1 in ''A Strange Loop''. * The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards approved a ruling authorizing non-gendered language for the aliyah (Torah), aliyah, and the honors of the hagbah (lifting the Torah) and the gelilah (rolling up the Torah). The ruling also includes non-gendered language for calling up Kohen#Modern application, Cohens and Levi (surname), Levis (descendants of the tribe of Levi) as well as how to address people without gendered language during the prayer ''Mi Shebeirach''. This was a codification of a practice that already existed in places Jewish transgender people led. ; * World Aquatics, FINA (now World Aquatics) announced a new policy that effectively bars all transgender women from competing in professional women's swimming, with the exception of athletes who "can establish to FINA's comfortable satisfaction that they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 (of puberty) or before age 12, whichever is later". FINA also announced the development of a separate "open" category for some events, to be determined by a working group over the next six months, so that "everybody has the opportunity to compete at an elite level". ; * Ellia Green became the first Olympian to come out as a trans man. * Jamie Hunter became the first openly transgender snooker player to win a women's tour ranking event in snooker when she won the U.S. Women's Open. ; * In September 2022, Molly Kearney was announced as the first out non-binary cast member of ''Saturday Night Live''. ; * Duda Salabert and Erika Hilton became the first two openly transgender people elected to the National Congress of Brazil, with both of them elected to its Chamber of Deputies (Brazil) , Chamber of Deputies. ; * Zooey Zephyr became the first openly transgender person to be elected to the state legislature in Montana.


See also

* Intersex people in history * LGBT history * List of LGBT firsts by year * Timeline of asexual history * Timeline of LGBT history * Timeline of LGBT history, 19th century * Timeline of LGBT history, 20th century * Timeline of LGBT history, 21st century


References

{{LGBT, history=expanded Transgender Transgender history LGBT timelines, 20th-century timelines