The Unseen Impact of Trans Women’s Contributions to Women’s and Reproductive Rights
A Monthly Blog from YWCA Clark County’s Prevention Team - Women’s History Month
TRIGGER WARNING: Violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people
March 2025
As we celebrate Women's History Month, it's crucial to recognize the often-overlooked contributions of transgender women to the advancement of women's rights and reproductive freedom. From pioneering figures like Christine Jorgensen, who became one of the first publicly recognized women to undergo gender affirmation surgery in the 1950s, to modern-day activists like Cecilia Chung, who continues to advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and HIV/AIDS awareness, trans women have been at the forefront of pushing boundaries and challenging societal norms.
These trailblazers, along with iconic figures such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who played pivotal roles in the Stonewall uprising, have not only fought for their own rights but have also paved the way for broader conversations about gender identity, bodily autonomy, and reproductive rights. Their stories of resilience and determination in the face of discrimination and violence serve as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for equality and the importance of intersectionality in the women's rights movement.
Trans women, especially Black trans women, have been and continue to be targets of interpersonal and state-sanctioned violence. In 2023, 80% of homicides of transgender or gender-expansive people were committed with a gun, and 50% of these gun homicides were of Black trans women. We must do our part as allies to the trans community to uplift the voices of our trans peers, friends, family members, and community members and advocate for their right to exist in joy and liberation.
Christine Jorgensen (May 30, 1926 – May 3, 1989)
Christine Jorgensen was born in the Bronx, New York in the early twentieth century. After being drafted by the U.S. army in 1945, she served as a military clerical worker for a year. During her free time, she researched extensively into the medical procedures that we would now call “gender affirming care.” Unable to receive such treatment safely in the U.S., Christine traveled to Denmark where she received a series of surgeries and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Before her return to New York City in 1953, an unidentified person anonymously contacted the press to alert them of her transition. An article entitled “Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty: Operations Transform Bronx Youth” depicted photographs before and after her medical transition. Upon her arrival, she was flooded by news reporters in an attempt to sensationalize her identity. However, Christine utilized the overnight fame to control her own narrative and advocate for the acceptance of transgender people. She used her newfound popularity to start a career as a nightclub performer and would continue to travel the world, giving interviews on talk shows and on college campuses to emphasize the importance of empathy.
Despite facing extreme public scrutiny and hostility, Christine Jorgensen is regarded as one of the first positively depicted transgender women in American history. It’s important to note, however, that within these depictions, Christine looked ‘feminine’ by the time period’s standards. Some have acknowledged that this made her more ‘appealing’ for the public eye as opposed to other historical transgender figures who were further scrutinized for being less ‘cis-passing’ or appeared too feminine or masculine according to judgements from others. Her intersecting identities of being White, trans, feminine-presenting are important to recognize when understanding that the ways in which a transgender individual is able to “pass” (or look like their identifying gender based on societal constructions of physical gender presentation) can have varying impacts on their quality of living in a society that continues to oppress trans folks.
Christine Jorgens offered a new narrative during a time period where there were hardly any publicly recognized trans figures. It was one that brought hope for the possibility of living as one’s authentic self and showcased an experience of gender euphoria and acceptance.
Cecelia Chung (1965)
Since immigrating to the U.S. with her family in 1984 from Hong Kong, Cecilia Chung has done groundbreaking work throughout her life to advocate for not only the transgender community but also for those living with HIV/AIDS.
Cecilia Chung began her transition at the age of 22. Her transition brought many challenges including losing contact with her parents for over three years as they opposed her decisions. She also lost her job which led to her becoming homeless. She turned to sex work as a way to survive and began using drugs. After learning she was HIV positive, Cecilia devoted her energy and activism to uplifting the trans community and those living with HIV/AIDS.
Cecilia Chung’s activism and community-centered work spans across multiple decades and continues today. In 1994, she joined San Francisco’s Transgender Discrimination Task Force whose actions led to the city enacting many anti-discrimination policies and ordinances. In 1995, after a violent attack, Cecelia and her family began reconciling their relationship through having difficult conversations.
In 2002, Cecilia Chung joined the Board of the Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center to assist with their mobile HIV testing project for transgender youth. She continues to support this project and its endeavors to encourage more widespread free HIV testing. In 2004, Cecilia co-founded Trans March, an annual event that is held on the Friday of Pride weekend in San Francisco. It garnered international attention as one of the largest transgender events in history and is now replicated in countries around the world.
Cecilia Chung’s activism reached a national level in 2013 when she was appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS by President Barack Obama. In 2015, Cecilia founded Positively Trans, a national network to support transgender people (particularly people of color) living with HIV by destigmatizing HIV, trans identities, and the inequities faced by transgender people through policy lobbying, storytelling, and developing future leaders.
Today, Cecilia Chung continues to dedicate her life to supporting and advocating for transgender people living with HIV/AIDS. She has been recognized for her work and been given various awards, which are beyond well-deserved. Cecilia is a beacon of strength that we are honored to highlight this Women’s History Month.
Stonewall Uprising (June 28, 1969)
The Stonewall Uprising, which took place in June 1969, is often recognized as a pivotal moment in the LGBTQ+ rights movement, igniting a wave of activism and solidarity that has continued to shape the fight for equality today. As we observe Women's History Month, it’s important to remember the role of women, particularly transgender women and queer women of color, in the Stonewall protests. Figures like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were instrumental in standing up to police violence and advocating for the rights of marginalized communities. Their leadership not only challenged the dominant narratives within the LGBTQ+ rights movement but also laid the foundation for intersectional activism that connects racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights. In current events, as we continue to confront issues such as transphobia, gender-based violence, and discrimination, the legacy of Stonewall remains a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for liberation and social change.
Marsha P. Johnson
Marsha P. Johnson moved to New York shortly after graduating from Thomas A. Edison High School in New Jersey. Though Johnson was always close with her family, it was not always an easy relationship to maintain due to her gender identity. Once she moved to New York, she adopted the name Marsha P. Johnson and met Sylvia Rivera. Johnson took on a motherly role for Rivera encouraging her to express her true self and express her gender in her way.
On June 28, 1968, Johnson and Rivera arrived at The Stonewall Inn in the early morning hours to find the bar being raided and on fire. Johnson, along with Rivera, were immediately on the front lines of the riots that began after the police raid and led the series of protests that followed in its wake. The following year, the first Gay Pride Parade took place, and several gay rights organizations were formed, but Johnson, who was involved in many of these at the start, became increasingly frustrated with the exclusion of queer & trans people of color from the movement. As such, Johnson and Rivera founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) “an organization dedicated to sheltering young transgender individuals who were shunned by their families.” From this they were also able to launch STAR House to offer housing and safety to transgender youth experiencing homelessness. As people who both struggled with chronic homelessness and regularly turned to sex work for income, Johnson and Rivera both held a deep passion for creating safety for transgender youth in New York City at the time.
Johnson continued to gain further notoriety as a member of the drag group, “Hot Peaches” where she caught the attention of Andy Warhol who included her in his 1975 series of portraits entitled “Ladies and Gentlemen”. In 1980, Johnson came full circle and was invited to ride in the lead car of the Gay Pride Parade in New York City. Johnson continued to be a prominent figure of the gay rights movement through the 1970’s and 80’s before becoming diagnosed with HIV in 1990. Upon receiving her diagnosis, Johnson spoke publicly about the disease and the stigma attached to it before her untimely passing in 1992.
Sylvia Rivera
Johnson and Rivera became friends during their youth, not too long after Johnson had moved to New York. At the time of their meeting, Johnson was 17 and took on a motherly role to the 11-year-old Sylvia Rivera, a Puerto Rican transgender girl, who had run away from home to escape persecution. In 1973, Rivera participated in the Gay Pride Parade but was ultimately not allowed to speak despite her years of work and advocacy in the aftermath of Stonewall. Much like her dear friend Marsha P. Johnson, Rivera consistently debated with gay rights organizations and their exclusion of queer trans people of color.
Upon finding out that her friend Marsha P. Johnson had passed away, Rivera returned to New York City, after a brief break from the city and activism, to continue the mission of fighting for transgender rights and inclusion. She began the Transy House, which was modeled off of STAR House which she had created with Johnson. Transy House was established in 1997 in Park Slope, Brooklyn and in 1995 she was able to participate in the New York City Pride Parades where the community applauded and recognized her contributions to the movement. In 2002, Sylvia Rivera passed away of liver cancer in St. Vincent’s Manhattan Hospital with her partner, Julia Murray, beside her.
Trans Women and Reproductive Justice
Trans women like Christine Jorgensen, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Cecilia Chung have been instrumental in the fight for LGBTQ+ Rights and Transgender Inclusivity. Their relentless pursuit for creating a trans inclusive world is a fight that is still ongoing and involves much more than just showing up to Pride events during June. Individuals fighting transphobia frequently experience other forms of oppression such as sexism, homophobia, and racism, to name a few. Trans activists have consistently served as a strong example of embodying intersectionality in the fight for social justice and this include the fight for reproductive justice. Though many spaces may be talking about reproductive justice at this time and the importance of bodily autonomy, we also want to emphasize the importance and necessity of involving trans voices and identities in the reproductive justice movement. Reproductive rights impact all genders, including those who identify as transgender, non-binary, or intersex, yet they frequently are forgotten or excluded from conversations regarding reproductive justice. This Women’s History Month, we encourage you to think beyond just the experiences of cisgender women and consider how the lived experiences of transgender women could better inform our own understandings of gender and self-determination.
The YWCA Clark County Prevention Team’s Recommended Resource List:
Available to check out through Fort Vancouver Regional Library:
1. “Kind Like Marsha: Learning from LGBTQ+ Leaders” by Sarah Prager (Ages 4-8) -- Fiction
2. “Grace Needs Space!” by Benjamine A. Wilgus and Rii Abrego (Ages 8-12) -- Fiction
3. “Old Wounds” by Logan-Ashley Kisner (YA) -- Fiction
4. “Lucy, Uncensored” by Mel Hammond and Teghan Hammond (Teen/YA) -- Fiction
5. “Fairest” by Meredith Talusan (Adult) -- Non-Fiction
6. “The Death of Vivek Oji” by Akwaeke Emezi (Adult) -- Fiction
7. “Little Fish” by Casey Plett (Adult) -- Fiction
8. “How to Live Free in a Dangerous World” by Shayla Lawson (Adult) – Non-Fiction
9. “Hijab Butch Blues” by Lamya H (Adult) – Non-Fiction
10. “Elatsoe” by Darcie Little Badger (YA) -- Fiction
11. “Full-metal Indigiqueer” by Joshua Whitehead – Poem collection
12. “A Two-spirit Journey” by Ma-Nee Chacaby – Non-Fiction
Not available at Fort Vancouver Regional Library, but still worth the read:
13. “Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time” -- Collection of indigenous science fiction
14. “Fireweed” by Tunchai Redvers (Adult) -- Poetry 15. “Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir” by Kai Cheng Thom (YA/Adult) -- Non-Fiction