Digital Transgender Archive

Promotional photo of Shuug Au Sing, autographed by the performer (ca. 1946-1956). Shuug was a Chinese-American female impersonator who worked in the Seattle drag circuit, often performing with Luck Ngi, a Cantonese opera club. Pictured: black and white photo of Shuug Au Sing holding two swords and looking towards the camera with shoulders slightly angled away. Shuug wears a bejeweled headpiece and beaded clothing with tassels draped along the front. On the lower right corner, the photo is autographed in cursive. For more information about this item, please visit the DTA via the link in our bio. Image courtesy of University of Washington libraries. #TransHistory #TransIsBeautiful #AAPIHeritageMonth #DTA

The DTA extends its gratitude and best wishes to Isaac Fellman, who has wrapped up his time as Assistant Director to serve as Director of Archives and Special Collections at the GLBT Historical Society. We will miss him dearly! Isaac has made huge impacts on the DTA, not only in launching a new lab in Oakland, training and building relationships with students, and stewarding countless new collections, but also in his meticulous day-to-day work and his leadership on questions related to privacy and ethics. Isaac was a key member of our leadership team and we wish him all the best in his new role! Thankfully, we’ll continue to work together closely in the months and years ahead as the DTA and GLBTHS extend our 10+ year collaboration. Be sure to send him your best and say hello when you visit GLBTHS! Pictured: colored photo of Isaac with green foliage in the background. Isaac wears brown framed glasses, a gray t-shirt, and a blue button-up with orange, white, and green patterning.

Happy AAPI Heritage Month! Flyer for birthday roast honoring Coco LaChine, empress of the Imperial Court of New York (ca. 1990s). Pictured: flyer with pink background and black and white photo of Coco, wearing dangling earrings with her hair curled. Printed in eccentric circles around the photo, creating black and gray rings: “Empress Coco LaChine Birthday Roast.” Under her photo are text bubbles, from left to right: “Wednesday August 26th 7:30 PM $5.00/door $5.00 to roast,” “And candidates show featuring,” “Emperor William Empress Panzi,” “Princess Royale Anne Tique Prince Royale Chet - Prince Royale Gabriel,” “Hot Go Go Boys and other special guests.” At the bottom of the flyer: “Proceeds to benefit the Imperial Court of New York,” “Produced by: Prince Bobsie Colon,” “The Web 40 East 58th Street, NYC.” For more information about this item, please visit the DTA via the link in our bio. Image courtesy of @lgbtcenternyc . #TransHistory #TransIsBeautiful #AAPIHeritageMonth #DTA

Cover of Feminique, newsletter published by the Seahorse Club of Australia, a social and support group originally dedicated to heterosexual transvestites (1975). Newsletter details the purposes of the organization and includes a list of events, recent news, and letters to the editor. Pictured: yellow paper with black cursive font reading “Feminique,” with “1 #10” written in the top right corner. Below the title is an illustration of a person’s silhouette in profile, with another image transposed on top: a person standing with long hair and a dress. Below the image: “The Sea Horse Club of Australia” and a small black icon of a seahorse. For more information about this item, please visit the DTA via the link in our bio. #TransHistory #TransIsBeautiful #DTA

Flyer for film festival titled JUNK: An Evening of Queer Underground Cinema (ca. 1990s). Item comes from Joshua Aidan Dunn collection, a Two-Spirit activist known for his advocacy for trans, intersex, and queer youth. Pictured: flyer with pink background and black and white illustration of person with two heads wearing 1960s go-go inspired dress, boots, and hair, holding a blue balloon in one hand and teddy bear in the other. Above the illustration, the title reads “JUNK: an evening of queer underground cinema.” To the bottom right of the illustration: “junk - 1. genderqueer gentitalia/i.e. - can’t stop grabbin’ my junk/ 2. - dis-carded, abandoned, unwanted, broken/i.e. - one queer’s junk is another queer’s weapon/ 3. - cheap, dirty, rebellious, political, deviant/i.e. - JUNK, not yer momma’s queer film festival” For more information about this item, please visit the DTA via the link in our bio. Image courtesy of @glbt_history . #TransHistory #TransIsBeautiful #DTA

Clipping of “Life and Examination of the Would-Be Ladies,” a popular press account of the Boulton and Park trial (1870). Included are illustrated portraits of Fanny and Stella, who were arrested and charged with indecency for crossdressing in public. Pictured: printed page with four black and white drawn portraits, depicting Boulton and Park in different attire: two portraits present them in dresses and hats and the other two in suits and ties. The top two portraits are labeled “Boulton” and the bottom are labeled “Park.” Above the portraits, the title reads: “Life and Examination of the Would-Be Ladies” and “Verbatim Edition.” Below the portraits: “Price twopence” and “London: A. Ritchie, 15, Wine Office-Court, Fleet-Street.” On either side, framing the page: “Authentic [illegible] traits in male and female att[illegible]” and “A second edition will be published after the trial.” For more information about this item, please visit the DTA via the link in our bio. Image courtesy of @jddoylearchives . #TransHistory #TransIsBeautiful #DTA

Cover of The Cross-Dresser magazine, containing fiction and nonfiction writings on crossdressing, drag performance reviews, and photos from the readers (1979). Pictured: black and white photo of person wearing a short blonde wig, bejeweled earrings, a feather boa over one shoulder, and a sequined top. Above the photo, the title “The Cross-Dresser” is printed on a green background, surrounded by “$3.50” and “no 6.” On the left side of the page, in green font: “FICTION: Bound in Femininity.” For more information about this item, please visit the DTA via the link in our bio. Image courtesy of @lltransarchive . #TransHistory #TransIsBeautiful #DTA

Photo of activist José Sarria performing at a drag show at the Black Cat bar (ca. 1964). Pictured: colored photo of José in yellow dress with polka dots on the skirt and blue lining. Jose stands with arms and mouth open, turned towards a watching crowd. The bar is decorated with photos of nude women on the walls and balloons tied to the ceiling. For more information about this item, please visit the DTA via the link in our bio. Image courtesy of ONE Archives at USC Libraries. #TransHistory #TransIsBeautiful #DTA

Group photo of performers at Finocchio’s in San Francisco, a nightclub renowned for its professional cast of female impersonators (ca. 1960). Pictured: colored photo with white border, picturing twelve people posed on a stage. Eleven people wear wigs and dresses, ranging from sleek evening wear with gloves to a pink feathered gown and headpiece. One person wears a striped suit jacket and bowtie. Half of the performers are standing, the other half sitting before them, and almost all smile towards the camera. For more information about this item, please visit the DTA via the link in our bio. Image courtesy of @glbt_history . #TransHistory #TransIsBeautiful #DTA

Cover photo for interview with drag queen Vaunessa Vale, discussing gender identity, beauty rituals, and the Boston drag scene (1995). Pictured: black and white close-up photo of Vaunessa, turned to the side and applying lipstick with her mouth opened. The article’s title, “Hanging with a queen,” is printed in white in the center of the page. “The Boston Phoenix - Section Two - December 1,1995.” For more information about this item, please visit the DTA via the link in our bio. #TransHistory #TransIsBeautiful #DTA

Cartoon from Vol. 7, No. 1 of the Tartan Skirt, a publication dedicated to the Scottish trans community (1998). Pictured: illustration of a person in a police hat and uniform talking to an alien with horns, three eyes, and a helmet, standing in front of a space ship. The policeman’s finger is pointed at the alien, and the caption at the bottom reads “Never mind my ‘leader’, just tell me what bloody gender you are!” The cartoon is signed “Nancy.” For more information about this item, please visit the DTA via the link in our bio. Image courtesy of the Highland Archive Center. #TransHistory #TransIsBeautiful #DTA

Happy Transgender Day of Visibility! TDOV was established by activist Rachel Crandall Crocker in 2009 as a celebration of trans life and resilience. Gathered here are some expressions of joy, love, family, and friendship in the archives. Pictured: (1) black and white photo of Lou Sullivan (right) hugging companion and holding a piece of paper. (2) colored photo of three people sitting outside on a park bench, one with her legs draped over her companion’s lap and her arm up in the air. (3) colored photo of Vicki Marlane and her partner, Bobby, on their wedding day. They are turned towards each other with their arms around the other’s waist. (4) black and white photo of two people, Brian and Kay Kendall, kissing, surrounded by people of various ages, seemingly in a living room. (5) colored photo of Rupert Raj holding a birthday cake and smiling over the candles. (6) colored photo of Dottie Laing, JoAnn Roberts, Alison Laing, and Dallas Denny standing behind a podium, all hugging and smiling. (7) black and white photo of two adults and two children standing at a protest with signs reading “I LOVE my TS parent,” “I LOVE my QUEER PARTNER,” “I LOVE MY TRANSSEXUAL PARTNER,” and “I LOVE MY QuEER FaMILY.” (8) colored photo of Sylvia Rivera kissing Julia Murray at Randy Wicker’s lighting store, with Randy sat in front of them, his eyes looking upwards. For more information about these items, please visit the DTA via the link in our bio. Images courtesy of @lgbtcenternyc , @glbt_history , @gala_archive , @labadiecollection , and @thearquives . #TransHistory #TransDayofVisibility #TDOV #TransgenderDayofVisibility