Christine Jorgensen

Christine Jorgensen was born in 1926. In addition to her celebrity status as a forerunner to the modern transgender, feminist, and gay movements, Jorgensen was a widely respected photographer, filmmaker and entertainer. She died of cancer in 1989.

According to historian Susan Stryker, Jorgensen was, arguably, the most famous person in the world for a few short years nearly half a century ago. When George Jorgensen, a shy, American-born man of 26, departed for Denmark in 1951, he returned one year later, newly named Christine Jorgensen, the first world-renowned transsexual.

Q. By 1953, over a million and a half words (the equivalent of perhaps 15 full-length books) had been written about you in publications throughout the world. That’s an incredible accomplishment for anyone with “celebrity status,” but particularly amazing, don’t you think, considering the historical events of the age and the controversial nature of your own persona?
A. It seems to me now a shocking commentary on the press of our time, that my overnight headline status actually pushed the hydrogyen-bomb tests at Eniwetok right off the front pages.

Q. Your ground breaking sex change climaxed a life as a long-suffering, sexually confused youth who chose to end his unhappiness by becoming a woman. Any comment?
A.Nature made a mistake, which I corrected.

Q. It must have been quite a struggle for you, both before and after the surgery. Any regrets?
A. One has to struggle, sometimes, to achieve a goal. But, looking back, the struggle was nothing considering the personal satisfaction I received.

Q. You have certainly had many highlights in your outstanding career of international fame, as a dazzling Las Vegas entertainer. You met many of the world’s outstanding personalities, including Truman Capote, Judy Garland, Walter Winchell and Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey. You were "banned" from performing in Boston, won the title of "Woman of the Year” and served as the first public spokesperson for transgenderism in the era preceding the sexual revolution of the 1960s. Despite your many critics in the press, you certainly have a right to be proud of your many accomplishments. Are you?
A. I am proud, looking back, that I was on the street corner when the movement started. We may not have started it, but we gave it a good, swift kick in the pants.