Profiles of Transgender Courage: Christine Jorgensen

Christine Jorgensen was an American, actress, nightclub singer, and transwoman. She was born May 30, 1926, as George William Jorgensen Jr. She was drafted into the U.S. Army during WWII and after serving attended several schools where she learned about sex-reassignment surgery. In 1951, she traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark and received special permission to receive a series of surgical procedures that started in 1951.

Shortly after her return to the United States, her transition made the front page of The New York Daily News and became an instant celebrity. She used this notoriety as a way to reach out to both advocate for and educate the community, about transpeople and the struggles they faced. She was well known for her wit and direct manner of speaking. She even once demanded an apology from then Vice-President Spiro Agnew for referring to another politician as "the Christine Jorgensen of the Republican Party", a request he refused.

 Jorgensen presented herself to the public as a transgender spokesperson. She influenced other transgender people to change their names and their gender marker on their birth certificates. Christine Jorgensen's case is significant because it challenged the scientific community's definition of sex and how it correlates to gender. This led to changing the definition of sexuality. The topic was complicated overall, as doctors tried to define and reclassify sexuality, but that did not come easily. For example, doctors tried to distinguish transsexuality from transvestism and homosexuality, but at the same time also tried to decontextualize them to make it simpler for people to understand. Traditional gender norms were questioned, and Jorgensen reinforced what it meant to be a woman despite her original sexuality. She took on the notions of femininity. She saw herself as a founding member in what became known as the "sexual revolution".

After her transition was complete, Jorgensen planned to marry John Traub, but later called off the engagement. In 1959 she announced her engagement to typist Howard J. Knox. However, the couple was unable to obtain a marriage license because Jorgensen's birth certificate listed her as male. The New York Times noted in a report about the broken engagement that Knox had lost his job in Washington, D.C. when his engagement to Jorgensen became known by the public.

Jorgensen also worked as an actress and nightclub entertainer and recorded several songs. She played Madame Rosepettle in the play Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad. One of her acts included singing the song, "I Enjoy Being a Girl", and at the end made a quick change into a Wonder Woman costume.She performed at Freddy's Supper Club in Manhattan until at least 1982, she performed twice in the Hollywood area: once at the Backlot Theatre, near the discothèque Studio One, and later at The Frog Pond restaurant. This performance was recorded and has been made available as an album on iTunes. In 1984, Jorgensen returned to Copenhagen to perform her show and was featured in Teit Ritzau's Danish transsexual documentary film Paradiset er ikke til salg (Paradise Is Not for Sale). Jorgensen was the first and only known transwoman to perform at Oscar's Delmonico Restaurant in downtown New York.

Jorgensen died in 1989 of bladder and lung cancer, shortly before turning 63. Before her death she stated she had given the sexual revolution a "good swift kick in the pants" Her ashes were scattered off Dana Point, California. In 2012 Jorgensen was inducted into the Legacy Walk, an outdoor public display which celebrates LGBT history and people. You can read more about her in her book, Christine Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography.