Trans Social Justice Advocates of the 19th Century

Dr. Ardel Haefele-Thomas

Stevenson 101
8:30 AM

Haefele-Thomas is the author of Introduction to Transgender Studies (2019), which is the first introductory book to the field of study in the world. They will be exploring the work and lasting effects of two 19th-century trans social justice advocates: Dr. James Miranda Barry and Frances Thompson. Barry was a groundbreaking British medical reformer in South Africa who navigated the "public secret" of his gender history. Frances Thompson, a freed slave, was part of a group of African American women who stood up against violence done to her and her community in South Memphis Tennessee. Haefele-Thomas is also the co-author with Aaron Devor of Transgender: A Reference Book (2019) and chairs the LGBT Studies Department at City College of San Francisco. They are also training to compete in the non-binary trans category at the LGBT International Powerlifting Competition held annually in Blackpool, England.