Spectrum Spotlight
7 Famous Transgender People From History You Can Mention Next Time Someone Says ‘Trans is a Trend’
The famous transgender people featured in this list are featured because they made a stir, in one way or another. Amazing trans people have existed probably as long as human societies have existed. Only its not always something that we find out about, being as its not really anyone's business but their own. The fact of the matter is, the only ones we can remember are the ones who came out or were outed, this list contains a small number of these bad-ass people who prove that trans isn't a trend. Trigger warning: Some of the source material contains triggering language. History and historians themselves can be quite transphobic. 1. Eleanor Rykener The oldest entry on this list, Eleanor Rykener. Records exist for this Eleanor from 625 years ago but its not clear when she was born. In 1394, she was arrested in London for prostitution and sodomy. There is not a lot of information about her since she lived such a long time ago, but this is what we do know: She presented female and worked as an embroiderer and a barmaid (typically only jobs held by women) as well as a sex worker. She had relationships with men and women, but mostly men. Eleanor’s identity has been erased or categorised by cis/het historians who refer to her male name being used on some court documents. As if medieval court clerks are above dead-naming. These boneheads claim that she was a straight man who cross-dressed for work. The mind boggles at how they can reach that conclusion when she clearly was not cis and presented female for the trial (and her life). So in the interests of un-erasure she tops our list, and you should spread the word about her too. 2. Alan L. Hart Alan L. Hart was a pioneering radiologist, physician and tuberculosis researcher. His greatest work was arguably when he discovered that x-rays could be used to detect tuberculosis, saving countless lives worldwide. He attended medical school while presenting female but transitioned soon after. While working as a doctor at at a hospital in Oregon he was recognised by one of his former classmates who outed him and he was forced to leave. This was not the only time this happened to Alan, and it began to take its toll on him. Writing in his novel The Undaunted about a character called Sandy Farquhar, he wrote: "He had been driven from place to place, from job to job, for fifteen years because of something he could not alter any more than he could change the color of his eyes. Gossip, scandal, rumor always drove him on." He was also one of the first recorded trans men to receive gender affirming surgery in the US. 3. Lucy Hicks Anderson Lucy Hicks Anderson was one of the earliest recorded demonstrators for marriage equality. She was born in 1886 in Kentucky. As a young child she told her parents she wanted to be a girl and go by Lucy. They took her to the family doctor who told them to respect her choices and so she transitioned with their full support. When she was older she moved to California and married a man called Clarence Hicks and they operated a brothel together. They divorced in 1929 and she later married a soldier called Rueben Anderson who was stationed at Mitchel Field on Long Island, New York. Perjury charges were brought against her because she signed the marriage document which swore that there were ‘no legal objections’ to the marriage. Speaking to the press she said “I defy any doctor in the world to prove that I am not a woman. I have lived, dressed, acted just what I am, a woman.” Sadly she was found guilty of perjury and later she was convicted of fraud because she cashed cheques she received from the government as the wife of a US soldier. 4. Charley Parkhurst Charley Parkhurst, also known as One-Eyed-Charley was a famous American Rancher in the 1800s. He was born and raised in an orphanage in New England but he ran away and changed his name before he turned 18. As many aspirational Americans did, he followed the Gold Rush out West and built a reputation as one of the greatest stage coach drivers running over Mt. Madonna on the West Coast. He gained his nickname 'One-Eyed-Charley' after he was kicked in the left eye by a horse that had been startled by a rattlesnake. Charley was only outed after his death. 5. Sir Lady Java Sir Lady Java who's still active today, rose to fame in the 1960’s as an entertainer and exotic dancer renowned for her perfect hourglass shape. Born in 1943 she transitioned at an early age with the support of her mother and began dancing and singing in local nightclubs. In her twenties she moved to Los Angeles and became associated with stars like Redd Foxx, Sammy Davis Jr. and Richard Pryor. She was performing at Redd Foxx’s famous club and it’s rumoured that her and Davis Jr. were a couple for a while. In 1967 the LAPD began shutting down Java’s famous performances citing a local law prohibiting "impersonation, by means of costume or dress, a person of the opposite sex.” In response she picketed the club and hired the American Civil Liberties Union to overturn the ruling. Eventually it was overturned in 1969 after a separate dispute with another party but she was instrumental in this change. 6. Chevalier d’Eon Chevalier d’Eon was an 18th century, French spy, diplomat and soldier. She had the genius idea to disguise her transgender identity, by coming out as transgender... Bear with us it will make sense soon. In 1728 D'Éon was born at the Hôtel d'Uzès in Tonnerre, Burgundy, into a poor noble family. Assigned male at birth she excelled at school and in her military training and moved to Paris at an early age. By 35 she had been knighted and gained a law degree, published books on the French tax system and become a celebrated fencer. Following this she joined the Secret du Roi, the secret network of the kings spies and reported directly to Louis XV. After years of service, she was passed over for a promotion so she published a tell all book of the secrets of the kings spies. In her later years she applied to be assigned female at birth, stating she was assigned male only to ensure she would inherit the family estate. This genius ruse paid off and was accepted by the French and the British government - she was living in London at the time. Her gender was made official and she lived her remaining years 33 years completely free to be herself. Oh and she was still a badass fencer too. 7. Willmer ‘Little Ax” Broadnax Willmer ‘Little Ax’ was a talented gospel quartet singer in the 20th century. He was born in 1916 in Texas and was taken with music from an early age. After moving to Southern California in the mid-1940s, Wilmer and his brother, William, joined the Southern Gospel Singers. Later Willmer and William formed the Five Trumpets, they were both lead singers and Willmer was known for his powerful tenor voice. Following this he performed with the Fairfield Four and the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi before forming his own group called Little Ax and the Golden Echoes. He performed with his brother, who accepted and supported him, through his life. Willmers trans identity was discovered after his death in 1992. These incredible, famous, transgender people show that there have been people like us throughout history, out and closeted who achieved great things. We have always been here and we always will.
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How to Survive Chest Binding in the Summer - 31 Must Try Tips
Chest binding in the summer is one of the most difficult things about binding. As the hot weather starts to arrive, friends start to get excited about the sunshine and being outdoors, but for some binding folk the rising temperature can be accompanied by a total sense of dread! The dysphoria is real and so is the sweating. But don't give up hope! We’ve asked our fabulous trans and non-binary community and crowd sourced some top ideas for chest binding in the summer so you can keep cool and enjoy the summer just like everybody else. All of these great ideas were suggested by our Instagram followers. Be safe - the number one rule of binding is to listen to your body. Wearing a binder for extended periods of time can constrict the ribs and affect your ability to breathe. It is not recommended to wear a binder for more than 8 hours at a time. However if you feel short of breath at any time you should take a break and check to make sure you're wearing the correct size binder. Binding safely is the most important thing when it comes to binding. Emergency sports bra - If binding becomes too much, swap your binder for a high impact sports bra for a few hours. Check out this blog for tips on gender neutral sports bras. Drink lots of water - Binding + hot weather = sweat! Balance out the water you lose through sweating by drinking lots throughout the day. You could also have an electrolyte-replacing drink as well for maximum hydration. Bonus tip - if you want to deepen your voice, drink room temperature water, cold water can tighten the muscles in your throat. Baby Powder - you can apply baby powder to the area where your binder covers before putting it on to absorb sweat and moisture so you don't feel sticky and itchy. Apply anti-perspirant under your binder so you can reduce sweating. Midday cold shower - If its possible take a 20 minute cold shower in the middle of the day. You can clean the sweat off yourself and cool yourself down for the afternoon’s activities. Wash your binder - Yes an obvious point but its worth mentioning. Sweating more means your binder gets dirtier much faster. If you can afford another binder, summer is the time to get it, so you don't have to go without while your waiting for yours to dry. Spectrum Outfitters recommends washing your binder below 40 to make sure the elasticity is not reduced. Stretch - Important whenever you're binding but especially in the summer, longer days and busy weekends can mean you're binding for longer than you're supposed to. Take time to stretch and feel your body. Don't push yourself too hard. This video has some examples of chest binder stretches you could try. Baggy tops - popular all year round for many trans masculine/non-binary people for their figure hiding skills, baggy tops also have the added bonus of allowing airflow close to your skin, helping you to stay cooler and drier. Just make sure you’re wearing a breathable fabric. Make sure your binder is swim safe - When a binder gets wet it reduces the elasticity of the fabric which can mean that you could injure yourself or suffer from breathing issues. Our binders are made to adapt to the environment and move with your body (we actually use the same fabric as the 2012 olympic athlete uniforms designed by Stella McCartney). So they are swim safe. For more information you can check out our FAQs Can’t afford a swim safe binder? - swimming costumes have the added benefit of kind of pushing your chest down due to their elasticity. For smaller chested people, teaming it with a thick t-shirt can be enough to give a flat appearance, especially if you're in the water. Denim (jean) jackets - Ok so yes denim is a thick material and its not very breathable, but it is very stiff. So if you're someone who uses layering to create a more masculine shape this can be achieved with just a sleeveless denim jacket over a vest. Muscle tanks - let your underarms breathe and hide the shape of your hips with a cool muscle tank, or make your own from one of your t-shirts. Support the trans community with one of these, a portion of the profits goes towards funding surgeries for trans people who need financial assistance. Linen - A staple summer fabric. Linen is the OG of breathability and it doesn't stick to you when you get too hot. Plus a linen shirt looks classy as hell. You can also wear linen shorts or trousers to keep the rest of you cool. Button down shirts - Short sleeved if possible! If you take one in a larger size with wide shoulders you can hide the shape of your chest pretty well without a binder and hopefully not feel too dysphoric. BE LOUD! - Loud prints like Hawaiian shirts or tie-dye confuse the eye. Its harder to distinguish the pattern of the fabric and the shape of the chest so you could ditch a couple of your usual layers. Layer - Ok so some layers aren't too bad. A loose tank top and a short sleeved open shirt can create a lot of room in the shoulder area to take the eyes away from your chest. Just make sure neither layer is too thick. Freeze - you can buy thin fridge cool packs or eye cooling masks or you can freeze hand warmers and slide them in under your binder. Button up shirts - Short sleeved of course. If you take a size larger and choose one with wide shoulders it can hide your chest quite well and you wont overheat too much. Move to Antartica - Ok so thats a bit drastic but we like the logic. How about skipping your usual hot summer holiday to Spain or Greece and visit somewhere cooler. Remember its winter in the southern hemisphere! If you're worried about travel you can check out the transgender holidays service from of Out of Office. They have a specialist team who take the stress out of travelling when trans/non-binary. Don’t bind and fly - Speaking of summer holidays, did you know you shouldn't wear your binder while you fly? The high altitude means your lungs and ribs expand and you could end up hurting yourself if you're wearing a binder which restricts this. If it helps, everyone looks like shit on a plane so relax! Don’t be scared to show a bit of your binder - most people have no idea what a binder is, so if they see a bit of something poking out they are just going to assume its a vest top or something else, and that is if they notice at all. Make a statement - Be bold and show off your binder! The world needs to see more trans bodies, if you feel safe and confident to do so then why not flaunt it! Check out our red, blue and purple binders for a pop of colour. No one who matters cares - Ok so that sounds a bit negative, but what it means is, if someone cares about you, they wont mind at all that they can see your binder, and if they do mind, they don't really matter. Go nude - Ok but not really. Everyone is different and if you really are uncomfortable showing your binder you can opt for a nude binder. Check out our cream, honey and mocha binders that you can wear under whatever and be stealth, if thats your priority. Fans - Channel your inner JVN with a fabulous fan to keep you cool and look windswept and interesting. We love this cheeky fan from Firebox. Spray it - Use a spray bottle, one for perfume or watering the plants (not something which used to contain harsh chemicals) and spray yourself with water. Sometimes the simplest method is the most effective. Check out these water/misting bottles. Big sports Jerseys - the cut of this type of shirt can help people hide their chest, and the colours can distract from that area, plus you can support your team at the same time. Be strategic with your plans - get out during the morning or the evening when it is cooler. Obviously this isn't possible every day but you could move Sundays BBQ to 6pm instead of 3pm. Don't do things you don't want to - Your friends want to go swimming at the lake but you don't feel comfortable showing that much skin or don't have a swim safe binder? Too hot to sunbathe in the park with your friends in your binder? That is completely fine. Don't feel obliged to do what you don't feel comfortable. If you want to stay inside where it is cool, you do you! Find it hard to say no? This article has some great tips for saying no to friends. Hang out with understanding people - Try to spend time with people who see you as you, it can help with dysphoria if you have to take your binder off when you're too hot. If you need more friends who get you, you could try local sports or swimming clubs which are specifically LGBTQIA+ inclusive Got any more tips or tricks for the summer? Please comment them below and share your wisdom and help somebody else out.
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5 Ways to Feel Comfortable at the Gym if You're Trans or Non-Binary
This is a guest post by Sam Barnes, a transgender fitness trainer and online coach. I know from personal experience that the gym can feel like a minefield for trans and non-binary people. The changing rooms and clothing are only a couple of the struggles you can face when wanting to begin working out. Here are my top tips on making yourself feel more comfortable in the gym. 1. Get Changed At Home The biggest reason I hear for trans and non-binary people not wanting to go to the gym is because of the changing rooms. It can be difficult for all of us, particularly if you are pre any kind of hormones or surgery. My best piece of advice is to simply change at home. It’s very rare that I need to get changed in the gym as I always go straight from home in the morning. Once I’m done I go home for a shower and change there. However, I know this isn’t possible for everybody. For example I know some people can only get to the gym straight after work, so my advice is to choose the changing room you feel most comfortable using and use a toilet cubicle instead of getting changed in front of everyone. Then you can put your stuff in a locker, workout and then go home to shower. 2. Clothing I’ve found a comment I get quite regularly on my workout videos is “can I workout in a binder?” and it’s not really something I would recommend. When you work out, whether that’s running or lifting weights, your body requires more oxygen than normal. If you have a binder pushing down on your ribs, you’re limiting the amount of oxygen that can get in to your vital organs. This could result in some serious damage. Even with the amazing binders that are on the market nowadays, I’d still use them to workout in with caution. Before I had top surgery I would workout in a sports bra, t-shirt and put a sleeveless hoodie over the top. Was it great at making my chest look flat? Not really, but it’s definitely your safest option. Save your binder for outside of the gym. 3. Take A Friend The first time I went to the gym I was 14 and absolutely petrified. None of my friends were interested in working out at the time so I took my dad with me. It can feel quite intimidating at first so having someone there with you to help you out and keep you focused on having a good time is definitely something to consider. It’s even better if you go with someone who knows what they’re doing in the gym, as they can help you out and maybe even set you up with a workout plan. 4. Go Steady At First I guarantee you’ve thought about going to the gym before but not wanted to because you aren’t sure what to do when you get there. You’ll probably feel like everybody at the gym has it all worked out and you don’t, so keep it simple! Hop on a treadmill for a few minutes or just do a couple of bodyweight exercises. Don’t feel like you need to be in there for an hour on your first day. Keep it nice and simple, watch plenty of online exercise form guides and throw a few more exercises into your workouts each time. 5. Workout However You Want To If you Google anything exercise related, you’ll undoubtedly find a million results on people trying to tell you what the best rep scheme, training type or workout length is. Want to know what the best type of training is in my opinion? One that you’ll stick to. It’s all very well planning a 6 day bodybuilding split, but if you can only get to the gym 3 days a week and would rather train circuits, it will never work. Yes, there are always going to be optimal training styles, reps and lengths but ultimately you should train however you want to. This is going to increase your likelihood of committing to the plan, enjoying yourself and feeling more at home within a gym environment. Don’t let anybody tell you your training style is wrong if you’re staying safe and having a good time! Those are my top tips on making yourself comfortable at the gym. All it takes is that first push to get yourself in there and I guarantee you’ll feel more at home every time you go.
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Top 5 Mistakes Trans And Non-Binary People Make When Trying to Build a Physique
This is a guest post by Sam Barnes a trans coach and trainer. I started working out at the age of 14. At this point in my life, I wasn’t even out as Transgender and the gym was a seriously daunting place to me, as it is to so many people like me. Which is why I wanted to write this series and take away some of that anxiety. There are some things you pick up pretty quickly in a gym and other things that take time for you to learn. Here’s my guide to the top 5 mistakes I and other trans/non-binary people have made when trying to build a physique and how to correct them. 1. 80% Nutrition, 20% Working Out You’ve probably heard this quote before and it’s something I hear myself saying a lot (probably too much!). People seriously underestimate the power of nutrition. You can get away with having a poor workout plan if you have a good understanding of nutrition. But you can’t get away with having a good workout plan and a bad understanding of nutrition. The workout is important, but the nutrition is vital. Not eating correctly was probably my biggest mistake when I first started out. I thought being consistent in the gym would be enough. Take the time to learn about calories and macros. Macros are the building blocks of the body and shouldn’t be overlooked. To put it simply, if you want to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit and if you want to gain weight and build muscle you need to be in a calorie surplus. This is pretty easy to work out. Take your bodyweight in lbs. and times it by 15. This is known as your maintenance level. If you eat this number of calories everyday you will stay at the exact same weight as you are now. Want to gain weight and build muscle? Add on an extra 300 calories. Want to lose weight? Take off 300 calories. Depending on how much you gain/ lose you might need to keep on adjusting the number. A good way to tell if you’re losing or gaining weight at the correct rate is to use this basic formula – Try and aim for a loss of 1-2 lbs. per week when cutting Try to gain 1-2 lbs. per month when bulking After you’re used to counting calories you can move into the world of macros… 2. Should I Bulk Or Cut? As a personal trainer this is a question I find myself answering most days. If you’re not sure what these two things are, “bulking” means to build muscle and a “cut” is when you lose weight and drop body fat. For me, the answer to this mainly comes down to your current body fat level. If you have a body fat level that is higher than 20-25%, you should look at cutting. If you have a body fat level of below that, look at beginning a bulk. Figuring out your body fat level is easy if you know how. If you go to a gym, the chances are there is a body analysis machine tucked away somewhere. If you have one of these, it should give you the answer. Another way to find out your body fat level is to hire a personal trainer to take the measurements for you using a set of callipers. If that sounds a bit much right now, look at buying a set of weighing scales that have a body fat function. They’re not always the most accurate but it’s better than nothing. People (particularly pre-t trans people) seem to fear the thought of bulking. I’ve dealt with a lot of clients now who have spent time cutting down, only to feel helpless when they’re still “skinny”. If you’re in a calorie deficit the only thing you’re going to do is lose body fat. To build muscle you have to be in a calorie surplus. Cutting down when you don’t have much muscle mass is only going to leave you looking smaller. You need to look at bulking. If you’re pre-t your first thought is probably “I’m going to gain a ton of weight on my hips”. Yes, when you bulk you will add on some body fat. This is impossible to avoid. However, how much body fat you gain all comes down to how carefully you bulk. If you start eating 10 doughnuts a day and call it bulking, you’ll probably add on more fat than necessary. Keep within your planned calorie limit and you should see some muscle gain with a small helping of extra body fat (on the plus side it keeps you warmer in the winter!). 3.Turn The Volume Up Don’t start training arms once a week and wonder why you’re not looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger. You need to add in volume! I’m talking about a bare minimum of two gym sessions per week, ideally 4 and if you can do 6 then you’re on to a winner (yeah, it is a lot, so build up to it slowly!). Its important to be working out every muscle group in your body. This isn’t just arms and chest. Make sure you’re training your shoulders, back and legs. Do not skip leg day! Keep the rep ranges no lower than ten. Ideally do everything for 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps. Cramming in plenty of volume is going to contribute heavily to muscle growth. Keep a good focus on your form and make sure you’re focusing on that mind to muscle connection. Feel the stretch and focus on working the muscle. Only add on more weight when you’ve got the form nailed. 4.You Can’t Be Me And I Can’t Be You Having inspirations is a really important aspect to getting fit. Whether it’s your favourite bodybuilder or social media influencer, watching what they do and aspiring to create healthy changes like them is a really positive thing that I encourage my clients to find. However, trying to attain their exact physique is not only unrealistic, it’s also unhealthy. There is a reason nobody else’s physique is exactly like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Why? Because there’s only one Arnold. There is only one me and there is only one you. I can’t gain your physique and you can’t gain mine. This all comes down to genetics and even though I could go out and build 18” arms like my favourite bodybuilders, my arms will never look exactly like theirs, because their arms will never look exactly like mine. Have inspirations but never try to become someone else. You are you. 5. Patience I’ve saved the most important point until last. Patience. If you come to me expecting to build a solid physique in 10 weeks, I’ll tell you straight, it’s not going to happen. It takes years and years to build a muscular physique. My favourite quote ever is “if it was easy, everyone would be doing it”. You can have the best intentions but if you’re not prepared to put in the work, you aren’t going to reach your goals. This goes for anything in life, not just the gym. Learn to enjoy the process. Going to the gym is fun for me. It’s not the physique side of things that motivates me; it’s my pure love of working out. Find what motivates you and use it to push you. Keep the patience and consistency up and you’ll see small changes within a few months. So those are my top 5 mistakes trans people make when trying to build their physique. Making mistakes when working out and dieting isn’t necessarily a bad thing. By making mistakes we learn how to not make them again. Find what works for you and get to work! This is a guest post by Sam Barnes a trans coach and trainer. Check out his website www.sambarneslifestyle.co.uk
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