"We Too Deserve a Place in the Sun": The Politics of Transvestite Identity in Weimar Germany

Cross-dressing took on new political meanings in Germany's Weimar Republic, with the emergence of organizations and periodicals aimed at promoting the interests of self-identified "transvestites." This new sexological category, developed by Magnus Hirschfeld in 1910, formed the basis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:German studies review 2012-05, Vol.35 (2), p.335-354
Main Author: Sutton, Katie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
19th century
20th century
Argumentation
Berber languages
Bourgeois culture
Cross-dressers
Cultural identity
Drugs
Emancipation
Female homosexuality
Females
Gender identity
German language
Hirschfeld, Magnus (1868-1935)
History
Homosexuality
Homosexuals
Identification
Identity
Immigrants
Language culture relationship
Male homosexuality
Medical research
Middle class
Personality
Police
Political activism
Political identity
Politics
Prostitution
Respect
Sexology
Sexuality
Social classes
Social identity
Social integration
Social movements
Space
Spouses
Stereotypes
Studies
Television
Tourism
Transgender persons
Transsexualism
Transvestism
Weimar Republic
Women
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Summary:Cross-dressing took on new political meanings in Germany's Weimar Republic, with the emergence of organizations and periodicals aimed at promoting the interests of self-identified "transvestites." This new sexological category, developed by Magnus Hirschfeld in 1910, formed the basis for a shared sense of identity and belonging among individuals who identified as members of the "opposite" sex. Drawing on the experiences of the homosexual emancipation movement and discourses of bourgeois respectability, middle-class transvestites came together to demand legal and social recognition, including acknowledgement of "transsexual" desires. Their efforts represent a critical but forgotten moment in the history of transgender political activism.
ISSN:0149-7952
2164-8646
2164-8646
DOI:10.1353/gsr.2012.a478043