Gerda Wegener's lesbian art

[johanna_hypatia]

The Danish artist Lili Elbe, the first person to get sex reassignment surgery, is about to become more famous when the film The Danish Girl is released, starring Nicole Kidman as Lili. Her wife Gerda Gottlieb Wegener (1886-1940), also a Danish artist, stands to become better known in the queer art world. Especially for her 1920s pictures of women

Comments

[invisione]

We're definitely going to see that!

[johanna_hypatia]

Charlize Theron as Gerda.
Can't wait!

[cmcmck]

Ah! Glad you know about Lili. She was, of course, the first in modern historical terms and led the way for all of us- yet she is hardly known. Everyone has heard of Hedy Jo Starr and Christine Jorgensen in the US and April Ashley and Roberta Cowell here in the UK and perhaps even Coccinelle in France, but not Lili Elbe. I wrote a brief history of Lili for the LGBT history month website here some years ago. She has always fascinated me :o)

Yet AGAIN they choose to give a trans role to a cis woman! Sigh! It's as wrong as 'blacking up' was in an earlier generation :o(

[johanna_hypatia]

There's some thought that Lili was actually intersex and half-female bodied to begin with. In that case, I'd flip a coin...

[johanna_hypatia]

Who is Hedy Jo Starr? I'm drawing a blank.

[cmcmck]

Hedy was the actual first US woman to undergo GRS- Christine Jorgensen was the second. Hedy wasn't popular- young transitioner and continued a career as a burlesque performer and so, of course, didn't fit the patriarchal sterotypes of the times. Jorgensen fitted the sterotypes better- tough GI becomes woman and all that nonsense.

There's precious little on the web (but then nor is there on Roberta Cowell, the first English woman to undergo GRS.

Hedy did write an autobiog, entitled: 'my unique change' which you might pick up a second hand copy of somewhere like Amazon.

I guess we are all still haunted by that sterotype of young transitioner v late transitioner, having previous been in a tough 'male' job and not, having previous marriages and children and not........

[laura_seabrook]

I ought to have known that Lili was an artist, and didn't.

[laura_seabrook]

You should post this in queer_art as well.

[mysanal]

Beautiful! A little Beardsley-esque in style, which I love.