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Transvestite pass

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Tranvestite certificates issued toGerd Katterin 1928. Left was issued by Magnus Hirschfeld'sInstitut für Sexualwissenschaft;right was issued by the Berlin Police.

Atransvestite pass(German:Transvestitenschein) was a doctor's note recognized by the governments ofImperial Germanyand theWeimar Republic,under the support of sexologistMagnus Hirschfeld,identifying a person as atransvestite.Transvestiteat this time referred to all individuals whosegender identityor preferred clothing was discordant to that associated with theirassigned sex,and so included bothcross-dressingandtransgenderpeople.[1]As gender-confirming surgery was only an emerging practice in the early 20th century, obtaining aTransvestitenschein,along with an official name change, represented the maximum extent to which many trans individuals could transition.[2]

History

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Herbert W. (left) was a transgender friend ofMagnus Hirschfeld(not pictured) and lived for two years in Berlin under his chosen name. This photo is from Hirschfeld'sSexual Intermediates(1922).

In early 20th-century Germany,cross-dressingwas not inherently illegal.[3]However, those who defied societal gender norms throughcross-dressingrisked facing legal consequences, such as arrest and charges related to public outrage and disturbances.[3]Magnus Hirschfeldplayed a pivotal role in assisting individuals navigate these challenging situations by helping them obtain police documents regarding their clothing choices to establish their "objective"sexual identity.[3]Hirschfeld was the one who submitted reports to the police as evidence in support of obtaining a transvestite pass for his patients.[3]Hirschfeld's efforts contributed to the transformation of this pass into a more specific permit that would be recognized on the basis of state legitimacy, particularly during theWeimar Republic.[3]

In either 1908 or 1909, the first known transvestite pass was issued to afemale-to-maletransvestite known as Katharina T. Katharina was denied a name change based on legality, but was helped with getting the pass itself.[4]From 1908–1909 up until 1933, "perhaps dozens" of such transvestite passes were granted by the German police with the support and aide of Hirschfeld.[5][6]Medical assessments were also conducted with the help ofIwan Bloch.[7]These transvestite passes were mainly given to middle-class,heterosexual,male-to-femaleindividuals to avoid associations withgayandlesbianculture in Weimar Germany. The transvestite pass certificate stated that the "individual in question" was allowed to wear clothing that corresponded to theirgender identity,[1]meaning they couldcross-dressin public spaces.

Photograph ofMagnus Hirschfeld's 4th, 7th, and 6th patients, 1910.

Although passes were more widely distributed by the 1920s, name changes continued to be an issue. It was not until 1919 and 1920 that full name changes on the passes were possible, but there were still restrictions in place that limited free access to such changes.[8]

Notions of transvestism were sufficiently novel in the early twentieth century that the case of one holder of aTransvestitescheinmade international news. The case ofCountess Geraldine von Zobeltitz,a trans noblewoman fromBerlin,was reported in the 11 August 1912 issue of theAsheville Citizen-Times.[9]

Police

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As the pass gained popularity, local police departments began issuing their own version of the transvestite pass. The police version was handwritten but had a photo of the individual wearing the clothes of their chosen sex.[10]In order to get a pass, one would need a medical report from a medical professional and give it to the police, who will make the pass.[8]

In 1922, guidance issued by the police headquarters inBerlinregarding this policy stated:

"Apart frommale prostitution,transvestism in general has no criminal significance. The widespread public opinion that the disguised individuals are generally criminals in disguise (pickpockets, spies, pimps, etc.) is obsolete. With regard to the male transvestites, recent experience shows that even the formerly taken-for-granted view that men in women's clothing are all homosexuals is no longer tenable.... On the basis on this insight emerges a duty of gentle treatment [schonenden Behandlung] of transvestites, as long as they are not engaged in male prostitution.[6]"

In the years after the Nazis came to power, most of the transvestite passes were revoked, refused, or not recognized by German police forces.[11]

Since the certificates were issued by local police, some individuals encountered problems when they were traveling between police jurisdictions.[6]Certain spaces also played a role in police involvement, such as presence on the street or at a ball, if police presence was requested on a certain basis.[12]The streets or cafes were places that did not ensure freedom of movement and held different rules about gender presentation and behavior; cross-dressing and gender experience were "misunderstood" by police in many cases, especially for lower-class individuals who were targeted more than their middle and upper-class counterparts.[4]

Appearance played an important role in police actions.Cisgendermen and women were also targets of the police if their appearance was not clearly masculine or feminine or caused confusion, resulting in arrests.[4]

Magnus Hirschfeld

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Dr.Magnus Hirschfeld(right) andKarl Giese(left), 1934.

Career

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Dr.Magnus Hirschfeld(1868–1935) was a German physician,sexologist,clinician, and early homosexual rights activist. In 1919, in Berlin, Hirschfeld founded theInstitut für Sexualwissenschaft(Institute for Sexual Science), a privatesexologyresearch institute. Along with his research institute, Hirschfeld strove for legal and social reform on the basis of LGBTQ+ rights, as he felt that individuals should not be characterized as abnormal and criminalized for being sexual minorities.[13]Hirschfeld's theories and research would become theoretical precursors[14]to concepts such asnon-binary gender identityand same-sex love.[15]Hirschfeld was a firm believer that science had the ability to provide fair treatment to all.[16]This is echoed in his most famous motto:

"per scientiam ad justitiam" ( "through science to justice" )[17]

In 1910, during the Weimar period, Hirschfeld coined the term "transvestism" to describe the act ofcross-dressing.Hirschfeld did this as a way to distinguish the act ofcross-dressingfrom notions of homosexuality as well as the gay and lesbian culture inWeimar Germany.[14]

Transvestitenschein(transvestite pass)

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Karl Abraham,1920.

In 1908–1909, Hirschfeld and psychoanalystKarl Abrahamimplemented the firstTransvestitenschein(transvestite pass).[18]Hirschfeld and Abraham created the transvestite pass as a form of protection for individuals against the arrest associated with the act ofcross-dressingfrom local police authorities, as well as providing them with the ability to travel in an unimpeded manner.[19]The implementation of theTransvestitenscheinpaved the way for further progression amongst transgender rights, such as the ability for legal name change.[20]This was one of the first forms of trans recognition of state legitimacy.[20]Along with theTransvestitenschein,Hirschfeld's institute, theInstitut für Sexualwissenschaft,began offering other services for transgender individuals, such as sexual health services, includingmedical transitioning.[20]

Personal lives of individuals with the transvestite pass

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Lili Elbe,1926.

It is unknown how many people usedMagnus Hirschfield's transvestite pass.[21]Of the documented cases, most of them were given to white, middle-class transgender women.[3]The media only described a bourgeois transgender experience rather than the multitude of transgender communities at the time inWeimar Germany.[21]This influenced the lifestyles of many, as transgender patients were told to follow more middle-class values, such as not dressing too extravagantly or femininely, and not interacting with those who were outside the heterosexual norms,[21]in order to conform to the regulations needed to obtain the transvestite pass. They were expected to follow these guidelines because police were told to only arrest individuals if they thought that they were committing "gross mischief" orprostitution.[21]Many people who had transvestite passes had to distance themselves from the German LGBTQ+ community due to prejudice from both others in the transgender community as well as homophobia at that time.[22]

Lili Elbe,1930.

Whilehomosexualityandcross-dressingwere not allowed, beingtransgenderhad no official legal consequences.[22][23]For individuals who obtained the transvestite passes, there were not many reported cases where an individual transitioned fromfemale to male (FTM).The vast majority of those in possession of the transvestite pass were individuals who transitioned frommale to female (MTF).One of the only documentedtransgendermen (female to male) of the time, Katharina T, passed the first examination in the process of approval for the transvestite pass but was eventually denied the right to change their name legally.[22]It was more uncommon fortransgendermen to be given passes due to German society in the interwar period associating them with the queer community.[22]Transgenderwomen were given passes but also faced difficulties with changing their names.[22]Not much information is documented about the personal lives of the individuals who obtained the transvestite pass. However, there were famoustransgenderpeople, such asLili Elbe,who was able to successfully obtain a transvestite pass and was able to change her name legally.[22][23]Nonetheless, the post-1933 fates of individuals who had receivedHirschfeld's assistance varied significantly with the rise of theNazi Regime.[24]Thus, the transvestite pass illustrates the evolving legal and societal attitudes towards the act ofcross-dressing,gender identity,and transgender rights inWeimar Germany.[23]

Post-Weimar period

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When the Nazis came to power in 1933, German police stopped recognizing and providing passes. The police also revoked the passes of people who already had them, and in some instances, the pass was used to identify people to send to concentration camps.[11]One example of this isLiddy Bacroff,who received a pass in 1928. After 1933, she had several encounters with the local police until they sent her to the Mauthausten concentration camp, where she died in 1943.[25]Another example is that of Gerd Kuppe, whose pass was revoked in 1933, and in 1938, he was sent to a concentration camp; however, he was released a few months later.[25]In September of 1939, Alex. S. petitioned the government to have his birth register changed from female to male. This was denied, and Alex ended up on a Nazi watchlist. This led to him losing his transvestite pass.[3]

In the post-war era, the pass fell into obscurity but did see some use up until the late 1950s in places like West and East Berlin. These passes were issued by the police, and like in pre-Nazi Germany, they had a picture of the individual wearing the clothes of their chosen gender. However, these passes stopped being issued in the 1960s.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abGershon, Livia (18 November 2018)."Gender Identity in Weimar Germany".JSTOR Daily.Archivedfrom the original on 19 July 2019.Retrieved19 July2019.
  2. ^Nunn, Zavier (August 2023) Trans Liminality and the Nazi State, Past & Present, Volume 260, Issue 1, 123–157,doi:10.1093/pastj/gtac018.
  3. ^abcdefgCaplan, Jane (2011)."The Administration of Gender Identity in Nazi Germany".History Workshop Journal.72(72): 171–180.doi:10.1093/hwj/dbr021.ISSN1363-3554.JSTOR41306843.PMID22206119.Archivedfrom the original on 24 November 2023.Retrieved20 February2024.
  4. ^abcSeifert-Gram, O. (May 2021).Transvestit Such Gedankenaustausch: The Creation and Control of Transvestite Identities in Weimar Queer Media(Masters Thesis). University of Missouri-Columbia.
  5. ^Frost, Natasha (2 November 2017)."The Early 20th-Century ID Cards That Kept Trans People Safe From Harassment".Atlas Obscura.Archivedfrom the original on 5 August 2019.Retrieved19 July2019.
  6. ^abcSutton, Katie (2012).""We Too Deserve a Place in the Sun": The Politics of Transvestite Identity in Weimar Germany ".German Studies Review.35(2): 335–354.ISSN0149-7952.JSTOR23269669.Archivedfrom the original on 29 March 2023.Retrieved8 October2022.
  7. ^Bakker, Alex; Herrn, Rainer; Taylor, Michael Thomas; Timm, Annette F. (2020).Others of My Kind: Transatlantic Transgender Histories.University of Calgary Press.ISBN978-1-77385-122-8.Archivedfrom the original on 29 January 2024.Retrieved20 February2024.
  8. ^abLinge, Ina (2023).Queer Livability: German Sexual Sciences and Life Writing.Wellcome Trust–Funded Monographs and Book Chapters. Ann Arbor (MI): University of Michigan Press.doi:10.3998/mpub.11464019.ISBN978-0-472-13306-2.PMID37276275.S2CID251417420.
  9. ^(11 August 1912). "A German Baron Now a Countess by Court Decree", 14,Asheville Citizen Times.
  10. ^abRottmann, Elisabeth (2019).Queer Home Berlin? Making Queer Selves and Spaces in the Divided City, 1945–1970.ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
  11. ^abMarhoefer, Laurie (6 June 2023)."Historians are learning more about how the Nazis targeted trans people".The Conversation.Archivedfrom the original on 7 January 2024.Retrieved19 June2023.
  12. ^Evans, Jennifer V. (2011). LifeAmong the Ruins: Cityscape and Sexuality in Cold War Berlin.Genders and Sexualities in History. Palgrave MacMillan.ISBN978-0-230-55185-5.
  13. ^Matte, Nicholas (2005)."International Sexual Reform and Sexology in Europe, 1897–1933".Canadian Bulletin of Medical History.22(2): 253–270.doi:10.3138/cbmh.22.2.253.PMID16482697.
  14. ^abSutton, Katie (1 April 2011)."The Masculine Woman in Weimar Germany: Chapter 1 —" Which One Is the Man? ": The Masulinization of Women's Fashions".JSTOR.JSTORj.ctt9qd9q4.Archivedfrom the original on 18 May 2019.Retrieved27 November2023.
  15. ^Mancini, Elena (2021).The SAGE Encyclopedia of Trans Studies: Hirschfeld, Magnus.Sage Knowledge.doi:10.4135/9781544393858.ISBN9781544393810.S2CID234950053.Retrieved27 November2023.
  16. ^Matte, Nicholas (2005)."International Sexual Reform and Sexology in Europe, 1897–1933".Canadian Bulletin of Medical History.22(2): 253–270.doi:10.3138/cbmh.22.2.253.PMID16482697.
  17. ^Matte, Nicholas (2005)."International Sexual Reform and Sexology in Europe, 1897–1933".Canadian Bulletin of Medical History.22(2): 253–270.doi:10.3138/cbmh.22.2.253.PMID16482697.
  18. ^Sutton, Katie (May 2012).""We Too Deserve a Place in the Sun": The Politics of Transvestite Identity in Weimar Germany ".German Studies Review.35(2): 335–354.doi:10.1353/gsr.2012.a478043.JSTOR23269669.Archivedfrom the original on 27 November 2023.Retrieved27 November2023.
  19. ^Sutton, Katie (May 2012).""We Too Deserve a Place in the Sun": The Politics of Transvestite Identity in Weimar Germany ".German Studies Review.35(2): 335–354.doi:10.1353/gsr.2012.a478043.JSTOR23269669.Archivedfrom the original on 27 November 2023.Retrieved20 February2024.
  20. ^abcNunn, Zavier (22 September 2022)."Trans Liminality and the Nazi State".Past & Present.pp. 123–157.doi:10.1093/pastj/gtac018.
  21. ^abcdSutton, Katie (2012).""We Too Deserve a Place in the Sun": The Politics of Transvestite Identity in Weimar Germany ".German Studies Review.35(2): 335–354.ISSN0149-7952.JSTOR23269669.Archivedfrom the original on 29 March 2023.Retrieved8 October2022.
  22. ^abcdefSutton, Katie (2012).""We Too Deserve a Place in the Sun": The Politics of Transvestite Identity in Weimar Germany ".German Studies Review.35(2): 335–354.ISSN0149-7952.JSTOR23269669.Archivedfrom the original on 29 March 2023.Retrieved8 October2022.
  23. ^abcCaplan, Jane (2011)."The Administration of Gender Identity in Nazi Germany".History Workshop Journal.72(72): 171–180.doi:10.1093/hwj/dbr021.ISSN1363-3554.JSTOR41306843.PMID22206119.Archivedfrom the original on 24 November 2023.Retrieved20 February2024.
  24. ^Holocaust, Museum of Jewish Heritage-A. Living Memorial to the (3 June 2022)."Transgender Experiences in Weimar and Nazi Germany".Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.Archivedfrom the original on 12 February 2024.Retrieved27 November2023.
  25. ^abMarhoefer, Laurie (25 August 2023)."Transgender Life and Persecution under the Nazi State: Gutachten on the Vollbrecht Case".Central European History.56(4): 595–601.doi:10.1017/S0008938923000468.ISSN0008-9389.
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