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Transness in the Late 19th Century
Our project discusses the lives and legacies of Frances Thompson and Lizzie Montgomery, two Black transgender women, and Ellis Glenn, a white gender-bending individual who were each uniquely targeted by local newspapers for their gender identities and/or presentation between the years 1866 to 1899. By analyzing the rhetoric used to describe them, we expose how transness (or the state of being trans) has been portrayed as a threat to the fabric of post-Civil War Southern society, especially in regards to the politics of race, gender, and disability. In addition, we relate the coverage of Frances, Lizzie, and Ellis to modern news coverage of transgender topics and people.