True Sex
True Sex: The Lives of Trans Men at the Turn of the 20th Century is a collection of primary source narratives compiled into a book that explores the diverse experiences of trans men at the turn of the 20th century. More specifically, Emily Skidmore, author of True Sex, takes a dive into the untold stories of trans men who lived quiet and relatively "normal" lives which contrasted with the dominant view of trans persons vocally pioneering against gender social "norms." While some trans narratives include very public spectacles of challenging gender expression, identity, and representation, many trans men sought out a quiet existence by assuming the traditionally proscribed gender role of "man." In this paper, I argue that Emily Skidmore is challenging the dominant view of trans persons by illustrating that there were indeed many trans people, particularly trans men, who simply wanted to exist as their authentic gender identity without overt objection to social "norms."
To contextualize these narratives, it's important to note that Americans were expressing a fascination with gender as a fluid expression, this was also heavily influenced by other intersections such as class, race, and sexuality. Skidmore notes that during the 1870s to 1930s there were at least 65 cases of transgender persons being covered.[1] The story of trans men at the time was much "queerer" in that trans persons were not only on the coast and metropolitan locations challenging views of gender, but also quietly living in the interior of the nation peacefully going about their business. The trope of the transgender urban rebel, though at times accurate, was not the only experience of trans persons in America in that they didn't seek to overturn normative gender roles, but rather assimilate into them as authentically as possible. Skidmore demonstrates this by noting multiple examples. For instance, Skidmore wrote that during her research that when ". . . mixed-race Milwaukee resident Ralph Kerwineo's 'true sex' was revealed in 1914, the local papers were full of testimonies attesting to how conventional Kerwineo's life as a man had been."[2] Like many other trans men, Kerwineo's presence in the community had been that of a normative and positive member of the community. His neighbor Joseph Traudt told the Evening Wisconsin, "In the neighborhood it was frequently remarked what a nice married couple [Kerwineo and his wife] were. After having seen the 'husband' help his 'wife' across a muddy street, my mother said to me: 'How nice he is to his wife.'"[3] Trans men like Kerwineo have shown that the nation's views of gender were incomplete as many trans men went about their lives quietly unnoticed and unpublicized.
Another important point in True Sex is that trans men during this time often sought to live in small towns in rural areas. Most queer studies have centered on large cities and urban environments through a "metronormative" lens. By looking into the lives of trans men in rural areas, Skidmore is challenging the dominant narrative of metronormativity in queer studies. Urban queer studies functions as just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the larger view of queer narratives. The approach of trans men quietly assimilating into small towns and trying to "pass as men" illustrates that not all trans men were hardcore activists seeking to overturn the system. Skidmore also aptly made her point by showing that there was a discrepancy between what was being published in local papers compared to national headlines. Particularly in the case of Kerwineo, in his hometown he was depicted as a man who "led an exemplary life while posing as a man."[4] He was not granted the same consideration in commentary in national papers. It is possible that those trans men who were exposed were made out to be gender deviant activists, while their hometown would tell a much different story. In her words, "By highlighting the distinctions between local and national iterations of stories about trans men, True Sex explores the ways that local communities negotiated with national discourse in order to forge their own boundaries of social membership."[5] This demonstrates that the "queer" narrative needs to include both local and national perspectives to get a more comprehensive account of what is occurring, as Skidmore demonstrated.
Another one of Skidmore's points in her book was to demonstrate that trans men were not necessarily as "queer" as people might imagine—that is to suggest that trans persons, especially trans men, were not as dissenting or nonnormative as some would assume; many of them were specifically accepted into society because they adopted U.S. male standards.
The stories of trans men that she explores also take readers into a new frontier of "homosexual" relationships. This period marked a new awareness of the fact that two persons with similar reproductive anatomy and genitalia were living as a "homosexual" couple, though homosexuality may not be an accurate term for what trans men and their wives were experiencing. This dives into thoughts that challenge sexuality, embodiment, and gender identity. This is illustrated in two cases in the book: (1) Joseph Lobdell and (2) Frank Dubois. Skidmore notes that these two trans men gained attention in the newspaper in the 1870s and 1880s. Lobdell was the first individual to be referred to as a "lesbian" in an American publication. Dubois was the last person to be referred to as a "female husband" in mainstream mass circulated media.[6] Skidmore has demonstrated through primary sources that the nation was grappling with both diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, but in a quiet, maybe even, subversive way that was likely not thought of in the "metronormative" view of trans persons.
In closing, True Sex includes narratives of trans men in the 20th century which offer an unexpected perspective of trans identities. Many of these men sought normative lives in small towns, in which their communities seemed to be accepting of them—ignorantly or not. Skidmore demonstrates her points by using primary resources to show the difference between urban and rural views. Her work shows that the rural areas may not have been as socially repressive as one might assume. In a town where normality and familiarity define credibility, small towns could be a welcoming environment where trans men could lead "normal" lives in a community that accepted them so long as their expressions and behaviors were "normal." For someone who has actively studied the queer community, Skidmore's work has challenged my own perceptions of the history of trans persons and broadened my understanding of what it means to be "queer."
Notes and Citations
[1] Emily Skidmore, "True Sex: The Lives of Trans Men at the Turn of the 20th Century," (New York: New York University Press, 2017), 2.
[2] Ibid., 3.
[3] Ibid., 3.
[4] Ibid., 7.
[5] Ibid., 7.
[6] Ibid., 11.
