Born in 1890 in Kansas, #AlanLHart was raised in a family that accepted his gender expression from childhood, though he was assigned female at birth. Raised by a blended family with his mother, stepfather, and grandparents, his grandparents’ obituaries even listed Alan as a grandson, despite attitudes of the time (and even some today). Even at school, teachers and school officials permitted Hart to write articles under his chosen name rather than what was stated on his birth certificate.
After attending medical school and finding it disappointing that his degree was under the name listed on his birth certificate rather than his chosen name, Hart worked briefly in Philadelphia for a short while presenting as female before devoting himself wholly to researching the causes and stopping the spread of tuberculosis. Hart was able to conclude that tuberculosis was the root cause of several illnesses and used X-rays to conduct lung screenings to stop the spread of the disease. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Hart traveled throughout Idaho and Connecticut to conduct early screenings. His research helped cut down the infection rate of tuberculosis drastically throughout the nation.
As an adult and during his medical career, Hart began the process of transitioning, which made this the first documented transition in the United States. By 1918, his surgeries were complete and he legally changed his name. Throughout the 1920s and into the 1940s, Hart was also able to take hormone therapy to continue the transition.
Along with a medical career, Hart also established a second career as a fiction writer, completing many short stories and several novels as well.
He died in 1962 and all his personal letters and effects were burned, in accordance with his wishes. He was incorrectly noted as a famous lesbian by some scholars, though this assertion was fought by several others and even his second wife, Edna Ruddick Hart.
#LGBTQIA #PrideMonth #YouCannotEraseUs
Legends of Pride 