Southern Starlet | Aleshia Brevard (1937-2017)| Not Just Cistory
Aleshia Brevard was a famous actress in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, who was known for her roles in movies, plays, and television shows. She was one of the first women to receive gender-affirming surgery (then called sex reassignment surgery) in the United States from Dr. Henry Benjamin. She is also the author of two memoirs about her life as a transgender actress and woman.
When I discovered that the first ever Trans+ history week was happening from the 6th of May to the 12, I knew that I had write another blog post in my Not Just Cistory series to celebrate. I decided to research Aleishia Brevard since she was one of the first women I painted back in 2022.
There is a burgeoning list of transgender actresses playing transgender super heroes now, and it is ‘super’ inspiring to read about women like Nicole Maines, Ivory Aquino among others, and their new roles playing some absolutely fantastic characters (Rude, 2022). Representation of this caliber is still new to myself and to many others, and not something I at all take for granted.
However, there was another actress who, in the 1970s, starred in Legends of the Superheroes as Giganta, a nemesis of Wonder Woman’s who was transgender, and her name was Aleshia Brevard (IMDB).
Trans and queer representation is something that is becoming more and more common in our media. Representation in this sense means that there are characters in the media that are a part of the LGBT+ and are a part of the story. There is, of course, ‘good’ representation and ‘bad’ representation and those labels are just as subjective as anything else in this world.
Sometimes trans people themselves are considered representation, that their experiences, and lives can be a way for others to not feel so alone. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, finding community online, and in real life is a wonderful way for people to learn and grow and feel more comfortable in their own skin, but sometimes, the people who are being the representation can feel pigeon-holed into only being known as transgender.
Brevard herself discusses this in a 2013 interview with Windy City Times, saying:
I did not go through gender reassignment to be labeled transsexual. I look at that as an awkward phase that I went through—sort of like a really painful adolescence. I don't even think of myself now in terms as transsexual. That's something I experienced and [something] I was (Brevard, Waldron, 2017).
This is not an opinion, like any shared in this blog post, that is universal to the transgender community and is one that should be approached with context and nuance.
I am aware that me featuring a biographic blog post about Aleshia Brevard as part of a series called ‘Not Just Cistory; in celebration of Trans+ History Week is… ironic, to say the least. However, as always, I will try to share the story of her entire life, not just the details relating to her being transgender.
Early Life
Brevard was born in 1937 “ in Erwin, Tennessee, although she spent much of her childhood on a farm in Hartsville” (Nashville Queer History). She was aware of her desire to exist as female from an early age, saying “I would drape a white Cannon towel over my head and pretend to be [actress] Veronica Lake. But I kept all of that to myself because I truly believed that if anyone—my parents included—knew who I really was, that I would be given away” (Brevard, Waldron, 2017). She also prayed nightly to become the girl ‘she knew herself to be’ (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013).
Those around her seemed to sense her identity, and she was described as “an effeminate and artistic child. As a young child… strangers would frequently “mistake” her for a girl, or comment that she was “too pretty to be a boy.” As a colicky three-year-old, her grandfather had dressed her in a skirt with a red ribbon in her hair, christening her ‘Rosy’” (Shephard, 2017).
In 1952, while Brevard was in her teens, Christine Jorgensen’s story of her transition made national news (Shephard, 2017), and surely had to seem like a dream come true to Brevard, even if it probably seemed impossible to her.
A Life on the Stage
Brevard didn’t remain in Tennesse for much time beyond her adolescence, moving to San Fransisco at age 20, and began her work as an actress (Nashville Queer History). Her first job was as a female impersonator at the club Finnochio’s, where she was billed as a Marilyn Monroe look-alike (Brevard, Waldron, 2017).
This job was a space for the young Brevard to explore her identity as a woman. Despite her managers, and the owners of Finnochio’s promoting her as a Monroe impersonator, she insisted that she “was not doing Monroe; [she] was just learning to be [herself], and [she] was young… (Brevard, Waldron, 2017).
Aleshia was quite successful onstage as a Marilyn look-alike, so successful in fact, that in 1961 Monroe herself came to see her perform (Brevard, Waldron, 2005).
In an interview, Brevard, described this job as imperfect, stating that “the problem with Finocchio’s was that to me it did not feel like ‘impersonation'. At long last, I was presenting myself as the woman who had secretly lived sequestered away for far too many years” (Shephard). This is a theme I see in my research over and over again, spaces where traditional gender expression is not required, and it allows for freedom and personal understanding, a form of self-representation.
Transition
Brevard was introduced to Dr. Harry Benjamin, who was responsible for the gender-affirming surgery of Christine Jorgensen, through a mutual friend and Benjamin approved her for a sex-reassignment surgery, which she then underwent in 1962 (Nashville Public Library, 2019).
After her surgery,”[s]he returned to Hartsville to recover from surgery with help from her family, who were loving and accepting of her transition” (Nashville Queer History). She also took this time to transition into being a woman in all of her life beyond the stage, before venturing out into the world again (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013).
Becoming a Star
Having completed this medical component of her Transition that she had started socially years before, she decided to pursue acting as a career, once again. She initially “attended East Tennessee State University for art,” but eventually went on to “attend Middle Tennessee State University and earn a degree in theater, where she was named ‘Best Actress’ in 1967” (Nashville Queer History).
Brevard would continue to move back and forth between Appalachia, the eastern US, and California, working as a model, a stage actress, a star of the movie and television screens, even a Playboy Bunny, and in her later life, a professor (Shephard, 2017). Brevard was a woman of many talents and was able to utilize her acting skills in many mediums.
She performed in eight movies throughout this second career; The Love God, Big Foot, Hitched, The Female Bunch, Smokey and the Judge, The Man With Bogart’s Face, Hard Country, and “American Pop (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013). Brevard also acted in many television shows during her career, The Partridge Family, Night Gallery, and Legends of the Superheroes being some of them (IMDB).
When asked which of her roles were most satisfying for the actress, she mentions her theatrical roles, even noting that, in a full circle moment, she played Marilyn Monroe’s role in the stage version of The Seven Year Itch (Kowlska, 2013).
She evolved her career from acting to directing and teaching theater at East Tennessee State University, this was not an entirely planned transition, but one that came naturally to her after all of her time on stage (Brevard, Waldron, 2017). Directing was not a lesser profession for Brevard, she says that she “truly love[s] directing, perhaps more than [she] adore[d] being on stage…” (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013). This career evolution from actress to director and teacher mirrors her choice to step from being stealth to publishing two different memoirs about her transition and life as a transgender woman, which in a way, turned her into a mentor for generations of future transgender individuals.
Coming Out
Aleshia lived most of her life in stealth, meaning that she did not advertise that she was transgender. She explained that this was for multiple reasons, one being that there was no real transgender community in Hollywood at the time (Brevard, Waldron, 2017). Having a support network and community is such an important part of not just survival for Trans people, but also thriving and living within a society that is oftentimes hostile to us.
She also had concerns about her professional life that encouraged discretion and her choice to be ‘stealth’ she explained that she “just wanted to compete on equal footing with other women…. I just wanted to act without labels” (Brevard, Waldron, 2017). Choosing to not disclose her transgender identity (Though I am not sure she would have phrased it exactly like that) allowed her to be seen for her merits and skills at a time when she would not have otherwise been.
She described the common thinking for trans women of the time as “to move forward, as seamlessly as possible, easing into mainstream society to live as our authentic selves… to live among, work alongside, and compete on an equal footing with other women, including those who had been born female (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013). While it is far more common now for transgender individuals to be open about their ‘transness’ (for lack of a better term), this is a sentiment shared by many transgender individuals still today and is an intensely personal one to make regardless of the decision made.
After her career as a director, Brevard moved to California, began teaching as a high school art teacher (Can you imagine having a movie star as an art teacher?), and began to work on her first memoir (Brevard, Waldron, 2017). This first book was titled ‘Woman I Was Not Born To Be: A Transsexual Journey’* and focused on “the early years and ends with the death of [her] mother in 1982. It was [her] mother’s death, and the absence of her ongoing support, that forced [Brevard] to find [her] own footing in life. (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013)
Upon publication, Brevard was stepping away from living her life in stealth, into the early 2000s online transgender community. She described the experience, saying “because I had lived in stealth, I had no idea about transgender becoming the umbrella term. When I published the book, I was absolutely shocked that I was spread all over the internet” (Brevard, Waldron, 2017).
On the the sequel, ‘The Woman I WAS Born to Be’, Brevard explained that she “had no intention of writing a sequel. [She] soon realized, however, that life had indeed gone on; the second half of [her] life had allowed many of Mozelle’s dreams for my future to come true. That struck me as much more important than the angst and early trauma that had gotten [her] there” (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013).
In the end “[t]he sequel, ‘WAS Born To Be’ [was her] favorite book, in that it chronicles a much happier and more fulfilling aspect of [her] life (Brevard, Kowalska, 2013), which is a wonderful example of how it does get better, even if it isn’t exactly the way we expected it to be.
Conclusion
Brevard passed away on July first, 2017, at the age of 79, from pulmonary fibrosis (Whiting, 2017) leaving behind a long list of film, television, and theatre credits, as well as many students whom she guided, as a theater professor, director, and art teacher. Not to mention all of the trans individuals who were, are, and will be inspired by her memoirs, and her story.
She is a wonderful example that anyone can be a superhero and that we all deserve to see ourselves in the world, and the media we consume. A talented actress, and devoted mother and teacher, Aleshia was able to create a space for herself in the world where she was valued and respected for her talents, not seen for the anatomy she had at any given point in her life.
Transgender individuals are able more now to exist openly and still be regarded for their skills and actions, but it is still so common for society to see the label ‘trans’ and just stop perceiving us, substituting stereotypes and preconceived notions for our personalities and skills.
This is a big part of why I live openly as a transgender individual, and create these biographic blog posts. It’s important to me that I share our history, curate and create that representation so that everyone, from widely openly transgender to completely stealth can have a form of representation in their lives that they may not have had otherwise.
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Bibliography
Aleshia Brevard. Nashville Queer History. (2021, November 3). https://nashvillequeerhistory.org/glossary-main/aleshia-brevard/
Brevard, A., & Kowalska, M. (2013, January 25). Interview with Aleshia Brevard. The Heroines of My Life. other. Retrieved May 10, 2024,. Parts 1, 1 continued, and 5
Brevard, A., & Waldron, T.-L. (2017, April 5). Actress reflects on transitioning, Marilyn Monroe connection. Windy City Times. other. Retrieved May 10, 2024,.
IMDb.com. (n.d.). Aleshia Brevard | Actress, additional crew. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0108087/
Other hidden figures: Aleshia Brevard. Nashville Public Library. (2019, April 13). https://library.nashville.org/blog/2019/04/other-hidden-figures-aleshia-brevard
Rude, M. (2022, March 30). 6 trans & nonbinary characters in DC TV shows & movies. Out Magazine. https://www.out.com/television/2022/3/09/trans-and-nonbinary-characters-dc-comics-dceu-tv-shows-and-movies#rebelltitem1
Shepard, N. (2017, November 19). A Tennessee trans icon comes home: Remembering Aleshia Brevard. Spectrum South - The Voice of the Queer South. https://www.spectrumsouth.com/tennessee-trans-icon-comes-home-remembering-aleshia-brevard/
Whiting, S. (2017, July 24). Aleshia Brevard, SF drag star and transgender pioneer, dies at 79. SFGate. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Aleshia-Brevard-SF-drag-star-and-transgender-11344975.php
Success and Souffle | Lucy Hicks Anderson (1886- 1954): Not Just Cistory
Today, for the first installment of Not Just Cistory, I am sharing about the life of Lucy Hicks Anderson. She was a trans woman who, in the early twentieth century, was an entrepreneur and a pillar of her community.
Our first entry for the Not Just Cistory series is an entrepreneur and a businesswoman, who became famous across the United States during the first half of the twentieth century, for her business skills, her ability to host a party, and her fashion sense.
Early Life
Lucy Hicks Anderson né Lawson was born in “Waddy, Kentucky in 1886” (Keehnen & Salvo) and was adamant that she was a girl from birth, insisting that she wore dresses to school. Her doctor advised her mother to let her live as a girl, as it was obvious that she was in fact, a girl. Lucy received the support of her family and was able to live nearly her entire life as her true self. (Coren & Snorton, 2022)
Based on the 1900 census, Lucy spent her early years working for the Waddy family before moving away from home at age 15 (Keehnen & Salvo). During her travels, she met the man who would become her first husband; “Clarence Hicks, in New Mexico” (Coren & Snorton, 2022).
Entrepreneurial Success
She settled in the small town of Oxnard California in Ventura County, the home of a “major sugar factory that attracted blue-collar workers from the surrounding areas in Mexico” (Coren & Snorton, 2022).
Noticing a gap in the market, Lucy started “the only house of prostitution in Oxnard” (Hicks, Lucy L. [Tobias Lawson]).
During this time she was also “a renowned chef and hostess for wealthy families throughout her community” (Walker, 2018). She was a fantastic cook and was able to use this to traverse racial and gender lines in the community (Coren & Snorton, 2022).
A 1945 article after Lucy Hicks Anderson was outed notes her skills as a chef: “By the time she opened her first house of prostitution, off Oxnard's crib-bordered China Alley, her genius in the kitchen was the talk of the town” (CALIFORNIA: Sin & Souffl [sic] 1945). Even in ‘disgrace’ the society of the time was singing the praises of her cooking, a skill associated with women.
The Heart of a Community
She also remarried in 1944, to “a soldier named Ruben Anderson” (Coren & Snorton, 2022). During this period of the late thirties and early forties, Hicks Anderson’s business flourished and her scope of services spread. As time passed, she became more and more a part of the community, and:
tended children, helped dress many an Oxnard daughter for parties. The town thought little of seeing fat and prosperous Oxnard dames driving to Lucy's house to borrow one of her legendary recipes. When a new Catholic priest came to town, Lucy prepared the barbecue with which the parish welcomed him” (CALIFORNIA: Sin & Souffl [sic] 1945).
She was a beloved member of the community, and quite famous for her hosting skills and her fashion, being written about both in multiple magazines, one being Time magazine (Coren & Snorton, 2022). Her community also knew her from her generous “donations to charities such as the Red Cross and Boy Scouts” (Walker, 2018).
She was also a great supporter of the soldiers of the Second World War and their families. She bought war bonds, threw going away parties for soldiers, and consoled the parents of the ones who did not return home (Walker, 2018).
Betrayal by Her Community
Months after her second marriage, “in August 1945, an outbreak of venereal disease was said to have come from Hicks' establishment; Lucy and all of her employees had to be examined by a doctor” which led to her being outed as a ‘man’ (Hicks, Lucy L. [Tobias Lawson]).
Lucy was charged with perjury; the rationale being that she signed her marriage certificate that stated she was a woman, which was, in the court’s eyes, untrue (Notable Kentucky African Americans Database).
The prosecution provided “five doctors to testify to her legal gender, to the gender that she was assigned at birth”. Meanwhile, “Lucy's lawyers argued that she had hidden [female] organs”, within her body, and was truly a woman. “Ultimately, the jury returned a verdict of guilty… Her sentence, a small fine and 10 years probation” (Coren & Snorton, 2022).
As news spread about the discovery of the genitalia present at Lucy’s birth, both she and her husband were brought up on federal charges:
Ruben Anderson was facing a maximum of 10 years in a federal prison, and a top fine of 10,000, because he had the government send his wife $950 in allotment checks… The US Army argued that she was not legally married to her husband, since same sex marriage was illegal. And the US government didn't recognize that Lucy, being a trans woman, was a woman. (Coren & Snorton, 2022)
These charges were truly what pushed Lucy Hicks Anderson out of the life she had built for herself.
The federal courts they were "both found guilty. The court invalidated their marriage, and Ruben was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Lucy was sentenced to a year in prison at Leavenworth Penitentiary, a men's facility” (Coren & Snorton, 2022).
After finishing her sentence, Lucy Hicks Anderson left her business and her community, as “Oxnard also banned the couple for 10 years, so they took up residency in Los Angeles as husband and wife, where Lucy lived until her death in 1954” (Walker, 2018).
Conclusion
This story of success, and then the betrayal of the community that loved her, is a testament to the fact that not only transwomen have always existed, but that they can be successful, even if the community that benefits from them does not always support them entirely.
The arguments by both her lawyers, and that of the opposition show just how imbedded the idea of genitalia and physical form equalling gender is in American Society.
A woman can perform all of femininity perfectly, be an amazing cook and hostess, have flawless fashion, and be featured in Time magazine for it, not to mention being a generous benefactor to a community that loved her in response, and still be disqualified from the title of ‘woman’ for the fact that she does not have the appropriate formulation of reproductive organs.
However, Lucy Hicks Anderson’s refusal to hide away and present herself as who society wanted her to be also reminds me of the resistance that can be found in joy and being oneself. Lucy did not hide away, she simply moved to another place where she could live happily, and sometimes that's all we can do; move on, and be happy when and where we can.
This piece of art is available on my store and is a 6 x 9 inch gouache portrait. A portion of the proceeds of this piece will be donated to charity.
Bibliography
CALIFORNIA: sin & souffl [sic]. (1945, November 5). Time Magazine, XLVI(19). Retrieved January 11, 2024, from https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,852379,00.html.
Coren, A., & Snorton, C. R. (2022, November 30). Lucy Hicks Anderson. Sidedoor. , Smithsonian. Retrieved January 11, 2024,.
Hicks, Lucy L. [Tobias Lawson]. Omeka RSS. (n.d.). https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/1363
Keehnen, O. (n.d.). Lucy Hicks Anderson. Legacy Project Chicago. https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/lucy-hicks-anderson
Walker, M. (2018, February 21). Highlight: Lucy Hicks Anderson, a Black Trans Pioneer. ACLU of Mississippi. https://www.aclu-ms.org/en/news/highlight-lucy-hicks-anderson-black-trans-pioneer